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Aunt Sharon’s Nintendo Lesson

A favorite aunt that I was very close to when I was growing up passed away recently.  I was asked to speak at her funeral service. And even though my Aunt Sharon made a very special impact on my own personal life, I wanted the perspective of other family members to be shared, too.

So I decided to ask the family. I asked all the grandkids and other loved ones about what they remembered. I asked them what they would like to share about her.

When I turned to my brother he said two words: “The Nintendo.” Now, in case that doesn’t sound like a lot, let me tell you that those two words connect with an experience that would shape an important part of the person I would become.

Aunt Sharon’s Nintendo lesson

When the Nintendo came out, my brother Kris and I wanted one desperately. But as bad as we wanted one, my parents wouldn’t go for it.

Now, my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Dick had a way of knowing what we truly wanted as kids. The gifts they would bring us were always very special.

So I asked Aunt Sharon for a Nintendo. More important than that, I made one of my first business deals!

I told her, “If you get Kris and I a Nintendo, you won’t have to get us anything else for the rest of the year.”

Not quite sold, she answered, “What about Christmas? Do I have to get you something for Valentine’s Day?”

We talked a little more and I closed the deal: Kris and I had to give up presents on both of our birthdays, holidays and we had to do some chores.

In the end, Aunt Sharon bought us that Nintendo.

When my parents found out they were both fired up. Oh, they were mad! Because they couldn’t figure out how we did it.

But my Aunt Sharon was smart. I thought I got a Nintendo. But in reality, she gave me a far more valuable gift:  She taught me how to negotiate…and boy, she was tough!

When we share of ourselves, the gift of love lives on.

I remember when my brother Kris and I would get down to Aunt Sharon’s house, she would always have homemade cookies waiting for us with a smile and a big, warm hug. It would brighten my day whenever I would get to see her.

At Christmastime, when our families would all gather, I would eagerly wait for her and my Uncle Dick to arrive. Because I knew their gifts, just like the Nintendo, would be very thoughtful and very relevant to what was important to my world.

They listened. They cared. And they loved me enough to make my Christmas so special that it’s something that I try to create for other people today.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

1 Corinthians

As I’ve gotten older, I realize I can go on and on with Aunt Sharon stories. But as I reflect on what’s most important about my aunt, I realize that she cared so much for others because of her faith and the role Jesus Christ played in her life.

As Christians, we believe that there’s an afterlife waiting for us. And as I think about my aunt’s life, I’m excited that we both share that common faith. We believe that regardless of when our days on this earth are done, we will all be together and be eternally reunited.

So today, as I think about business and the goals we’re working so hard to achieve, I return to thoughts of other more important goals that are carried close to the heart.

And I’m holding my kids a little tighter and loving my wife a little more. I’m celebrating each moment with my family and friends.

Because the moments we share are not unlimited.

As you read this, I hope one or more family members come to mind – people who created similar experiences of love and happiness in your childhood. Let’s remember today what a beautiful gift it is to create loving memories for the special people around us.

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