Lessons learned from Uncle Kent
I am not sure of the origin of this saying, but I have heard that we die twice; the day we stop breathing and the day that people stop saying our name. With the recent passing of my uncle, Mr. Kent Thompson, it is my desire to push his second death down the road as long as possible. Let me share some lessons learned from my Uncle Kent.
My uncle Kent wasn’t famous. He wasn’t a model, a professional athlete or even an online influencer. However, he did positively influence almost everyone he came in contact with. By comparison with Warren Buffet, he wasn’t wealthy, but did well with his careers, investments and savings to live extremely well. He was not a member of an academic think tank, but he was a college graduate from Ball State University (Good ole Ball U, the Harvard of the Midwest he would say flashing his devilish grin). He was not a titan of any industry, but his professional career began as an Industrial Technology Teacher, transitioned to a successful career in sales and finished as a volunteer at Ascension St. Vincents’ hospital in Indianapolis Indiana. (He would share that this was his favorite all-time job) I share this brief history because that’s how society has taught us to neatly package a person’s life. What’s your name, where are you from, what do you do? For some reason we talk about the most important parts of our lives last, our family.
Uncle Kent was the youngest of three siblings with two brothers and a sister (my mom). He was a husband, a father, a…
