Life: It’s Not All About You

I went to see the new Thor movie with my family last week. We were about 20 minutes into it when I realized my 4-year-old grandson, Joshua, was way too hyper to remain still and quiet for another two hours, so I decided to take him home and let him run it out. Joshy loved the idea.

“Are we leavin’ now, Poppy?!” he grinned. “You takin’ me to your house?!”

“Shhh,” I whispered as we stood up and walked toward the door of the darkened theater. “Yes.”

“Can we walk down to the barn?!” he asked loudly.

“Whisper, buddy,” I smiled.

But as with most young children, his whisper was louder than his regular voice.

“CAN WE WALK DOWN TO THE BARN?!” he whisper-shouted.

“Yes,” I whispered back. “Let’s go.”

So I still haven’t watched more than 20 minutes of “Thor: Ragnarok.” But was it worth it? Absolutely. The movie will be at the theater for weeks, and even if I miss it, we’ll end up buying it on DVD when it comes out. But I got to spend a couple of uninterrupted hours with my grandson, which is rare.

Life: it’s not all about me.

See, my mama taught me that.

She always put her kids first; whatever we’d do, it was always more about us than her.

“What movie do you guys wanna see?” she’d ask me and my sister. Or, “Where do you guys wanna eat?” Many years later, I recall her taking my son, Trey, out for the afternoon, and it was all about him. They ate where he wanted to eat, and they saw the movie he wanted to see.

My mom went to see the rock band KISS in concert with us last summer. She figured she could help her brother—my Uncle Aaron—since he was in a wheelchair and had to sit in the handicapped section. Now, my mom does not listen to KISS, but she went because Aaron, Trey and I were going, and she thought she could help.

And ended up having a blast, by the way.

Life: it’s not all about you.

That’s what my mama’s whole life conveys, and it’s a contagious message. Following in my mom’s footsteps, my wife, Laura, is one of the most sacrificial people I’ve ever met. She makes nothing about her, and her family try and follow suit.

Laura was the one who suggested we take Joshy to see “The Emoji Movie” over the summer.

Man, it was awful. I mean…it was TERRIBLE.

But Joshy loved it. Loved it, and that’s what life is all about. I got the biggest kick outta watching him dance in the aisles.

Laura and my daughter, Jess, took Joshy to see the “Smurfs” movie a few months earlier, but not because they were dying to see it. In fact, Jess actually fell asleep for a few minutes. But she and Laura were more-than-willing to make the sacrifice. They did it for Joshy. With Jess being pregnant at the time (she just gave birth to my beautiful baby granddaughter, Miss Jenna-Marie, last week), they were worried Joshy might be feeling neglected. So, they took action.

It’s things like this people will remember, long after we’re all gone.

It’ll either be…

“Yeah, they were kinda selfish that way. If they didn’t wanna do it, they didn’t do it.”

Or…

“They were so self-sacrificing. I loved that about them! They lived to serve others.”

It’s an attitude that mom, Laura and Jess have passed on to Trey. I see it when, instead of hanging out with his friends, he hangs out with Joshy.

I’ve found more joy in sacrifice than selfishness. More happiness in giving than receiving. It was not a lesson I took to immediately, but once it was ingrained into my spirit, I discovered it’s the only way to live.

Life: it’s not all about you.

Blessings.