What Fuels Your Fire? by Andrew Banner

Dad had always ingrained the idea of setting multiple smaller goals in life to lead to a bigger, more challenging goal.   He commonly referred to the great coach, John Wooden by saying, ‘success is a journey, not a destination.’ However, the most important aspect to each of the goals was the fuel behind the goals.  Many people are competitive by nature, but those who have the fuel or the urging desire to reach their goals will be hurdling them at a faster rate.  The fuel for your desire to succeed can be one single thing or event, or it can be ever changing as your life evolves and morphs.  During my lifetime, I know dad’s passion to succeed each day was his faith and family.  He took both very seriously by his actions.  Dad was very devoted to the church in more ways than I ever knew.  He also never ever missed sporting events, birthday parties, or random concerts that Lindsay or I was involved in throughout our lives.  Dad never vocalized his fuel, he simply lived his live by these rules and/or values. 

            I first recall Dad lecturing me on understanding the importance of fueling your fire when I was about a month into my 10^th grade year of school.  The reason he brought the subject up was because he knew I did not take my schooling very serious but I loved to play sports.  He put it like this…. “Andrew, you plan on playing basketball at the collegiate level correct?” I responded yes.  “Well your grades will determine what schools you can get into to play and if you can’t learn how to discipline yourself in the classroom, how will you ever be able to discipline yourself in life?”  Of course that was a shock to me at the time and maybe did not completely set in.  He followed up by saying, “Andrew, at the end of each day look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself did you do your best?  If you did, awesome; if you did not ask yourself why and learn from it.”  After he had challenged me with the mirror test, he told me what would come of the application of the process.  He talked about building a “brand” or “character” by continuously practicing the mirror test.  “People want to surround themselves with successful people and if you are willing to give it your best every day, people will recognize and want to be around you.”  He was so right.  Little did I know that those conversations would never be forgotten and forever cherished.  Now I find myself continuously challenging myself to be great each and every day because he is the fuel to my fire.  I desire to be great just like dad.

 

I’ve been watching you by Andrew Banner

          Any time I hear the song “I’ve been watching you,” by Rodney Adkins my mind goes straight to memories of how much I loved looking up to my dad.   Music has always been a fixture in our family.  It’s not uncommon that I will text my sister or she will text me, “just listening too Tom Petty and made me smile.”  Tom Petty is just one of the many great bands/artists that connect us with dad.  Mom and dad taught us well, and we were always eager to learn.  Two days ago, I decided to open up and old book that dad once gave me as a gift.  The book is “Wooden,” by Coach John Wooden with Steve Jamison.  This is a must read, life changer kind of book.  The reason why I want to share the book is because I had not read it in a while and now I realize how much this book makes me miss and respect my father. 

As I began to read two days ago the first chapter was titled, “Families, Values, and Virtues.”  I could read this book easily in one sitting but I prefer to soak it up and practice Wooden’s lessons on a daily basis; therefore I take my good ole time.  Right from the get go, Wooden lists his 7 principles to live by.  As I read it was hard not to think about how good dad was at all 7.  Here is the list: 1. Be True to Yourself, 2. Help Others, 3. Make Each Day Your Masterpiece, 4. Drink Deeply from Good Books, especially the Bible 5. Make friendship a Fine Art, 6. Build a Shelter Against a Rainy Day, 7. Pray for Guidance and Count and Give Thanks for Your Blessings Every Day.  Collectively, those are 7 principles I know will help anyone get to the place they want to be in life.  I know dad strived for those 7 principles every day and it was not because he told me, it was simply the way he lived his life.  I guess it’s no coincidence mom, Lindsay, and I chose to put “Make each day your masterpiece” on dad’s tombstone.  Now I know what I have to strive for in life and the areas I may have to work on.  Maybe someday I’ll be half the man you were.

Love you dad,

Your son

Every Impact Matter by Lindsay Banner

"If you've made a positive impact on one person, then the effort was worth it."  Countless times, dad would tell me that after he and I would be discussing a practice that I came from and was frustrated with the progress my athletes were making. His first comment would always be regarding his sales experience and people's retention of new concepts. "Lindsay, when learning something new, remember individuals' attention spans are short and they are retaining about 20% of what you are instructing or informing them." Sound bites. Coach in sound bites. Do you know how hard that is when you want to impart all of your knowledge on them to help them achieve greater success than yours? And after rehashing practice by five minute segments with dad on my drive home, and discussing the accomplishments, light bulb moments, and the tribulations of practice he would remind to take a step back and remember the big picture.  What was it all for? To make them a better athlete, sure, if possible, but the greater purpose to make them better individuals prepared for life outside the gym. So if one girl left the gym with more self confidence in her abilities on the court, then it would most likely transfer to her day-to-day life, and that was the true purpose of an effective practice. It was worth it if you took two hours of your busy day to make one girl even slightly realize her potential. That was my dad forever altruistic.  I wish more people could have that vision and thought process and I wish it was an easy mindset to stay motivated within...because it  can be utterly disheartening at times.  But that is not necessarily the point of this post. It goes back to positively impacting one person's life.

            Saturday, I received a visit from my old teammate, Mickey Carey.  Mickey walked on as a freshman my senior year at Clarion.  Mickey was a work horse and earned every second of playing time she got while I had the opportunity to play with her. Positive attitude and hard worker. It paid off in the end, earning her a scholarship (which warms my heart a little). My kind of girl and my favorite kind of story. Due to the age gap at that point in time, aside from volleyball and sharing a few professors, Mickey and I didn't spend much time getting to know each other. Not due to lack of desire, just time. I knew more about her from mutual friends then actual experiences. So when Mickey showed up this weekend, I was excited to catch up, as I always am with friends, but had no serious expectations. But it was awesome! This girl is doing amazing things. Picked up, moved to a city, essentially started a business and kicking butt. "The harder you work, the luckier you get." - one of my favorite John Woodenisms.

            The purpose of this preface is to better understand a story Mickey shared with me this weekend and I hope she doesn't mind me including in this post (and I hope it is accurately depicted). Mickey told me about her visit to Clarion when she was first looking at schools her senior year of high school. Her mom and her had made the trip to Clarion and in the process her mom's car had broke down while they were in Clarion. Who came to their assistance alongside the road, but Mr. Tony Banner.  Dad apparently told her where to get her car taken to and where to look for a new one if that should be the case.  Allegedly that made an impression on Mickey's mom that a random person would take time out of their busy day and pull over, help and guide. During their interaction, Mickey and her mom learned that he was my dad.  Hours later while meeting with Ms. Lynn Hepfl in the Honor's office, Mickey was informed that I apparently was doing all of the things Mickey was interested in doing. And the rest is history.   But the point is, who knows where Mickey would have ended up if dad hadn't run into them during their unfortunate travel affairs.  Sure, he may not have made that big of an impact on her, but he could of, and Clarion University is lucky to have Mickey as an alumni as she has just began her journey. It's rare that you get to hear or see the fruits of your labor. I wish dad was around to tell him, but I'm sure he already knows. So I challenge you to take a moment out of your busy schedule to do something that might be a nuisance and see what positive impact that makes.

 

One Year... by Lindsay Banner

One year. It's hard not to be cliché, but where did the time go? It is amazing to me that it has been one full year since I looked at my phone and wondered why my aunt was calling me during the afternoon work hours on a Friday. Not that we don't hold phone conversations, but a Friday work afternoon? I could be super dramatic and say that my work was flip-turned upside down, to quote the Fresh Prince,  when I received word from her about dad and to some degree it was, but for the most part my life has continued on smoothly simply because he had me prepared. Don't get me wrong, there have been ups and downs over the past year in learning how to function in some capacities when an integral part of the equation was missing, but dad has never failed me in his preparation.  And in each situation I have encountered over the past year, his prior applicable advice has not yet failed me. More dauntingly, I cannot believe it's been a year since I've heard his infectious laugh or held one of our debates on my drive to work over what was on SportsCenter that morning. Time is a crazy, crazy thing.

            Sitting here at my office desk and hearing Tim McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dyin" was what actually made me realize that it had been a year. While the song used to remind me of a car ride to the beach with Miss Ashley Grimm and a night out in Cape Town with my Semester at Sea friends, it now reminds me of dad simply because of the message and he would always comment on what a great message it is.  But it also got me thinking about a lot of things.

            Most recently, I keep having these experiences that have tied back to one of my dad's favorite movies - "It's a Wonderful Life." For those of you who haven't seen it, because really, who would want to sit through a two hour black and white film, there are two key points for purposes of my current thoughts relating to this movie:

1. A man has the opportunity to see what the world he lived in would have been like had he never been born; and,

2. In the final minutes of the movie, it is said "No man is a failure who has friends"

            As for the first point, I take that one step further after the past year and pose the idea that it is amazing to see how the world in which you live is significantly altered once you are gone. It's not meant to be a depressing thought, just reality. In the same breath, it's interesting to see how the dynamics change and people work to fill the responsibilities and void that the loss of an individual creates. At times it's been a rollercoaster, but it's been an overwhelmingly amazing experience to witness and meet so many people over the course of the year that my brother and I may have heard about, but never had the opportunity to meet. In the past year, I have seen that the number of people that meant so much to him and vice versa. Like every Christmas Eve the past ten years that we have watched "It's a Wonderful Life," I can imagine him watching the movie of his life and the events that have followed the past year, with tears rolling down his face simply humbled by the love and support of his friends through the life he created for himself and his family. You reap what you sow. And to the experiences of the past year, his life was a testament to that.

            It is evidence that he practice what he preached, "surround yourself by successful people - people that make you a better person." It's incredible to have met some of the individuals that dad surrounded himself by, but I may have known for years or just in the past year.  The stories have been amazing to hear. And it's been a blessing to witness Andrew and mom's growth and the people they have surrounded them with.  Dad always said to me when frustrated with coaching, "remember people only retain about 20% of what you tell them, so you need to be repetitive, genuine and engaging." In witnessing Andrew and my mom the past year, I think he must have repeated himself enough for that message to be instilled within the three of us.

            Countless times the past year I have been humbled to tears with all the love and support of friends. And countless times, I've been driving to work and hear a song that makes me think of some memory that involves him and struggle to hold it together. There have been moments when I have received an excited call from Andrew regarding an event that has occurred throughout the day and I have to step back and take a moment. It's odd that Andrew beat dad in calling me. Dad was always so proud of Andrew and I miss hearing those conversations.

            Sunday, while sitting in church on the anniversary of his passing, one of the girls that was part of the youth group I assisted with sang "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever." When I heard that, I finally felt like I had something to finish this post with and it was so very fitting. There were so many ways in which it was perfect, but of most importance is the love and support that I have felt because of the loving and caring person dad was to so many.  In the past year, my life has remained steady and constant because he gave so much of himself to others that is has only exponentially grown and I have been fortunate enough to witness it. Love you dad. 

I love you dad by Andrew Banner

 Not a day goes by without me thinking of you.  Each and every day new challenges and opportunities come my way and I seize them all as you have taught me.  Quite honestly the past year has been a great challenge that mom, Lindsay and I have come together, stepped up to the plate, and knocked it out of the park in our own ways.  We have all grown for the better, which I know you can see.  At our core we still live by the same morals our family has valued and each of us are keeping busy trying to follow our dreams.  I very much miss our daily talks while I’m on my way to and from work and the occasional lunch break chat.   I sometimes get mad at myself that I can’t seem to keep up with the Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins like I would have had I been talking to you each day.  It is so much tougher when I do not have the local news or you filling me in.  It brings me to tears to think after all these years that you preached to me that the Pirates would make a comeback simply because you never stopped believing and they are having what seems to be there best year in the past 17.  I want them to make the playoffs so bad. 

As you know the NFL season is just about to kickoff and I just drafted my fantasy football roster for the 13^th consecutive season.  Of course I think my team is the best just like ever other year but I got that optimism from you.  To this day, I will never forget the fact that our first ever fantasy football season we won the title and never looked back.  As for the Steelers, they are looking like the Steelers we know… always a Super Bowl contender.  It is crazy to think you helped move me to Dallas 15 months ago!   That was honestly one of the best decisions of my life.  Thank you for supporting my decision to go so far away from home to go after my dreams.  Dallas has been very good to me.  I have surrounded myself with great people just like you always did.  Networking here is so fun!  There are so many people with so many stories and knowledge to learn from.  Each and every day I ask Adam and Carly, “can it really get any better?”  We have it so good.  My officiating career is sky rocketing faster than even I could have imagined!  I know you had your doubts behind scenes that I could make this happen and make a living but I love a good challenge.  Watch out, it will not be too long before I am in the NBA Finals.  I have so many mentors down here that have specific characteristics that remind me of you.  This group of mentors keep me grounded and challenged every step of the way.  If I could have told you that in 15 month’s time in Dallas I could have accomplished what I have accomplished you would have smiled and said “lets take a step back for a moment and just get to Dallas first.”  Not only have I been extremely excited and happy about what I have done for myself but I also am keeping busy helping others, which is what life is all about.  I have helped some of my friends meet their personal health goals, build a house for Habitat for Humanity, organized multiple sports teams, even a fantasy football league, and most importantly shared my love with all my friends and neighbors like you were so well remembered for doing. 

On top of a great year, so many people have come together to give back to the Clarion community by helping bring awareness to the endowment we have built in your name at the Clarion University.  All your time spent growing up at Keystone, then supporting all the Banner boys there, and doing the same as Lindsay and I grew up at Clarion, all while running the boosters and even coaching from time to time will never be forgotten.  You were a dedicated loving man.  Not to mention as Lindsay played volleyball at Clarion University you transitioned into a relentless supporter of Clarion University athletics.  You and mom traveled to all home and away matches which is a feet in itself, but you also supported all the other teams and athletes as they were your own.  You also continued to support the University, as I was lucky enough to coach the Clarion University Woman’s Basketball team.  Oh and how could I forget, you knew every single person on campus like they were your best friend because you wanted to be more than just a copier salesman, you actually cared about the people you did business with each and every day.  The least we could do is create a Tony Banner Memorial Invitational Tournament supported by Clarion University each and every year.  The inaugural tournament is September 7^th and 8^th this year.  My life is so much better for having you around for the past 24 years but it goes ways beyond Lindsay, mom and I.  This is our dedication to you because we know this is something you have supported and will always support, thank you and love you.  

TO DONATE TO THE TONY BANNER ENDOWMENT PLEASE CONTACT:

Shawn Wood

Email: swood@cuf-inc.org

Phone: 814.393.1832

http://www.goblefh.net/sitemaker/sites/GobleF1/obit.cgi?user=451997Banner

http://www.clariongoldeneagles.com/index.aspx?path=wvball&tab=volleyball

The Greatest Day in the History of the World? by Andrew Banner

I challenge you to think in great detail about this question.  There are so many historical events to look back on that forever changed the world we live in today.  This is not a simple question for most people.  Oddly enough, I can recall the day I discovered the answer to this question. 

            There was not a day that went by that my dad did not have something positive to say about someone or something that had happened within each day I can remember with my dad.  He was always so positive even in the moments that seemed tough to swallow.  My dad was what you would call a die-hard Pirates fan.  No matter how bad they were doing over the past 17 seasons he was always looking on the bright side.  I guess it’s no coincidence that last season as the Pittsburgh Pirates were having another semi-promising year at the midpoint that my dad was updating me text by text day after day even after I told dad that I really had no interest.  Leave it to dad to be the optimistic fan who knew that the Pirates would someday play again to the level they once played in the 70’s with his all-time favorite Roberto Clemente.  Just prior to dad’s passing he was filling me in on how the bucos were on a 9 game losing streak but they still had their chances to be above 500 with a handful of games left in the season.  The day dad passed, I sure as heck was not following the Pirates but those who were ever so close to me were.  The Pirates went onto change their fortune and win the game the day my dad passed, September 2^nd, 2011. 

            Sure the Pirates fell short of 500 again last season but they are on the rise again this season.  The relevance of the story is simply in the fact that one can never give up.  The day before I flew to San Diego to take on the semester of a lifetime was the day I truly knew how to answer, “what is the greatest day in the history of the world?”  I know this because I wrote mom and dad a letter and hid it so they would not find it until after I set sail.  The letter told them how much I loved them and respected all that they had done for me in my life but most importantly that they should know that I will be ok with being half way around the world from them because I had learned from them that today would be the best day of my life. 

            Eleanor Roosevelt said it best, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that’s why they call it the present.”  Dad’s outlook on life was a choice.  He lived everyday like it was his last and had no regrets.  Let today be the best day of your life!

Donate Now to the Tony Banner Memorial

            

Happy Father's Day Tony Banner by Lindsay Banner

It's been 27 years since Tony Banner was given the official title of "Dad;" one of the many roles he successfully fulfilled and far exceeded his job requirements. He was even more excited to one day be a grandfather and shared that with Andrew and I frequently.  Unfortunately, neither of us were or are ready for that kind of commitment to date. We joked that we both needed to find someone first and Dad would poke back that that is only a minor hiccup in the process.  So whenever  I received a text this morning from my cousin that he and his wife welcomed their first child into the world, Samuel Anthony Banner, I thought, "Wow, Dad would be so honored."

The first father's day without Dad around and I have been stumped all week as to how to celebrate.  It's not like we spent the day together when he was around. He always played in the Clarion High School Football Golf Scramble with Andrew and I would leave to go complete some form of Habitat for Humanity trip with the church. However, I wanted to do something for him, something to remind me how lucky I am a little more than every other two hours that something crosses my mind reminding me of a him.  Luckily, having the opportunity to drive north a little over an hour and meet the new baby made planning my last minute father's day celebration a bit easier, but as I was running along the harbor yesterday morning I thought I need to finally draft a post for Andrew's blog regarding the creation of the endowment created at Clarion University in Dad's honor.

Ever since I can remember, my Dad has had a passion for sports. There are few people I know that can recite stats about athletes in the manner and multitude that my Dad could. My brother has come into his own in recent years, but my Dad had a pretty amazing ability to do so. He also had an ability to tell you exactly what he was doing at what he deemed to be major sporting events in his life, like most people of his generation do with the Kennedy assassination or 9/11 for my generation.  In my lifetime, my earliest memory is celebrating the Pens winning the Stanley Cup over the Minnesota North Stars in Morgantown, WV with my Uncle Tom and Aunt Mary.  Although I recall the days when the Pirates were competitive and the days of Bonilla, skinny Bonds, and Van Slyke, I have more vivid memories of discussing what happened since 1992. I remember going to the last Pirate games at Three River's with Dad; watching Lemieux, Jagr and Ronnie Francis (one of his favorite's) at the Civic Arena; his excitement in going to Cooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame twice over; circling the highway in Boston to simply pass Fenway; receiving the call the day the Pens signed Crosby and gained hope for the new generation of Pens hockey; going to my first game at the new PNC Stadium with him during the Knights of Columbus Sunday tailgate; his envy when I had the opportunity to go to Heinz Field before him (even though it was to see N'SNYC - yes I just admitted that); receiving the call from my satellite phone on the MV Explorer while I was off the Brazil informing me that the Steelers had won the Super Bowl; hearing him teary eyed over the phone in my apartment while he watching the Red Sox receive the World Series Trophy ; and talking about how much he loved watching  the hand shake at the end of each playoff series of hockey. I think about how much I miss hearing him give me the recap of the SportsCenter episode I just viewed while I drove to work each morning - not necessarily recapping the events, but how each person highlighted through an interview handled themself.

But amongst all these great moments, I think about how much more he cherished the success and moments for the amateur athletes he witnessed within a twenty mile radius of his home. Beginning my cousin Ted's sophomore year of high school, me age 7, Andrew age 5, we attended every Keystone basketball game in the old gym supporting not only Ted, but my Dad's high school classmate and head coach Greg Heath. After Ted's automobile accident and being partially paralyzed on his left side (I think that's the right side, like I said, details were my Dad's strength), I can remember just how excited Dad was that he was going to be able to play his senior year.  A few years later as I progressed into high school, we attended every one of my cousin Chris's basketball games as well.

Naturally, Dad never missed a game of Andrew or mine. From countless basketball, volleyball, and softball games, to golf matches and Andrew's one year football career - he and my mom never missed a thing. And after every one of those games, either Andrew and Dad or me and Dad would take at least a half hour to discuss the game from both a strategy breakdown standpoint to the lessons to be taken away from the situations and conclusion of each game.  I think of several moments that stand out such as the night the boys basketball team beat Moniteau after losing by 60 points earlier in the season and him and Kevin Beichner nearly suffocating BJ Roth in his celebration, or beating Keystone my junior year to win Districts for volleyball, and his pride in speaking about Andrew's golf seasons. I contribute a lot of who I am today to the time he took out of his day to point out the lessons learned on the court to everyday life. 

As I segued into college and had the opportunity to play at Clarion University, I think back to how ecstatic he was to have the opportunity to see me play for four more years across town. And like high school, he and my mom never missed a game. Driving no less than an hour an a half, he and Mom were always there. When I blew my right knee out, not once, but twice, he drove me to Pittsburgh at least once a week for six months after each reconstructive surgery.  Little did I know how much I would look back and love that additional time spent with him. I will not forget how he and my Mom opened their home up to all of my teammates over the course of my career, particularly for Thanksgiving  Dinner, and the hug I received after losing to Kutztown in NCAA Regionals  at Lock Haven my senior year ending my volleyball career.

Recently, we were approached by a few very close friends indicating that an endowment had been created in Dad's name at Clarion University.  Andrew, Mom and I were truly humbled by the generosity of others.  Mom would be fulfilling any further financial requirements to ensure that it was fully endowed. We were informed that we would need to stipulate the guidelines for the future recipient.  As you can imagine, this was more difficult than it may seem. In recent years, Mom and Dad have attended the majority of Clarion University home basketball and volleyball  games. When Andrew assisted with womens' golf and womens' basketball, he became that more attached to Tippin Gym.  Growing up, his favorite week of the year was that of PIAA high school basketball and he without fail, he would ask Andrew and I each year while sitting in Tippin Gym, "Are we in heaven?" and we would respond, "No, We're in Tippin Gym." (Field of Dreams anyone?)

After much deliberation, we decided that the endowment would be created for a women's volleyball player qualifying as a scholar athlete. Considering the years Dad spent traveling across the state to support Clarion University volleyball, as well as Clarion High School volleyball, and from the lessons learned, experiences had, friends acquired along the way, and respect had for the two individuals currently leading those programs, we found it to be most appropriate.   Andrew has attached a link in which you can click and contribute, if you would like.  Although we would love your support, this entry is more for the purpose of informing rather than soliciting.

The endowment works such that $25,000 must be raised to be fully endowed.  Once the $25,000 mark is achieved, money can be given in the form of a scholarship.  The $25,000 principal amount will never be drawn upon, only the interest earned on the principal amount will be given out annually.  Typically, 3% is earned on the principal for purposes of distributing in the form of an annual scholarship. 


Donate Now to the Tony Banner Memorial

Have a Little Faith by Lindsay Banner

Life's funny in that a single lessons can be brought to your attention through many different mediums within a short time frame when it is the exact lesson that needs to be learned. 

Instance #1: Recently, I had the opportunity to visit my brother and spend the long weekend enjoying the company of his new friends, as well as the friends I had met on my previous trip to the big D.  As always, when in the company of my little bro, I had a great time - perhaps too much of a good time - but a great time nonetheless.  On the day I was getting ready to depart, my mom, who was also visiting, and I decided to grab some guacamole and drinks before I flew home. As is the family tradition, we were kicking back and reflecting on the time spent together, where we are in life, and all the other things that needed to be shared before our conversations were limited to impersonal conversations due to distance and lack of interaction - not that we don't communicate daily, it's just not the same. During my reflection, I realized the most prominent characteristic that had stuck out about my brother during my most recent visit was his ability to find the wonderful characteristics in each person he had shared with me during my visit and embellish them. He was so positive and loved each of them unconditionally rarely seeing any flaws. Ironically, as I was discussing this with my mom, I had just mentioned how somewhere along the way I had become so much more cynical than I used to be. I'm not proud of it, but leave it to my brother to make me wake up and realize just how much I had digressed from the positive individual I had once been.

Instance #2: Not less than seven hours later, I hop off the plane from Dallas.  I'm completing my daily Facebook stalk and stumble upon a quote I haven't seen in a while.  This quote was posted from one of my good friends from study abroad, and is a quote my dad would often refer to.

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives: Be kind anyway.  

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating others could destroy overnight: Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it may never be enough: Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway."

- Mother Theresa

It is one of my favorites, but perhaps something I had recently forgotten after getting caught up in the daily grind and the experiences that cause someone to become cynical.

Countless times, my dad preached you must believe in people.  Everyone has something to bring to the table and you must find it and emphasize it.  If you lose that belief, you are missing out on some of the most valuable and fulfilling experiences in life.   How quickly you can forget when someone isn't there to be that little bird chirping in your ear. 

Instance #3:  I return from the airport and enter my house to be greeted by my two amazing roommates and my roommate's dog after my trip to Dallas, both products of Craigslist.

Four years ago, when I first moved to Maryland (hard to believe it has already been four years) I lucked out when having only a week to find a place to live my college next door neighbor, Eric Baumgartel, so graciously offered an empty bedroom that became available.  The apartment complex was less than ten minutes from my new place of employment and I was living with someone I knew. Awesome!  Eric quickly moved up in his job and was able to take a better position a few hours away which required him to move. I had to find someone to move in and someone fast since I couldn't afford the place by myself.

Enter Craigslist. At the time, I thought this is a tool that everyone used to find roommates. In hindsight and upon hundreds of discussions with others as to "how do you know your roommate?" I realized it wasn't so common, although it seemed like the natural thing to do.  Believe in people and see where it will land me. You better believe Tony Banner was pushing me to find someone through Craigslist, but a little bit apprehensive about having his 22 year old daughter find a random soul to live with.  Some of my friends thought I was absolutely nuts. They thought I was compromising my safety, especially since I was considering living with a male. But by trusting my gut and meeting a few people, I landed Stefan Traylor as my first Craigslist roommate. Stefan was a blessing in disguise, not only did he pay rent and utilities on time, he was exposed me to so many new things, things that you just don't find in Clarion, Pa. He constantly pushed me to think outside the outside the box. So when he said, "Let's move into the City [Baltimore]" I agreed.

Over the course of the past four years, two of my three additional roommates have been Craigslisters. When I respond to the question "how do you know your roommate?" with "Craigslist" they do a double take and typically respond "are you serious?!" But in all honesty it has been one of the most rewarding experiences.  I have grown in so many ways and been exposed to so many new thoughts, ideas, and activities because I trusted in my gut and in human nature.  When my dad passed, Stefan was one of the first people to pick up the phone and call, and Tessa and Andrew, my current roommates, drove up the day of the funeral, a whopping five hours, to be there for it.  All because my dad pushed me to have faith in the good nature of people.

So maybe I'm not as cynical as I perceive myself; however, it is a reminder to sharpen the saw and remember to trust in others because each of us has so much to offer if we have a little faith.