Long time no talk

It's definitely the little things that make all the difference. But are those things so little? Just because they don't cost so much in a monetary sense doesn't mean they're little. I think they're huge.

Well the little thing that changed my day today was my Dad calling me at 6am just as he said he would to wake me up. I know I'm 24, but sometimes you need somebody just to give you a really good reason to wanna wake up that early. Not always, just every once in a while. We talked for a while, but not before he played me his favorite morning tune these days, 'Where There is Faith' by Billy Simon. What a great tune to wake up to.

Yesterday it was a couple of simple pass along e-mails from my Mom. The first was to give me a heads up on a new airline, Skybus, based out of Columbus, Ohio (where I'm from) that is offering $10 tickets right now around the country, which I definitely capitalized on. The second was an Italian joke (my Mom is half Italian) - goes like this:
_____

This is for all the Italians out there, and those who are lucky enough
to be married to an Italian, and even to all the friends of Italians...

An elderly Italian man lay dying in his bed. While suffering the
agonies of impending death, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his
favorite Italian anisette sprinkled cookies wafting up the stairs.

Gathering his remaining strength, he lifted himself from the bed.
Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the
bedroom and with even greater effort while gripping the railing with both
hands, he crawled downstairs. With labored breath, he leaned
against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen.

Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself
already in heaven. For there, spread out upon waxed paper on the kitchen
table were literally hundreds of his favorite anisette sprinkled cookies.

Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted
Italian wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself towards the table,
landing on his knees in a crumpled posture. His parched lips parted,
the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth, seemingly
bringing him back to life. The aged and withered hand trembled on its
way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked
with a spatula by his wife . . .

"Get outta here! " she shouted , "They're for the funeral."

______

So it's the simple acts that reach out to someone, disregarding oneself for a moment to make someone else feel good. How sweet it is too.

Other good stuff:

Mike Boston - Always saying nice things to everybody around him. I notice people at the Palisades, where Mike is manager begin to smile even before Mike says anything when they see him because they know that he's gonna say something to make them feel good. You can't help but to smile around Mike.

Lance Vodicka - A friend of mine on the tour - one who has seen some very tough times in his life, but still turns to God for guidance - he wrote me just before Easter with several incredible Bible verses and his faithful words along with them.

David Johnson - This man has been the most selfless friend I could ask for. He has let me stay with him at his house for over a month without ever wanting a thing from me. David has been around the world on Missions trips and is currently in the finishing processes of his book, 'Voices of Sudan' which all the profits will go to help build wells in Sudan.

Thank God for good people and simple (yet huge) acts of kindness. These are the people that give others a reason to get up in the morning...

Signing off...

~ Nate

P.S. I'll be leaving for Florida this coming Tuesday. It will be California after that. I won't be back in Charlotte until around July 2nd.