Puts it all in perspective!

This week I lost the last of my uncles. My uncle Tom was a very special man in many ways.

I was named after him (the Richard part of my name) and another uncle (my uncle Dean). Uncle Dean passed away years ago and was a very special guy too.

I was like both of them in ways but I was probably most like my Uncle Tom (in both looks and behavior). My Uncle Tom was opinionated, stubborn, honest, giving, and had an entrepreneurial spirit.  These are all traits that I either have or I am a work in progress.

Uncle Tom was the first business owner I ever knew and he inspired me to own my own business. Uncle Tom was passionate about his hobbies, interests, family, religion, and everything else. Those same genes run through my body every day.

Listening to the people who talked about him at his funeral made me realize how important all of those traits are to me. I only hope I do those things half as good as he did them.

It was so comforting to hear how comfortable he was in knowing where he was going when he left this earth. I always knew that about him, after all, I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior while he was preaching and my Grandad's church during a revival. Uncle Tom did not function officially as a pastor but on that particular night, the pastor that was supposed to preach did not show up for some reason. As always, Uncle Tom did whatever he needed to do to help so he was the preacher on that night. I can't help but believe that it was meant to be and that he was given the message to present to me that night which changed my life forever.

You see, I had heard great messages about Jesus my entire life from my grandad, parents, and a lot of other people, but on that night, the perfect message was given by my Uncle Tom.

So if you ever wonder why I sometimes get preachy and tell why I am able to do the wonderful things I get to do, you can partly blame it on Uncle Tom. When you wonder why I am so opinionated, stubborn, vocal, and passionate, you can also blame it a little on Uncle Tom.

So in case you haven't heard me say it lately, I am blessed by God more than I deserve for my wife, family, friends, business partner, business, and this wonderful adventure that I have been working on for the last 3 years.

I know some of you think I am crazy to build this car and drive it, but I am not because I know God is protecting me and is using me to spread his words to anyone that is interested in the "Blue Banana" (the SuperComp dragster) or the "Black Hole" (the Promod Corvette). I know it is  different forum than Uncle Tom used but I hope the message can help even one person.

Besides that, if something terrible went wrong (It is not), I know where I am going!!!!

Thanks Uncle Tom for showing the way.

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