There was never a dull moment around him. Greetings were always robust: a broad smile, an embrace, a bevy of words that made you know that you’d been missed and that your presence was important.
How do you make people feel when you see them? Are they pleased to be in your company? Are they fortified by your words? Do they feel that they matter to you?
Every encounter reeled with high energy. There were things to do, people to see, ideas to explore, details to get, decisions to render, deals to consummate.
When you’re with others, is there excitement about what you’re working on together, an urgency that defines your tasks as significant?
Rarely was time spent without purpose. Time was a gift as well as a dictator. In either scenario, it was to be used well. Every effort had to count. Dawdling was almost incomprehensible, being laissez faire a foreign concept.
What do you do with your time? Does it slip away without notice or is it consumed with a sense of accomplishment?
Friendships mattered. A great deal. Telephones-at-the-ready were used to connect. Geographic distance was inconsequential. How you felt about what was happening was as important as the events themselves. Stories filled the air; laughter tied them together.
Are you anchoring your world with the intricacies of friends? Are you giving them priority and thus enriching yourself?
And, oh, the generosity. His hands reached out to thousands of needs. Quite literally, hundreds of individual lives were improved by his giving. Institutions were strengthened by his attention and resources. Hope turned to possibility because of his kindnesses.
How do you give back? Have you found a way? Who out there might be transformed by your time, skills and funds?
He took his talents seriously. Very seriously. He knew that his abilities could, did and must make a profound difference in society. It was his God-driven duty, his reason for being and his fervent delight.
Where will you make your presence known in a lasting way? You exist for a reason. What you have to offer simply cannot be provided by any other human being – past, present or future. You and your way are unique.
His was a life filled and fulfilled. He was a catalyst, a conscience, a light and a path, a mentor for the ages, a friend.
May this be your legacy as well.
In tribute and memory of our inaugural client and very dear friend, Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.
You have just experienced a Bright Moment.