Motivational Monday :)

After the evening we spent last night at Faith United Methodist Church in Trenton, it was so easy to come up with the perfect inspirational story and poem to bring Motivational Monday back :)

Last night our Football Coaches organized an evening for the boys and their families to listen to an inspirational speaker named Brad Hurtig from Ohio. Brad lost both of his hands and part of his right arm during a stamping factory accident the summer before his Junior year in High School. Brad was VERY active in sports and played Middle linebacker on the football team. Through the devastating loss of his hands and arm and the many challenges he was faced with, he had a choice...........he could sit back and feel sorry for himself or he could get back up and learn to not only live an amazing life, but he could share his life and his story with others. Last night Brad talked about how he did ask God "WHY?" many times, but in doing so, he felt a strong sense of peace from the Lord who gave him the strength (unlike any human strength) to press on and have the drive to not only get on with his life, but to play football, as well as, many other sports. He finished his senior year with the MOST tackles (111) on the team and he did this with NO HANDS!

Talk about a beautiful story about an amazing young man who took a life changing/devastating event and turned it into a life that teaches others about adversity, leadership, attitude and setting goals. Brad's story touched me to the core of my soul and he finished the evening with this poem that I hope will also make you look at your life differently.

The Carpenter
"An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,”he said,”my gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. So it is with us. We build our lives, one day at a time, often putting less then our best into our building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we’d do it much differently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. “Life is a do-it-yourself project,” someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the “house” you may live in tomorrow. Build wisely! Remember……. Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody is watching." ~unknown author

(Our amazing Trenton boys with Brad last night. Dummy me didn't even think to take my camera, so this one here is compliments of my hubby's cell phone :) )

What a beautiful blessing Brad is to so many and we are very honored to have shook his hand and told him thank you and that he IS making a huge difference in other people's lives. To read more about Brad and his story, please log onto:
http://www.srtprosthetics.com/our-heroes/brad-hurtig-sherwood-ohio/