“Money will buy you a bed, but not a good night’s sleep, a house but not a home, a companion but not a friend.”
–Zig Ziglar

Benefactor-
I had anticipated the benefactor and I hoped it would crush Donald. I think the premise was brilliant: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. No rules, expect the unexpected and withstand life’s battery of tests all while displaying creativity, competitiveness and an entrepreneurial spirit. I think the show started well with the first two tests and but lost the “tv drama” it needs. In the third challenge the contestants where given a $1000 and told to do whatever they want with it. That’s where the drama dropped off. Now the success/interest of the show is based on what those contestants came up with, which wasn’t much. They needed more structure. ABC/you would have had to do some really good casting to get some interesting TV out of those contestants. The next challenge looks to provide stronger interest as it has more structure. I will continue to watch to the remaining episodes to see what you created.

Definitely enjoy your straight forward approach to business and your endless competitive drive. As with anyone who is the best at what they do, they are generally not very balanced. As we all know, financial success is wonderful, but it is not necessary success in life which is what you touched on in this post. My question to you would be: what has suffered in your life considering all the time/hours you spent building companies? i.e. family life, social time, health, hobbies, other interests, etc.

Keep the blogs coming!

Peace and Joy.

Mark:

First, I would like to say, my husband and I went to see Van Halen in OKC (July). They were awesome! I loved it when Wolfie came on and played with Eddie. We would have loved to have been able to make the Dallas show!!!

Thank God for all entertainers. They make us smile on days that might otherwise have been tough.

Now, I would like to share the experience I had today. I went to a hospital in OKC to visit a family I have known my whole life. There grandson and my childhood friend, Jerry, has been in a coma since Friday. He has suffered from diabetes his whole life and had a seizure that ended him in ICU. The doctors had told the family that this would probably be the end for Jerry, so I rushed to help my friends with their pain. I shared my experiences with grief and what I have learned with them.

On Feb. 22, 2004, my mother-in-law died in our home while we were caring for her. She was diagnosed in Aug of 2003 with neck cancer. Dah, was a smart, independent woman and I was blessed to have her as my best friend for the past years. I had to quit my job to care for her and still be able to take care of my three little ones and home, but I never regretted that decision even though times were tough.

You see, at the end, I had to bathe, diaper, and feed Dah through a tube in her stomache. She couldn’t speak because the radiation had burned her throat. The night she passed away, I kissed her goodnight one last time and two hours later she was gone.

My grief was selfish. I missed helping her, loving her, and seeing her. She was finally at peace and I was devestated until I realized my pain was only a selfish longing for her to still be alive with me.

Four days later, Feb. 26, my mother died. Again, it was a bittersweet passing. My mom had suffered from schizophrenia for many years. I was taken from her at age 7 and was raised by her father. When I cried for my mother, it was because for the first time, I saw her at peace. At the funeral, her face was relaxed and beautiful, not stressed from her disease. I mourned the suffering she lived through, but I rejoiced that she was finally free.

After this loss, I decided to leave the city to take my family back to tiny town I was raised in. I was searching for some happiness, the happiness I remembered as a child. I also wanted to be next to my grandfather who had raised me. I knew his days were numbered and I sure wanted to get some time with him before something happened.

The last day of my move, Gail, my grandfather, was in an accident. He was going to help a family friend and realized he had forgotten his hearing aids in the house. When he got out of the car, he forgot to put the car in park. He was 83 years old and starting to get careless. The car was still in reverse and the car door grabbed him and pulled him under the car. Four days later, on my husband’s birthday, May 4th, he died. I never got to say goodbye, but the last time I had seen him he was smiling and so excited I was moving home.

Gail taught me everything I know, but the most important thing he taught me was to love. He raised four children as a single man and worked very hard to give us the best life he could. He made us feel good about who we were and taught us to have compassion for others. He was a great man.

At the end of May we went on vacation, again seeking some little bit of happiness. We went to an amusement park and after the first ride, our next tragedy struck. A 400 pound statue was bumped and landed on my eight year old daughter. She was blind for about 60 seconds and was rushed to trauma with a severe head injury. We almost lost her. Thank God, she is now doing much better. We were granted a miracle.

As soon as I got home from the two hour trip to visit my friends and share my feelings, my husband told me Jerry passed away not long after I left. He passed away just hours ago at 30 years old. Jerry has been blind and undergoing dialisis for the past years. He couldn’t “see” his beautiful daughter. He was waiting on a kidney that never came. Jerry finally is at peace. His pain is over. We will all miss him, but after speaking to his family, they realized he had fought one heck of a battle and it was time for him to rest.

Mark, I look at you not as a billionaire, but as a man. I appreciate you sharing your story with us. You never know who it might help or how it might make someone appreciate the small pleasures in life that we should treasure. I also thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Your gift may help one of us to accomplish our dreams. Thank you for opening your heart to us.

Your friend,

Lail

I don’t know who you are, nor do I really care, but to call Mark a “not a business man” and “technology not a real business” puts you right up there with one of the most idiotic human beings I have ever encountered.

With that logic, Bill Gates isn’t “a business man” either, nor is Steve Jobs. You’re must of typed your message on a computer. Who bought it? Is that not a “real” market either? Yeah man, you’re dead on. Why don’t you call Random House and get an advance on that book? Sure to be bestseller.

And Mr. Me, who doesn’t have the balls to use his own name, how is it that you are such an astute observer of what America wants? It appears to me you are simply bitter that you too can’t have the timing, intelligence and bravado of Mark. Think about that when you start making asinine comments about a great American.

Mark has inspired me and countless others to follow their dreams. That in itself makes him great. Thanks Mark. Kiss my ass “me”.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings. You are so right when you spoke about money not being able to “solve” everything… and how some times the littlest things and the things that cost nothing (like friendship) are the things that make us the happiest. Some times it seems like we allow life to take us and move us along and it might not even be the direction we had intended to go in … but “life happens”. I was quilty of that. I was working a job in corp america – making very good money but was not happy – something was missing. I took stock of my life .. the direction I was traveling… and realized I needed to stop and go in a direction that would make me happy – so I left my job, went back to school, and now I’m working a job I enjoy – helping young children with their daily physical and/or behavioral challenges. My days are some times long and some times hard on the heart – my salary is no where near what it was but at night I am happy with my new challenges … I have more time and energy to be with my family – and I’m helping others.. things money can’t buy .

I will keep you and your friend and his wife in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you again for sharing and for allowing us to share with you.
~Wendy~