Good Evening Team,
Yesterday, Brett and I had our Advisory Board meeting, and today, we had our quarterly Strategic Planning meeting with the Executive team. Both meetings require us to reflect on our progress and line out where we’re headed. I just want each of you to know how thankful and proud I am. We…and I mean all 600+ of us…are building an incredible company and it is an honor for me to be a part of it.
Also, Molly and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in a week or so, and are taking the kids to Hawaii with us next week to celebrate. As a result, next week’s morning message will be compliments of the Construction team and I’ll be taking a general hiatus from nonessential emails. As those “kids” grow into their own lives, I understand these opportunities may be numbered. Plus, Focal Pointe started about 18 months after we got married and is very much a part of this special time for us. Again, thank you.
Please do me, and yourself, a favor and open tomorrow’s Morning Message. Lisa forwarded a voicemail to me this week, and it made me cry. If you doubt my belief that we truly Inspire Communities, I think you’ll become a believer after you listen to tomorrow’s message.
And…speaking of cry…
Sixteen years ago tomorrow, Cindy Amos, one of our leaders, passed away in a car accident on her way to work. She drove through a green light, and someone running late for work, distracted by his phone, ran a red light, driving into the driver-side door of her burgundy Ford Focus.
Focal Pointe was a less than steady company at that time, and Cindy put her shoulder into my dreams as if they were her own. When she passed away, I was broken. The Saturday after her accident, it took me hours to box up her well-organized office – it’s hard to work when you can’t see through the tears.
Although I wrote Cindy’s eulogy for her funeral, Fr. Jim Margason, a priest who was a mutual friend of mine and Cindy’s, had to read it for me because I knew I wouldn’t make it through. Then, about a week after the funeral, Fr. Jim came down to our shop in Caseyville unannounced. He came into my office to check on me, steady me, and recalibrate my thinking to what’s in front of me. “Cindy is fine, and she wanted nothing but the best for you. Go do that.”
A little over four years ago, Fr. Jim passed away, but I always think of him and Cindy this time of year. The happiness of my life is largely a product of my belief that my future is in my hands and I’m responsible for the outcomes in my life – I’m never without hope. But it’s also due in large part to the incredible amount of support from the Cindy’s and Fr. Jim’s of my life. None of us has all the answers, for every occasion, and can navigate life’s adversity on our own. Taking ownership of the results you seek in your life requires determination and hard work, but it also requires the humility to know how to enjoy receiving help.
I hope each of you takes time to recognize the Cindy’s and Fr. Jim’s within your life and be open to receiving their support. It has made all the difference in my life, not only in terms of the outcome, but the emotional richness experienced along the way. The only downside – you will miss them when they’re gone.
Have a great weekend, and week ahead.
Thank you for everything,
Aloha, John
These reflections are part of our internal Morning Messages, shared daily with the Focal Pointe team. They are meant to encourage thoughtful leadership, gratitude, and perspective as we begin the day. From time to time, we choose to share select messages here for a broader audience who values purpose-driven work, service to others, and growth from the inside out.