Please Enjoy Bob McCaw's, "Life is Bluetiful When" Blog...
Life is "Bluetiful" When….
When Allison first asked if I would contribute to this discussion, I thought I would be able to do so rather easily. Wow, was I wrong. Apparently succinctness of thought is not one of my strengths. But I believe I’ve narrowed it down a bit.When I first considered the phrase “life is beautiful when”, I immediately thought of bluetiful as a two part word, combining sadness and sorrow with beauty. So how does sadness or sorrow morph into something of beauty? When Jim Valvano gave his now famous speech at the ESPY’s years ago, he suggested that we do three things every day to live a full day. He said we should laugh, think, and have our emotions move us to tears every day. I’ve arrived at my own three things to do everyday, that for me, send sadness over to the side of beauty.
1. GIVE – be a blessing to someone each and every day. Could be something as small as a smile or a compliment. But make a conscious effort each and every day to improve someone else’s situation. It was suggested to me recently that I watch Patton Oswalt’s Netflix special in which he actually works his wife’s tragic death into his standup routine. Not being a huge Oswalt fan, I have to admit I was skeptical. But one thing he said stuck with me. He admitted that he left room in his life for faith and his wife did not but a credo that she lived by was “in the chaos, be kind.” As a person of faith, this is commanded of me but sometimes we are reminded in the most unusual ways, so in the chaos, be kind. Bless someone today
2. THANKSGIVE – Be thankful each day for the blessings you receive. Even in the hardest of times, blessings will be given to you, look for them, and be thankful for them. I’m fortunate enough to be married to a woman(Mary) whose glass is always at LEAST half full, and more times than not is filled to the brim. Shortly after our son Billy was murdered nearly 4 years ago, Mary and I were praying and grieving together and she reminded me that even though Billy had been so horribly taken from us, his 22 years on this earth were a true blessing, to us and as it turned out, to many, many others.
3. FORGIVE – Bearing a grudge? Someone hurt you beyond what you’re capable of handling? Forgive, let it go. About a year ago, I read a book called Total Forgiveness by R.T. Kendall. I finished it shortly before our son’s killer was due to be sentenced. What I took out of it was that if I focused on the defendant and his horrible act, it would eat me up from the inside. But if I forgave, I was turning it over to God to handle. It was not excusing his actions or condoning them but rather it was a release of the bitterness and anger I was holding in my heart. My family and I still pray for the soul of the defendant because it’s what my faith demands of me.
I recently came across an old Japanese saying “Ichi-go ichi-e? Loosely translated it means one time, one chance. It is a reminder to appreciate those who cross our paths, since they might not do so again. So give, thanksgive, and forgive and make life bluetiful! God bless.
About Bob McCaw...
Bob lives outside of Nashville, TN with wife Mary, son Matthew, and daughter Kelsey who recently moved home to pursue her Master's. His daughter Carrie and son in law Leon live in Charlotte, NC withBib and Mary's new grandson Jackson!
Bob loves to golf, cook, and read but mostly golf. He currently manages the Billy McCaw Memorial Scholarship and Giving Fund to remember Billy in a way that helps others.
