Several weeks ago, I heard an excellent sermon on the subject of joy, and a just few days later, a morning devotional on the same topic appeared in my inbox. The consecutive messages caused me to pause and look inward toward my day-to-day emotional state. It quickly became clear to me that I do not allocate enough of my mental bandwidth toward celebrating the many things that bring me joy. Like all humans, regardless of their faith, I tend to become absorbed by the secular aspects of my life and, without realizing it, develop stress and anxiety over work issues, family issues, health issues, political issues environmental issues…..the list goes on and on.

The truth is, when I take ten steps back and view the totality of my life, I realize that I have been a damn lucky fellow—I am blessed beyond measure! So many aspects of my life inspire joy—my family and friends, my job, my church, my Gamecocks, my golf game (though it could use quite a bit of improvement!), and a wealth of subjects and activities that interest me. I simply spend too much of my time and energy living in my own head, with its worries, doubts, and preoccupations, instead of enjoying the present moment and all of the wonder it has to offer. As I’ve been more mindful of this tendency over the past few weeks, I have made an effort to pay more attention to the things that bring me joy. Not surprisingly, doing so has made me more resilient to the “issues” that inevitably arise each day, and I’m better for it!

But don’t take it from me—see for yourself! I encourage you to spend three minutes reflecting on the things in life, great or small, that bring you joy and start your weekend off in high spirits. You deserve it!

 

The past several days have been surreal, tracking Hurricane Dorian as it dispensed its wrath on the Bahamas and began making its way toward South Carolina. As we prepared for and endured the storm—all the while doing everything in our power to help those already impacted—I was amazed by the resilience of the human spirit, including my firm family at Mike Kelly Law Group.

Our lead paralegal in Myrtle Beach, Linda Willis, lives in the border community of Loris, SC. It, like the rest of the state, shares a rich history, and she has lived there all of her life. On Thursday morning, at approximately 7:00am, one of Linda’s granddaughters alerted her to an ominous noise from outside, which turned out to be the sound of a humongous tree being ripped from her front yard by a tornado! Linda instinctively grabbed her grandkids in time to shelter them, as best as she could, from the next and even more terrifying boom—that of a utility pole being hurled to the ground immediately by their home. Thanks be to God that no one was injured, though the experience will be seared in her and her granddaughters’ memories forever. 

And while Linda and her family were praying for their survival, MKLG’s rising-star litigation attorney, Karlen Senn, was already actively working alongside her family to get supplies and aid to her many loved ones living in the Abaco Islands, Bahamas—some of whom are injured or even missing, all of whom are facing unimaginable hardship. Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas and stripped thousands of inhabitant—including those who are as, in effect, family to Karlen and her daughter—of their homes, their livelihoods, and their access to basic human necessities. But while the gravity of the situation could easily be debilitating, but rather than caving under its weight, Karlen and her family immediately began getting relief efforts underway. They are working with Southeast Rescue and Relief to get generators, tents, tarps, and other staples to the island, and plan to deliver the first load of supplies this weekend.**

The wreckage that Hurricane Dorian left in its wake is utterly devastating, and I will not pretend that there was any silver lining in its storm clouds. But I can find inspiration in the strength and perseverance that arises in response to such tragedy, like that demonstrated by Karlen and Linda. The road to recovery will be a long and arduous one, but not insurmountable. While Dorian may have been one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded, hope, community, and human will are stronger. The sun will shine again! 

 

The most magical time of the year is finally upon us—football season! As I mentioned in last week’s KellyGram, my love for sports spans far and wide (though I’m particularly partial to the Atlanta Braves and Gamecocks), but nothing gets me charged up quite like college football! Our rivals—albeit the favorite team of my son Mac and MKLG partner Brad Hewett—the Clemson Tigers, kicked off their season last night with a win against Georgia Tech, and the Gamecocks will begin their 2019 season tomorrow, playing against UNC Chapel Hill at the Bank of America stadium in Charlotte. Having taken a beating from an ACC team in the Belk Bowl, we owe it to ourselves and our conference to really bring down the house tomorrow—I’m hoping for an all-out blowout!

But while I love going to the games and watching the Gamecocks play, what really makes football season my favorite time of year is the tailgating and camaraderie, renewing old acquaintances, and the tremendous displays of school spirit. So sit back, relax, and enjoy—2019 college football is here!

Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge fan of the USC Gamecocks and the Atlanta Braves—hands down, they’re my two favorite teams. This season has been a great one for the Braves, and they’re currently leading the National League East Division. Still, their long-time, former manager, Robert “Bobby” Cox—who is in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame—is my favorite MLB manager of all time, second to none! He stood up for his players, and if ever one of them was in danger of getting thrown out of the game, he marched out onto the field and took on the umpire’s fire. In his last season, Sports Illustrated featured a cover story on Cox—specifically about the 156 times he was ejected from the game during his career as a MLB manager.

Bobby Cox has had two successors since retiring from the Braves, and this past Sunday, the current manager, Brian Snitker, stood up for his team in a different but equally unforgettable way. In a most important game against the LA Dodgers—currently the best team in Major League Baseball—Snitker pulled the Braves’ most promising player, Ronald Acuna, Jr., out of the game after he lost time admiring a play instead of running it. The decision shocked fans because, frankly, no one with more potential has ever worn an Atlanta Braves uniform than the 21 year-old All-Star. When asked how he could unceremoniously bench an MLB prodigy in a critical game, Snitker said—and I quote—“As a teammate, you’re responsible for 24 other guys and that name on the front is a lot more important than that name on the back of that jersey.”

 

(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

I am blessed to have made many friends in my lifetime, but few are as close to me as my dear pal Johnny Etheridge. Johnny is a fellow attorney who has practiced with the Gardner Law Firm in the Pee Dee for years and years. We have known each other for quite a long time and, having both been blessed—and cursed—with many common personality traits, we have a unique understanding of one another. We help each other through life’s ups and downs, and in many respects, Johnny is as much a brother to me as a friend.

Recently, Johnny was informed that he needed major eye surgery as a result of elevated pressure in his eye. He availed himself of every conservative measure to avoid surgery, knowing that there were serious risks associated with the procedure. But when those treatments did not relieve his symptoms, Johnny had little choice but to go through with the operation. So two weeks ago, my dear friend traveled to Duke for his scheduled surgery, preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. He went in for his pre-operative visit the morning before the procedure, but when the technician checked his pressures, they were within normal limits. In disbelief, the technician called for the surgeon, who performed the tests a second time. The results were the same: the pressure in Johnny’s eye had subsided. The surgeon, too, was astonished—Johnny no longer needed surgery, and his recovery was nothing short of a miracle.

Last weekend’s mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, really rocked the fabric of this nation. Though I’m generally reluctant to take on political topics in the KellyGram, I’m making an exception this week for the critically important issue of gun control. 

Let me confess upfront: I am not a gun owner and probably never will be. I have many friends with guns, and as an attorney of 40+ years, I respect the American Constitution and the Second Amendment right to bear arms. But given the increasing violence and bloodshed in this country, there need to be limits—we must strike a balance among the rights of American people. Is the right to own an AR-15 more important than a person’s right to life and limb? Thirty-one people died last weekend alone in mass shootings. On Wednesday, Amnesty International issued a travel warning to those entering the US to exercise caution due to “rampant gun violence” that “amounts to a human rights crisis.” These shootings continue to kill, injure, and terrorize the people of the United States, and thoughts and prayers simply are not sufficient to address this epidemic. They will not prevent this from happening again, and again, and again. What we need, more than anything, is leadership and change.  

Over the past several weeks, I have been watching the media reports in horror as we’ve seen a sharp uptick in deadly automobile crashes around the Midlands and throughout South Carolina. With our state already ranked as home to the second-worst drivers in the United States—in large part due to the number of DUIs and traffic fatalities we see per capita—this increase is especially alarming. Last weekend alone, thirteen people lost their lives in avoidable automobile accidents in South Carolina, four of which occurred in the Midlands. On Monday, tragedy struck once more when a motorcyclist was involved in a crash with a semi-truck on I-26. On Wednesday, our Midlands roadways claimed two more victims—one in a crash on I-20 and another on Farrow Road. To say that this has been a grim week for the people of South Carolina is an understatement, and it is time that we put measures in place to prevent the loss of more lives—lives of our parents, of our sons and daughters, of our brothers and sisters and friends.

Earlier this month, my beloved in-laws, Charlie and Anne Garrison, passed away only five days apart from one another; they had been married for 64 years when they died. I am honored to have been part of their family for the last 15 of those years and, suffice it to say, they will be remembered with love and deeply missed.

Charlie was an astute businessman—a banker by profession—and Anne was a genteel Southern lady and socialite, and an adoring mother to their two daughters. Anne and Charlie lived admirably, prioritizing their loved ones and their profound faith in their Creator. They dedicated themselves to their family, their church, and their friends. They were well-respected, had vibrant social lives, and they always enjoyed a good cocktail party! But of the many takeaways from the wonderful lives of Charlie and Anne Garrison, I found their love and devotion to one another to be the most powerful and inspiring.

My marketing manager and dear friend, Jamie Smith, and I get together each week to brainstorm KellyGram topics, and this week’s conversation led to a discussion on gratitude. Living in a society that instills in us a desire to always have more, and in the age of social media, where we see insights into the seemingly “picture-perfect” lives of our friends and acquaintances, it becomes very easy to stay focused on wanting the things that we don’t have instead of appreciating all that we already do. Practicing gratitude helps to combat this disillusion and promotes happiness and contentment in the present. And so, in the hopes of offering up a little inspiration to start your weekend, this week’s KellyGram is a reflection on my personal gratitude.

The last several years have been full of blessings and challenges in my own life, just like everyone else who is reading this week’s newsletter. I can sit here at my desk, in our my new office at 1523 Huger Street, and rattle off a long list of the problems, failures, health troubles, family issues, and professional challenges that chip away at my gratitude. When I think back on my career, with all of its successes, it’s not the thousands of people I’ve helped over the years that spring first into my mind—it’s the ones I couldn’t help. So, though I like to think that I am an upbeat and positive person, like so many of us, I have to work to ward off my inner critic when life’s obstacles arise.