My End in Mind

When I want grow up, I want to be Pat Graham.

Pat Graham is the father of my wife’s former roommate. He owns a small-town men’s clothing store in quasi-rural downtown Ottawa, IL. Pat hasn’t climbed Mount Everest, or cured cancer. He’s not going to appear on Oprah. He’s not the man that pop culture finds inherently interesting.

Instead, Pat is quiet decency combined with principled simplicity put inside of a Norman Rockwell painting. Think apple pie meets Knights of Columbus hall meets George Bailey.

His small business is losing out to the Wal-Martization of his area while his community does nothing; so he takes on city hall and runs for mayor. Family-centered all the way, he and his wife have graciously sacrificed any hope or need they may have had for the benefit of their kids.

Listening to the toast he gave at his daughter’s wedding last summer, I couldn’t help but think, “wow, this is a man living the American dream.” One works their whole life running various businesses to feed their family and hopefully give to the world, without really knowing if there’s anything in it for oneself. Then one of life’s moments hits you, your daughter’s wedding, and you look around. Here’s that awesome woman you’ve loved and whose been with you since waybackwhen. Here are six great kids who adore you and the whole world would be proud to call their own. Here’s a reception hall full of people from around your area who have known you forever and have nothing but admiration for you because of a life spent helping anyone you’ve ever met. And now, here’s your first-born child on her wedding day, and you see her and you know that a lifetime of others-centeredness has finally come back around to thank you for being you.

If that’s not building a culture of life, I don’t know what is.

Mr. Graham is not the richest, or smartest, or holiest, or anythingest man you’ll ever meet. Mr. Graham is instead the greatest example I’ve seen as to what results when pure integrity meets hard work over the course of a lifetime.

If you know of someone like him, go out of your way to say thanks.