By the time you read this, you may not remember this moment.
We had just moved into our new house. This is the house we hope we raise you in. We bought it at an age where we could pick some nicer things (like double ovens for mom, and a pool for you guys).
One of the nice things we picked was this upgraded carpet we really liked. We liked the color. We liked the feel. And we liked the “new” sense of it. Coming from our last place with wood flooring upstairs, we were thrilled that our bedroom (and yours) had this great carpet in it.
So you can imagine how your mom felt, or maybe you can remember, when she walked into our room and there, next to our bed, was a huge “X” on the carpet – in black and red markers.
Mom, who never gets mad and yells in the house maybe 2 a year, lost it!
This was one of those key moments when we all came downstairs for a family meeting. More for you guys than for mom, because she knew it right away. I shared with you an insight.
I told you this: People over stuff.
In the prioritization of life, we’ll always pick people over stuff.
- When your friend borrows a car and then scratches it…
- When your brother or sister loses your toy…
- Choosing between a new purchase and helping someone in need…
No problem. No issue. No challenge. The choice is easy.
People over stuff.
Here’s what we know for sure: Stuff rusts. It gets old. It breaks.
You can’t put your trust in stuff because it’s too easily broken or lost. Stuff is unreliable. Stuff loses its value really quickly.
Friendships and relationships get better over time. They’re worthy of your investment – as the value sticks!
I’m not telling you that your friend will never hurt you or never make a mistake.
But with care and investment, you can build an infrastructure of relationships that can help you get through anything in life. The same cannot be said for “stuff.”
Consider this.
Let’s say I get sick. Really sick. So sick that I need to replace some vital organ.
It turns out, all the money in the world can’t get me higher on a donor list to get a replacement. The stuff, in this kind of situation, fails me. And that assumes I even have the right stuff.
But there are countless stories where relationships have indeed saved the day – where people have donated parts of their own body, sacrificing for a friend or family member.
What stuff can’t achieve, relationships can.
So never forget the day you decided to play treasure hunters and decided to make our bedroom floor part of your treasure map. Because that’s the day I first shared with you, in a way I hope you’ll never forget, that people count. Stuff? Not so much.