You Are a Child of God

The day was Friday, August 11, 1988. My 20th birthday.

My dad, then the Vice President of Sales for a local book manufacturer, needed to get a sheaf of important documents to one of his sales representatives in Milwaukee. He offered to pay me to drive his cherry red Fiero halfway, about an hour and a half to just outside Fond du Lac to make the drop. What could be better than to get paid to drive a sportscar, blaring the radio on a hot summer day and getting paid to do it?

I pulled into the Hardee's parking lot a few minutes early. I had never really met this sales rep before, but I knew that not only did he work with my dad as the best sales man they had, but he also was a partner in a business they had taken over earlier that year. SPAN Publishing was formed from three friends who saw an opportunity.

A few minutes later a little red Miata roared into the gravel parking lot erupting in a cloud of dust. The door opened and out came Erv, cigarette dangling precariously from the big smile on his lips. He bounded up to me and greeted me like I was an old friend.

Erv was carrying a small box with an explosion of curly ribbon on top. Looking out over the top of his glasses, he handed it to me saying that he heard it was a special day for me. Inside was a mug from Hallmark.

This mug had the following quote on it

"Don't listen to those
who would give you reasons
why you can't succeed.
You're a child of God,
and with credentials like that,
you can do anything." 

~Linda Lee Elrod

Then with a wink, he a shared a bit of advice.

"Never let anyone make you work on your birthday!"

And as quickly as he roared into my life, Erv was gone in a flash of red tail lights, driving back the way he came.

Our first encounter was brief, but Erv came to be a wonderful part of my life over time.

I have spent the last 25 years taking to heart both of these pearls of wisdom.


Eventually, I came to work for SPAN Publishing, even though for years I worked here off and on since it was in my house (a whole different story!), a place I still work going on 17 years next month. I have tried to remain steadfast in not working on my birthday since receiving that gift 25 years ago. It hasn't always worked out that way, but when it does, it is a marvelous gift and it always brings Erv to my mind with a smile for this gift of wisdom.

As an owner of the company I work for, Erv was larger than life. His presence, while few and far between, was always met with enthusiasm. You just couldn't help but be charmed by Erv and his wacky stories and boundless energy. He had an ability to see potential in any situation. And he had undying love for his granddaughter Elise and his daughter April. They were clearly his greatest joy.

Every story that involves Erv was hysterical. Like the time when he set an upholstered chair on fire in a swanky Toronto restaurant while on a trade show trip with our staff. You should have seen his reaction when we had them add it as a line item to the bill...'One chair....$268'! There was the time when he nearly fell into a ravine while looking for his golf ball, cigarette hanging from his lips as he drove zig-zags over the course. Luckily, one our my colleagues jumped out and propped up the golf cart before he even realized how close he was to falling into the ditch. Or all the times when he would get stopped for speeding and he would pull out a copy of the public safety directory we publish as a 'gift' for the arresting officer. These stories are legend around our office and always make me smile.

The last few years brought fewer and fewer visits from Erv. He battled some health conditions that come with age and some that were not so expected. That new reality brought the inevitable permanent parking of his beloved car. Of course, Erv found ways to sneak laps around the parking lot, much to his daughter's chagrine.

I found out last week that Erv had suffered a stroke and a nasty fall. It was pretty bad and it didn't look like he would make it more than a few days. There was no time to go and say our goodbyes before, but several of my colleagues traveled down to Milwaukee to share stories and wishes with the family at the visitation on Friday. I am very glad that I went. I got to tell the story of the birthday mug to his daughter and granddaughter almost exactly 25 years to the day that it happened. I think it brought them some comfort and they were not surprised by the gesture in the least.

A few things I learned from Erv...
...go after what you want in life and trust that all will fall into place.
...surround yourself by those that love you and love them back the best you can.
...see opportunities and potential in everything and seek to make meaningful connections.
...always leave a place better than you found it.
...be generous with your time, talent and treasures.
...laugh a little every day.

And while I only took a half day off on Monday for my birthday, it was to oversee the cleaning of all the carpets and mattresses in my house - a gift to me - so I hope that Erv would approve!

Happy Birthday from me to you!

As I have been thinking about Erv, his message for my life, and my beloved birthday mug (so surprised that I still had it after all these years!), I was inspired by the last line:

 'You are a child of God & with credentials like that you can do anything!'

I knew that I needed to make art with that sentiment. So I created a Story Bead tube with this message. Soon I will be offering these in my Etsy Shop, but as a belated birthday gift from me to you, I would like to give away two of them. 

[NOT the new beads, but you get the idea ;-)]

I am ready to put the finishing touches on them, right now they are 'naked' without any color [the beads above will just give you an idea of what they will look like]. I haven't painted them yet, so YOU get to choose the colors. [I think they look best in a wash of 2-3 tones. Your choice.] You can choose silver or copper for the metal.

But here is the twist... if you win, you have to agree to do a little blog reveal with me in a few weeks, I propose, Friday, September 20th. I want to see how this message and this bead inspire you!

So, who is with me?

Just leave a comment on this post answering the following: 

If you are a Child of God and you can do anything,
what is that anything that you would want to do?

Be sure that you have an email so that I can contact you if you win! 

I will reveal the two random winners on Monday, August 19th.