Milestones & Memories

Our family is celebrating my father’s 90th birthday this month. In addition to being a milestone birthday, this occasion allows our family and friends the opportunity to re-live a lot of memories and share life experiences. My father is among a dwindling group of people who have first-hand memories of the Great Depression and World War II. The generation that lived through those historic events has been accurately called the Greatest Generation.

While I don’t believe those individuals were innately better than any other generation, the world events conspired to demand greatness of them. We never know how high we can go or how well we can perform until we’re called on to do so. The Greatest Generation lived through a time that the world may never see again. Those of us who are following in their footsteps need to learn from their life lessons and heed their wise words.

Here in the 21st century, we tend to blow our own horn and post the most mundane of achievements or activities on social media for everyone to see. If you ask a member of the Greatest Generation their memories of surviving the Great Depression, they are likely to say, “We all just did what we needed to do to get through it.”

I have had the privilege of interviewing a number of heroes who served in World War II. Although the recognition they received via medals and honors would proclaim their heroic service, when asked about their experiences in World War II, these veterans are likely to say, “I just did my duty, and others around me were the true heroes.”

Success leaves clues and fingerprints for those of us who want to learn. I have long believed that we should never take advice from anyone who does not have what we want. If you desire to learn about overcoming adversity and meeting great challenges, you should talk with members of the Greatest Generation who remember surviving the Great Depression and prevailing in World War II.

Birthdays are great occasions to celebrate people’s lives, and birthdays that end with zeros are extra special because they encourage us to look a little farther into the past and learn what made the people who have gone before us who they became in life.

I want to wish my father a happy birthday and express my gratitude to him and everyone who is a part of the Greatest Generation for showing us the way and setting the standard.

As you go through your day today, celebrate the past as you contemplate your future.

Today’s the day!

Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082; by email at Jim@JimStovall.com; on Twitter at www.twitter.com/stovallauthor; or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jimstovallauthor.