WHO AM I?

WHO AM I?  This was a question posed to the group on one of our Tuesday evening meetings  by the key case manager while I was staying at the Salvation Army.  It was a question to motivate us into analyzing our current situation and reflect on what got us there. 

There were some of those who took the question to heart but others that wouldn't have given it any thought at all since they were the ones just passing through with thoughts of the next shelter they would stay.  I personally knew the circumstances that had brought me there and didn't give it much thought at the time.

But I'm one of those that just doesn't make a knee jerk decision on a question.  If posed with a question I usually have to ponder and reflect on it for a while and then come to a conclusive decision on how to answer or proceed from there.  I won't leap before I jump.  This is the way I've been most of my life.  I've seen too many people in business or personal situations who leap before thinking it through with bad outcomes.

This just happened to be a question that I thought of many times over a number of months. Who was I? Really!  I began to think back to an early age (9-years to be exact) when my mother took me to the second closed-in mall opened in the Kansas City area.  We were walking through this new mall and they had this computer system set up in the middle of the walkway.  It was one of those card like computers (aging myself) and they were doing hand-written analysis of anyone interested. My mother had me sign my name on a card and they ran it throught the computer which gave me an analysis breakdown of who I was.  There were several things mentioned but the most interesting was that I was analytical by nature.  Now at the time I had to have my mother explain what analytical meant (she tried with the best effort but I was still confused).

On pondering the question of "who am I?" I remembered that particular time and realized that I am and always have been analytical in my life.  Whether it was in business or personal this is the way I approach a situation.  While at the shelter I befriended a couple of great ladies who, over the short time they were there, presented me with a card just before their departure that was very complimentary and mentioned a number of positive characteristics that they felt I represented.   It made me think that these characteristics or virtues do represent who I am.  I just never had thought about it before that day.  To this day, I carry and cherish that card from two very good people and hope their endeavors since have been good ones (they are truly deserving).

Before I left KC to come to San Diego I called the case manager at the Salvation Army to say I  was on my way and to thank him and his co-workers for the positive time I had there. I asked him if he still asked the question "Who am I?" to his groups and he replied that sometimes he did.  He was quite surprised that I brought it up and even more surprised when I told him that it should be presented to each group that comes through even though not everyone will benefit from it but that if only one person gets it then that's one more than none.

WHO AM I? This is a great question each person should seriously consider in their life.  Better late than never.

God bless and God speed