Relationships or “things”?

Dan Miller —  September 14, 2012 — 10 Comments

My son Jared (co-author of Wisdom Meets Passion) has always placed a high priority on relationships.  ”Things” can come and go and he cares little.  But for relationships he will risk everything.

I’ve learned from him not to take for granted trusted friendships that have been built over many years.  As I seem to be attending more funerals these days, I see the end result of friendships that last.  Who will be there for you when you need a friend?  Are you building those relationships every day?

relationships

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  • http://JaredLatigo.com/ Jared Latigo

    My wife and I always say quality not quantity when it comes to relationships. We don’t have an incredible amount of close friends but the few that are feel like family. Your son is a passionate (and wise) man. And, he has a great name :D

  • Mary

    Just want to say that I have learned a lot by watching you and your family, and how you are together.

    • 48DaysDan

      Mary – thanks so much. I trust that’s been a positive and inspiring observation!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Don-Roulo/1161347140 Don Roulo

    Dan – what you ‘leave behind,” or your ‘butterfuly effect’ will be exponential because of the family that you have raised. You have made a difference in hundreds of thousands of lives, but it will be multiplied because of what you have imparted to your children and their families.
    As you may remember from when you were here with us, we live in the hometown of Billy Sunday, the evangelist. In the early 1900′s Billy reached what they say is over a million people…no TV, no radio etc. I always think about this one thing. His legacy could still be living today except he had virtually no relationship with his children. He traveled the United States and reached a million people, but had little or no impact on his children.
    All of his children died tragically and there is no continuting legacy. The Miller’s, Logsdon’s and the Angaza’s will continue to reach people long after you go home.
    I hope it is an encouragement to know that. Thanks to all of you!

    • 48DaysDan

      Don – wow, what a powerful reminder of the relationships that are most important – and lasting. Thanks for your kind comments.

  • http://www.jmlalonde.com Joe Lalonde

    Jared’s got his priorities in the right place.

    This probably couldn’t have come at a better time as I head to be there for a friend just the other night. He wasn’t all there and could have gotten himself into quite the trouble. Instead, I was there to stand in the gap.

  • Archie

    A reminder that God, also, doesn’t care about the “things” we have, but rather a personal relationship. I am a firm believer that the healthy relationships we build here on Earth, is an eternal thing, while stuff, is just stuff, and will be totally gone forever. Jared, brother, you are right by putting relationships front and center. It REALLY matters.

  • http://www.markjcundiff.com/ Mark J Cundiff

    Dan,

    Great post and great reminder from your son’s great example to all of us to keep people prioritized about things or even task to be done. It is easy to take for granted that our friends will be around forever but I was again reminded this past week that this is not true when we lost a dear young lady, age 46, last Sunday night when she passed without any known sickness. She was a loving wife, mother to 3 teenage children, friend and a staff member of our church. Cherish the moments you have with family and friends because they don’t last forever.

    Thanks for your great reminder to keep our eye on the ball when it comes to our relationships.

    Mark

    • 48DaysDan

      Wow – what a tragedy. That had to be a shock to everyone involved. Joanne and I have been to too many funerals recently. Now we’ve outlined exactly what we want to happen when one or both us dies. We don’t want the added emotional strain put on our children to have to make lots of immediate decisions on top of grieving. Thanks for the reminder.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=549113262 Jared Angaza

    Thanks dad. As we know, I’ve had my struggles in the past. And I’ve had some great victories and amazing experiences as well. But when I look back on my life, as I often do, I can very easily see that the most profound happiness I’ve experienced has been from deep, meaningful relationships. At the end of the day, nothing (and I mean that) trumps the value and importance I put on those relationships. Time, money and comfort certainly seem trivial and unimportant when compared to my love for the human spirit. That perspective has never let me down.