Terry Storch Dispatch w.48.2020
Dispatch w.48.2020
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” - Robert Brault
Happy Thanksgiving to my friends in America. This has to be the craziest Thanksgiving I can ever recall. I suppose that is what a global pandemic will bring. To those of you outside the United States who aren’t celebrating Thanksgiving, happy Friday! Oh, and don’t judge all of us in the U.S. based upon what you see in the news.
A Dispatch of Thankfulness Along With a Few Thoughts
My youngest daughter, Reese, got her driver's license this past week! We are so thankful for this and for the doors it will open for her and for our family. Reese has been working for many years as a gymnast coach to young girls and has saved up enough money to buy herself a great car. I understand many parents fear this stage, and I sorta get it. But freedom and independence are a part of being human. This is a crucial stage for kids—they must learn to navigate and handle increasing freedom with each passing year. We want them to be equipped as much as possible when they leave our home, so we start training them while they’re still in it. We have enjoyed this aspect of coaching our girls and work hard to do it well.
Our oldest daughter, Reia, went off to college earlier this year. She is having a great experience, meeting great new friends, and is even in a sorority. All this fun, and she’s still making straight As! This week, I talked with Reia about how thankful I am that she is a powerful and independent thinker. It’s so wonderful! I have so much joy seeing her come into her own, have her own thoughts and views, and show the love she has inside of her.
A few years back, my mom moved from East Texas to Oklahoma City. Then, just a few weeks ago, we moved Robin’s mom to Oklahoma City as well. So now, both moms are just minutes away from us, and we’re so thankful for this! Family dynamics are not always clean, simple, or easy, but oftentimes the most important things take effort, patience, and an abundance of grace. We’re so grateful both moms are close to us now in the latter parts of their lives.
In a year full of change, challenges, and quite a bit of chaos, I am so thankful for music. Music is cathartic for me and brings joy, peace, centeredness, and a smile. I hated losing the great Eddie Van Halen this year at a young age, but I was reminded how his talent has been a gift to so many. If you haven’t seen his son's latest music video, it’s a tear jerker. Just the other night I needed a change, something that would bring me joy and a smile, so I watched this amazing Foo Fighters live show from 2019 that has some outstanding guest appearances.
I am super thankful for Life.Church, not only as a wonderful employer but even more as a church and organization. In January, I’ll celebrate 14 years on the team, and though not perfect—no place is—it’s an amazing place to work and call home. This year I retired from the role and team known as Digerati and moved into the Head of Product role for the church and the YouVersion team. One thing is certain: change is constant...then you die. I love and am thankful for what I get to do and the team I am a part of!
I am thankful for innovation and the continual progression that humans bring to this world. The list is way too long to write out, but I have to mention Elon Musk. Yes, I love my new Tesla Model Y, but beyond that, Elon’s innovative ways are challenging so many leaders and disrupting industries. And I admit, I love that. This was a fun list of innovations in 2020 to review.
Robin and I just finished watching the Apple TV+ show, Long Way Up, featuring Ewan McGregor. We enjoyed the show, but the key reason why was because of the relationship between Ewan and Charley. These guys have a deep friendship that is really special and unique. I’m not sure I have a friendship or anything close like what I saw between them, but I am very thankful for the close and amazing friends I do have. I want to invest in my close friends, and hopefully develop a few into something similar to what Ewan and Charley have. Hey, maybe even ride electric motorcycles 13,000 miles across the Americas.
An odd thing I am thankful for this year is perspective or how we choose to see and perceive things. Our perspective is driven by our mindsets, and I’m so grateful that both Robin and I have been growing in some beautiful ways together. This year has been really challenging, but at the exact same time, this year has been a unique blessing. The pressure that’s been upon us has allowed us to see what’s inside of us. There is beauty all around us. And God’s Kingdom is all around us, whether we choose to see it or not. I’m grateful that I’m choosing to see it more than I have in the past.
It would be a miss to not highlight how thankful and grateful I am for Robin. This has been a year of stretching and growth for us. I’m so thankful that it hasn’t pulled us apart. It’s actually drawn us together, united us, and propelled us more toward the same goals. Sending kids to college, raising teenagers, and having MILs live with you are not simple things to walk through, to say the least. But in the middle of the chaos, I have a massive amount of gratitude for it all and joy that I get to walk through all this with my incredible wife.
Finally, Jesus. Yeah, feels kinda like the textbook closing response one would expect, but what I am thankful for is basically the opposite. This year, my textbook stereotype of Jesus finally got redefined in the most healthy way. The white, evangelical, western, American Jesus, that can dominate the Christian headlines, finally ended for me this year. Because of that, I believe my relationship with Him will be deeper and more meaningful than ever. My entire family’s journey has been marked by the love and compassion of Jesus. I feel as I’ve discovered new wineskins and areas where old wineskins have been holding me back from experiencing who Jesus really is. For this, I am deeply grateful and realize this has just begun.
“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.” - Mark 2:22 NIV