Aaron Masih and I have a good many things in common.

that makes me fortunate, I think.

but, to add just a bit of clarity to that, we are both all about our daughters. and, we work, mostly as an effort to be great examples to those gifts from God, and also to do our own vital part in making sure this country and world is fit for those next-generation leaders.

recently Aaron and I have also shared some challenges, just in different zip codes.

I was in that automobile accident, referred to here in Milton, Georgia as, “the accident”. my broken ribs still make it tough to simply breathe. however, that does not reduce how lucky I feel. and, Aaron woke up in the middle of the night losing blood at an alarming rate, with a hole in his stomach.

we all lose friends. but, many of you know I was hit particularly hard by the loss of Bill Pope (in fact a lot of you were, and you may never understand how or why). Aaron lost a youth guidance counselor mentor that dated back almost twenty five years ago named Stan Annandale. Aaron talks about Mr. Annandale in a post he wrote, Remembering One of The Best People I Ever Knew.

this past weekend, and over the course of an email exchange I told Aaron:

“there is now a void that can only be filled by your being the sort of man someone else will write about.”

after I sent that email I found myself thinking that really is the man I want to be. in my daughters future, that of their own children – and, everyone I meet, for that matter; possibly those I don’t, but can still impact.

I tell many people stories about goodly men like my own Grandad, and Bill Pope. I’m working, and daily, to be the sort of man other people use as good examples of great deeds (to be sure, I can easily be used as an example of what NOT to do, from time-to-time). so, let’s be clear… I don’t necessarily need to be a hero. however, I try every day to make a meaningful difference. I literally live my life in that fashion. sometimes that may seem as though I am trying to be bigger than life, and I really push, hard. but, that’s the point. I’m not shy about that, and I won’t shy away from that stance. I have but only this life. and, I don’t know when that privilege, of being, will stop.

I want to keep meeting great people. and, I also want to keep helping other people be as great as they can be.

in my community there is always a great deal of talking about Mission work; “going on a Mission”. we live in the South, so when it come to the Bible belt, we may well be the buckle.

in any event, this typically means going away to some foreign country, using someone else’s money, on a form of holiday. but, God puts people in our paths each and every day that we can have enormous impact with in business or even our own backyard. last night, at a U16 soccer match, one of the opposing coaches came up to me straight away and said:

“I remember you from the Lake Lanier tournament back in 2007. I was so impressed with your positive attitude and the way you handled those kids”.

I feel that He (God, not that coach) has me in a career-path, and a life-path, of sorts that makes it my personal mission to make people around me better each and every day. that is part of having the perfect job, if not FOCUS. so, one of my prayers is simple, just like my mission:

“please help me meet the right people every day.”

thanks for being my Brother Aaron. and, I really do miss you Bill.

peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

brian patrick cork