I may not live in the New York area anymore, but it’s still fun to flip on NY sports radio and hear commentary on my favorite teams from the Northeast. As I was listening today, one of the main hosts of the show – a former pro athlete – wound up talking with his former high school coach.
The conversation itself wasn’t anything extraordinary, but you could tell the host had special memories of his experiences with this coach. At the end of the interview, after the coach had hung up, the host simply said, “That man changed my life.” All of it was just someone sharing their heart for a make a difference person, but it really hit me.
Immediately, my mind started thinking, “Who is that for me? Who changed my life?”. And what a great time to be asking that question, as we kick off a month focused on giving thanks. I can tell you it didn’t take long for some familiar faces to pop into my head and heart.
But too often we let it end there – a passing thought of “I should connect with him/her sometime”. I guess I’m writing this as a challenge of sorts, to take time this month to really say ‘thank you’. Who has been the life-changer for you? There are parents, family members, teachers, coaches, spouses…and the list goes on. Who is it for you? And what did they do that had such an impact on your life?
Now that you’ve got that name or names in your heart, go for it. Reach out to them. 
Text them. Email them. Maybe even do the increasingly rare step of calling them. Or, if you really want to shock them, send them a handwritten note. I know, crazy, right?! 😉
If you know me, you could probably pretty easily guess who one or two of the impact people in my life are. But I’m not going to make that list here, because that would be too easy. I want to reach out to them in my own way, to let them know at least some of what they’ve meant to me.
One other thought – this isn’t about doing something and then posting it on whatever social media. The person you are thinking of right now probably didn’t have an impact on you and then post a pic about it on Instagram. They most likely made a difference because they simply cared about you individually. So reach out to whoever it is, but let it be just that moment between you and that person, not between you and the ‘likes’.
All of that said, let me just say one public ‘thank you!!!’ to my Best Friend. It might sound cheesy to some that Jesus is my Best Friend, but it’s true. He has done more for me than I could ever say. I hope I get to spend the rest of my life telling stories of how awesome He is.
And now, I’m going to wrap this up – I just wanted to share my heart as we kick off November. Now where’s a pen…