08/30/2026
Today's Reflection
Today is my 65th birthday...at least chronologically. To friends and family, I often remark that I am turning 45 years old today, because I refuse to grow old. 😎 Getting older makes one pensive, especially when one enters Q4...the fourth quarter of our lives, when you begin to weigh the years more than count them.
Reflecting on my life's journey: the joy, the pain, the people I met, the friends I made, the people I grew to love, the lands I visited, the experiences I had, and the joy of having children and grandchildren. For all of it, I am eternally grateful for God's many blessings.
As the son of two uneducated Greek immigrants who traveled across the ocean in a quest for a better life for themselves, their family, and later their children, I am honored and humbled by the sacrifices they made so quietly, the lessons they imparted on me, and the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual tools they instilled in me to live a life beyond my wildest dreams. They stirred in me a hunger to grow, to explore, to learn, to love, and above all, a need to give back to humanity...to leave the world better than we found it.
To those who know me personally: I have a life outside of Kelsey's that has taken me to some interesting places, where I have had the opportunity to learn and to support the principles and values this great country was founded upon. These experiences have impacted me in ways that are hard to describe because of all the emotions that come with them. I am both inspired and distressed by humanity. I have seen villages and small towns built out of sticks and plastic bags, where families lived. I have seen the creativity and ingenuity of people to repurpose items in order to make a living. I have witnessed the genius and ingenuity of people as they fight to preserve their freedom. I have witnessed both the good and the savagery of humanity.
All of these experiences have made me both mindful and appreciative of how good we have it in this great country. As I have remarked before, we have the luxury of complaining about too much rain, or traffic, or arguing about who makes the best pizza....while many others in this world are simply focused on living another day.
I am eternally grateful to God for giving me these opportunities; to my parents, uncles, and aunts, for making me the man I am; to my family, for their patience and support; and to this great community, for giving a 22-year-old the opportunity, 43 years ago, to pursue his dream, and for the support all those years to live a life that has been immensely gratifying.
With God's blessings, I will continue this journey for as long as He decides. I am excited about what that journey may still bring before me.
Maximum Respect!
Nick