I don’t generally follow the lives of celebrities, but the death of Prince has flooded my Facebook news feed, and as I read through articles about his life and untimely death, I actually felt sorry for him. These celebrities are surrounded by vultures and parasites masquerading as friends. They fill their mansions with strange acquaintances and try to satiate the void in their lives with sex and drugs to no avail. Saturday night, as I laid on my couch, I had an epiphany: I am a very wealthy man.
I woke up Saturday with a daunting task. We recently moved to be closer to my work, and we have a large storage unit that had to be emptied. I rented a 16′ Budget truck and drove 50 miles to the storage. On my way I got a call from a friend who recently returned from deployment. We talked for almost the entire drive, about his deployment, our kids, and even about CONUS Battle Drills.
When I got to the storage unit, I posted a pic on Facebook and asked if anyone in the Fort Bragg area could come and help. Within 3 minutes of the post, and old college buddy of mine asked for the address and drove 30 minutes out of his way to help. A few hours later when we had the van loaded up, he volunteered to drive 90 minutes out of his way to help me unload as well. When we were done, we sat in my garage and drank a beer to celebrate the task being complete.
Not long after that, I messaged a buddy of mine from Iraq. He’s going through a tough divorce and I wanted to check up on him. My heart broke for him and everything he’s going through. I said a prayer and returned the rental truck.
It was right around dinner time when I got a phone call from my first platoon sergeant back when I was a cherry 2LT in the 82nd Airborne. He wanted to tell me that he was going to be a Command Sergeant Major for the 10th mountain! My whole family celebrated with him over the phone.
After dinner I laid on the couch while my three kids piled on top of me to watch some cartoons before their bath time. It was there, in one of the most precious of moments holding my kids, that I realized just how wealthy I really am.
I don’t own a multi-million dollar mansion. I don’t have an expensive car. I don’t own a yacht, and I live on a budget. I don’t have a lot of “stuff”, but I am incredibly wealthy.
I am friends with some of the greatest men this country has ever produced. Warriors, real heroes, men whom books are written about, and they call me to celebrate and mourn? I am undeserving of such an honor. I am undeserving of so many blessings God has chosen to bestow upon me, but I am ever so grateful to Him.
Are you living your life like a celebrity? Moving from one shallow relationship to another, filling your life with strip clubs and alcohol? Because let me tell you something, if you have served this country, then you have walked among giants, and those men call you brother. You have great wealth at your fingertips, if you’re ready to recognize it.
-LJF