Our cousins from California have gone home, linens changed, the kitchen cleaned up. It’s been a week of stories, discussions, and porch talk extended for hours. We did something that is becoming more and more rare; we debated, deliberated, and exchanged ideas on what we believe, tossing our ideas, research, and experiences back and forth.
We did not agree on everything. We asked questions for clarification – not to win an argument. We sought to understand, be open to thoughts not previously considered, weighing evidence and facts with belief and faith. We hugged. We smiled and said, “I love you. I miss having these kind of conversations.”
It is rare to pull this off today. Too many are offended, agitated, reactionary, yet, “The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life above the level of farce.” How deep are we willing to dig, how far will our questions stretch, and more important, will our relationships be stronger in the effort to love, embrace, accept?
Stephen is an author, teacher, and thought leader in human Value and Worth. He is the author of Thinking Out Loud - Uncovering An Extraordinary Life, Uncommon Sense for Unreasonable Times, Cultivating a Winner from Within, and a Divorced Parent's Guide to Seeing Your Kids.Stephen has traveled the world teaching Executive Leadership and Value skills on three continents to such companies as General Motors, Trek Bicycles Worldwide, FBI, U.S. Navel Academy, New Scotland Yard, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and hundreds more.
Walrath is the Past President of Crime Stoppers International with responsibilities for over 1200 programs in 17 countries. He was the President of Great Radio Broadcasting, transforming a single AM radio station into 8 enterprises doing business in 3 countries, earning him the YMCA’s of America Key Leader Award.
Stephen is married with three grown children and lives in southern Wisconsin. He and his wife, Gabriella, are proud shareholders of the Green Bay Packers.
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