As some of you may know, my cousin passed away a little over 2 years ago in an accident. He was 13 years old and so full of life & happiness! I remember at his funeral the pastor talked about how he had so many friends…SO MANY…and that he put his friendships and relationships with people before everything else…well, except for Jesus of course, and I can’t tell you how much it comforts my heart to know that he is (as he used to put it) ‘Partying with Jesus’ in heaven!
It’s funny how life works sometimes. Events might seem totally unrelated, but then you start to see little connections…a little thread that ties everything together.
I’ve noticed a movement in the creative industry lately. Maybe it has always been there and I’m just now noticing it. That’s not important, though. What is important is the fact that it is powerful. Lately people in the creative industry are putting a huge emphasis on SERVANTHOOD.
At the Creative at Heart conference in March, as I listened to all of the speakers, I wrote down and underlined the words serving & servanthood over and over again. And Katelyn James brought it all full circle when she mentioned Jesus…His LIFE was about serving, teaching, and loving others…even those who we might think are unworthy of kindness, forgiveness, and love. We aren’t Jesus…we aren’t perfect. Sometimes it’s hard to forgive that friend that hurt you or that client who criticized your work. It’s hard to forgive & love those who have broken our hearts & those who have made experiences very unpleasant…but that’s what Jesus did, and that’s what he calls us to do. He wants our lives to be about servanthood…about showing kindness, love, and forgiveness to others. I’ve heard story after story about Will…and he LIVED this. His life was an example of how to live a life of servanthood…how to care about others. Servanthood. A young boys life and a conference for creatives…two seemingly unrelated things that are connected by one idea…servanthood. Imagine what life would be like if servanthood, kindness, forgiveness, and love permeated EVERYTHING…client interactions, conferences, the work place, family relationships, friendships…everything. I think the result would be amazing.
Last weekend my mom and I drove down to Alabama for the Will May 5K & Bark in the Park at the new Will May Dog Park. Both events were absolutely amazing…there were so many kind, wonderful people (and so many precious pups!!), and you could just feel the joy there. It was a celebration in remembrance of a very special young guy. Will truly lived his life for people…he lived his life with an attitude of servanthood & valued his relationships. Looking around the crowd at all of the smiles, I couldn’t help but be in awe of all of the lives he has touched!
I’m so thankful for his life, for his faith, and for his example…living a life of servanthood! Fly high, Will May, we love you!
Here are some of my favorites from the Will May 5K & Bark in the Park!
So proud of these two for placing in their age groups!!
This dog park is amazing, y'all!! I've never seen anything like it before...just look at all of that space and those gorgeous shade trees!
And now...THE DOGS!!! One thing that I thought was so neat was the fact that I didn't see one dog fight all day long! All of the dogs were so well behaved, and most of them posed SO well, too! (There are a few bashful cuties in this gallery, though!)
These cute pups are just a fraction of all of the dogs that attended Bark in the Park! It was amazing!
