Last Saturday was my mom’s 39th birthday. 😉

Sherri and I woke up Saturday morning, looked at each other and said, “We’ve gotta take her out to lunch.” She lives about 1 1/2 hours from us. My dad drives truck so he’s gone a lot. She was going to spend her birthday alone.

Growing up, birthdays weren’t a big deal. They still aren’t (much to the chagrin of my lovely bride).

Birthdays aren’t a big deal… but relationships are.

I’m a bit of a relational hermit. I draw my energy from being alone… quiet… reading… writing… watching a movie… etc. Though I do okay interacting with people, and actually enjoy it, it tires me.

My tendency, when it comes to relationships, is procrastination (I’ll do it later). That’s not so good.

Deciding to take the day to love on my mom was not a natural response. Sherri’s really good at this kind of thing, but not me. Taking the day… making the trip… spending the money… investing relationally… it was worth it.

It was worth it to see my mom’s smile.  It was worth it to see “The Ladies” enjoy grandma. It was worth it to see my bride look at me with respect in her eyes because I had made a good relational decision.

Yes, sometimes I’m a bit of a relational buffoon… but not this time. This time I got it right. I invested in a person and walked away with a ridiculously high margin of profit.

I’m working to do what does not come naturally or easy… invest in relationships.