Year-end Poem

Life continues to move at an ever-increasing pace.  No surprise there.  Still, as 2012 grows closer to a close I feel the need to take a moment and attempt to quantify it somehow, to try to make sense of an entire year worth of life on this crazy planet of ours.  So here it goes, in poem form…because it has just been that kind of year.

Two thousand and twelve, into you I’ll delve in an attempt to find some meaning

Your winter was mild in NE Ohio, to the delight of adult, and the dismay of child

No snow was seen, sledding was lean and there was almost no chance for skiing

Within summer’s reach we’d escape to the beach, with a truck-full of boys and gear

Great times, ghost crabs, waves and cousins, we enjoyed good weather and cheer

Upon our return we started to yearn for some changes, just something new

The itch is still there but we just don’t know where or what we are longing to do

Growing boys and summer joys brought smiles and lots of tan faces

Swimming, biking and even some hiking but we still look for wide-open spaces

As summer ended, women were offended as Romney wanted to put them in binders

Politico has us jaded and freedom seems to have faded, as if we need a reminder

Soccer was fun, the boys got to run and occasionally even kicked the ball

Puppies were born and even though we'd sworn, we just had to go see them all

Of course we chose one, and brought him home to add to the chaos and joy

Cleaning up messes and puppy-teeth kisses ensured he’s just one of the boys

The Mayans predicted we’d all get evicted from the planet we’ve taken to living

So we invited our parents, popped in a turkey, & figured we'd host this Thanksgiving

The Holidays came and the Mayans were lame in their end of the world predictions

Santa would visit, but not before the flu, and lots of cold and fever medication

A shooter would break hearts before school break starts, the loss was more than depressing

Still, Christmas would find us with family and friends, reminded of all of our blessings

Two thousand twelve, although you weren't always swell, you were full of surprises for sure.

Two thousand thirteen, I have to come clean, I am expecting a little bit more.

More changes for the better, more love and more grace but I pray PLEASE no more school violence

More progress in Washington, more jobs, more confidence and less ignorance, anger and silence.

Two thousand thirteen I don’t want to be mean, but I want to get it out in the open

We are ready to take charge of our future and for your cooperation we are more than just hoping

So let’s raise a toast to two thousand and twelve and bid it a fond cheerio

And let’s raise another to the year that’s to come and do our best to let the good times flow!

With Great Thanksgiving...

 This week I had the extreme pleasure of serving a wonderful Thanksgiving meal for the area’s less fortunate at our church with my oldest son.  I was unsure of what to expect from the event, or from my son for that matter.  It is the first time either of us have been involved with the tradition and I had heard of the masses that partake of the meal.  It turned out I had nothing to fear on either count.

The meal was VERY well organized and looked and smelled as wonderful as any holiday spread I have ever seen.  The volunteers were ready and waiting, each with their assignment and each eager to do their part to help out.

Caedon and I volunteered to take care of garbage and clearing tables as people finished.  While we were waiting for our duties to be needed we decided to help people carry the deserts and drinks to their seats.  Caedon was hesitant at first, not sure of what to say to someone to start off the interaction, but after 20 minutes or so of watching me he joined right in.  

“I can help carry that if you want” he said to one older gentleman with a noticeable limp.  I turned quick to see what the response would be and with a smile that I could tell was not often used, he looked at Caedon and replied in a faint but firm tone “that would be mighty kind son.”  From that point on Caedon was on his own for the most part, following one person after another with their hands full of the main dishes.  He carried countless drinks without a spill and interacted with kindness and grace beyond his years with everyone he helped.  To say I was a proud father would not begin to describe how I felt.

I saw many people I recognized as members of the credit union.  It made me feel good to know that we are serving them and hopefully making their financial lives a little easier, but certainly has convicted me to do more.  It keeps you humble to think about the fact that we are all just a few wrong turns or unfortunate events from being in need.  I am fortunate to be in a position that allows me to focus some energy on helping the families who want to improve their financial well-being, and I feel blessed to have that opportunity.

After all of the people had been through the line and those wanting seconds had been back up for round two (after all what is a Thanksgiving meal without seconds), Caedon came up to me and very politely asked if HE could go through the line and get a piece of pumpkin pie.  Since we had arrived at the church a little later than the other servers we hadn’t sat and had our dinner before the meal started, so I knew he was hungry.  He had carried dozens of pieces of the pie to others in the course of the evening.

 “Of course Caedon, you've earned every bite of that piece of pie tonight, pick out a big piece and find a table and I'll start cleaning up.”  I told him.

He went over, picked his piece and sat down at a table off to the side of the gymnasium and as I watched him eat the pie I could tell that he understood that he in fact HAD earned it, and that made it taste so much better.  He watched as the last of the dinner guests got up from the tables and shuffled into the adjacent room to collect their groceries from the food pantry and he just took it all in.

Once he was finished with the pie he cleaned up his plate and started helping me clear the tables.  When we had all of the tables cleared of trash he joined me in the parking lot helping people carry the free groceries from the Loaves & Fishes Ministry to their cars.  At one point a boy his age who was trying to carry a bag to help his grandmother slipped over the side of the walkway and stumbled.  Caedon was right there ready to grab the bag and help the boy.  He had seen several kids that he attends school with eating the meal with their families, and he gave each of them big heartfelt smiles as he interacted with them during the evening.  He was a true gentleman.

On the drive home I asked him what he thought of the night.  He relayed that he thought it was good that our church helps out families that need it and that he thought it was fun, even though it was hard work.  I asked him if he recognized anyone from school and he said that he had, and I could tell by his silence afterward that it was still sinking in.

I then explained to him that when Christ was on the Earth that He spent most of His years of ministry helping people who were in need in some way.  Some needed food; some needed healing, and some just simply needed love.  I told him that before Jesus left the Earth He gave an order to His disciples to continue to do just that, and I explained to him that when we serve others in need it is like being His hands. I looked over and saw that Caedon had his head sort of bowed as I was talking and was looking at his hands.  I very nearly got choked up.  What an eye-opening evening for my son and I.   It impacted a good many of the neediest among us, but the biggest blessing by far was the opportunity simply to serve, and to see what a heart Caedon has for others. 

I am truly thankful for all that my family and I have, and for the many blessings God has given me, and this Thanksgiving especially, for His unrelenting desire to show me more ways in which He loves us and for the opportunities He gives US to show His love to others.

International Credit Union Day

Happy International Credit Union Day. 

A chance to think about the impact we are making today, our great history of making a difference in people’s lives, and the bittersweet sense that all of us in the CU movement have that we should be doing more.

Studying the rich history of the credit union movement in America is one of my favorite things to do.  From Pierre Jay, Edward Filene (whom I found out this year shares my birthday), and Roy Bergengren, to Louise McCarren Herring, Dora Maxwell and Monsignor Pierre Hevey, there are so many true heroes in our history.

Today with credit unions all over the US making strides to enrich the lives of their members through easy access to credit, payday lending alternatives, financial education and budget help and simple services offered at fair terms to the people who need them most, we are still working among heroes each and every day.  People who truly put the welfare of their members above all else, even at times themselves.  In the years since I have become part of the movement I have met credit union leaders from nearly every part of the country and we all share the same passion, making life better for our members.  This is the core of what we do, and this is our greatest triumph.  After over 100 years the mission remains the same and the flame remains lit.

Even with the many success stories from over a century of fighting the good fight, there is a constant and underlying ache that many of us feel that we should do more.  There is a constant struggle to stay ahead, to fight off the threats to our members both internal and external, and when the day is done there is still a feeling that we could do more.  There is a sense that if only we explained the many advantages of credit union membership a little more effectively, the masses would see the light.  There is a sense that if only we told our story in a more compelling way, our government would see the indispensable value we add to the economic system.  There is a sense that if only we could paint a clearer picture of what it is we all get up and do each and every day, people would realize that there is no hidden agenda, there is no downside.  This really is a better way, and a means to a better day.  

This is shared not only with credit union leaders throughout the US, but throughout the world.  From Scotland to Bermuda, from the Cayman Islands to South Africa and all points in between people do what is best for their members because it is the right thing to do.  It is hard work, done by true heroes.

So today we take a moment to celebrate our wins, remember our heroes, and hopefully scratch that itch, just a bit.  We will always want to do more.  We should constantly feel a bit unfulfilled.  We should always have an ache that more can be accomplished, because ours is a movement by, for and about people.  The credit union movement has no finish line.  It is a movement, in constant motion toward the needs of the many.  

I am proud today to be one of the leaders in the movement.  I am proud to be running the race, regardless of where the course takes me because I know that along the route I can touch people’s lives in a way that makes a difference.  I am encouraged by the number of bright and passionate people who are getting plugged in to the movement to run along side and takes us all to places we have not been.  I am hopeful that we will never feel that the work is finished or that the race is won, but I am hopeful that we will learn better ways to compete.  Here's to the heroes!  Happy ICU Day!

18 Questions to make you think...

I came across a list of questions on a friend’s post the other day on Facebook.  I rarely click on this type of link, but I was intrigued.  Turns out that they really are some pretty good, deep and reflective questions and, when you take a moment to think about each one, can be a brutally honest look at the path you are on.  I am still contemplating honest answers for several of them, but here are the 18 questions, along with the best answers I could muster.  Enjoy!

1.  What would you do differently, if you knew nobody would judge you?

I would be an artist.  Not simply with a brush or a camera, but with life.  Anything that is worth doing can be done beautifully if given the freedom to express yourself fully in the endeavor.  I would still do many of the things I do every day now, I would just do them with more panache and less structure…and I would bet that the results would be much more interesting!

2.   If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow that person to be your friend?

Depends.  Sometimes what I crave is a friend who can take an honest look at me and tell me I am wrong.  We all need to hit the guardrails now and then to get back on the road.

3.      How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

Wow, this one hurts, just like my neck, back and knees.  I would guess 50.  Ouch.

 

      4.      If you had the opportunity to get a message across to a large group of people, what would your message be?

Wake up, read over these questions, start to change your life.

Love more people, more often.

Take a risk on something wonderful and never look back.

Join a credit union immediately!

5. Is it possible to lie without saying a word?

Of course.  Eyes, body language and physical presence can be more deceitful than even the boldest lie, and more hurtful to the poor soul on the receiving end when the lie is found out.

6. If not now, then when?

            I hate this one.  It is a bit haunting to me.  More on this one later…I’m still thinking of excuses.

7. Are you holding onto something that you need to let go of?

            Yes, yes, and yes.  Gets heavier every day...

8. Have you done anything lately worth remembering?

            Fortunately yes!  I have recently met some wonderful people from all over the world who share one of my passions.  Even more so, I have a beautiful wife and three wonderful sons and I hope to remember every second we spend together!

9. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

            Yes. In a heartbeat.

10. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards and just do what you know is right?

            Ughhh.  Another one I am struggling with.  More to follow…

11. Who do you love? And what are you doing about it?

            I truly love the people I surround myself with.  Of course my wife and boys, my family and close friends.  But also my coworkers, colleagues  people I serve with in the community, at church…I have a pretty large capacity for love, it is the second part of the question that gets me.  I am not doing all I can and should to show them that love or to give of myself unconditionally as an expression of that love.

12. Do you ask enough questions? Or do you settle for what you know?

             I am a fairly curious person.  A little more so as I get older and am less trusting of the status quo…I truly believe that one should NEVER stop learning no matter how old or wise.

13. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you have done?

            Excellent question.  I think right now I am saying a lot, and doing a lot.  It is a result of my career choice – I have to talk out a strategy before implementation.  When it is just my direct constituents though, I often do first and explain later, much to their dismay…

14. When was the last time you tried something new?

            Yesterday…but today is young.

15. Which activities make you lose track of time?

            Writing.  Painting.  Praying.  Playing with my boys.

16. If you could do it all over again, would you change anything?

            Just the amount of worry about things that didn’t really matter and the things I wanted to do but didn’t because of perceived risk.  I am learning that I regret the things I didn’t do in life much more often than the things I actually did.

17. What is the difference between living and existing?

            Reward, intention, passion and play.

18. If you had to teach something, what would you teach?

            Self expression.  To find who you are and then chip off everything that hides that beautiful sculpture that is the real you.  To be you in every situation, every group of people and every stage of life and to realize that you, as the artist painting your life, have the freedom to change whenever you want.

If that didn’t work out…History, I would teach History.

Get off the ropes and start swinging

I am blessed with the task of manning the helm of a small credit union.  My education, experience and career path has led perfectly to this station, and I am grateful for the chance to make a difference in the lives of our members.  I am also totally overwhelmed, overworked and burnt out.  This seems to be a common symptom of credit union leadership in the present day.  We are tired of fighting.

The economy and investment market have had us in a corner for years now, diminishing our income to the point that we have to resort to fees we otherwise would have been poking fun at banks for.  The NCUA has at the same time decided that while we are in the corner and on the ropes anyway, it would be a great time to relentlessly punch us in the kidneys.  The assessments over the same challenging timeframe have siphoned off any remaining net income we have fought tooth and nail for.

The saving grace through all of this has been the one-two combination of an increased need for our members to borrow (and conversely the tightening up of credit from banks) and the fact that the large banks have painted themselves as the villain with little help from us whatsoever.  Thanks B of A!

What I have seen as our small window of opportunity to strike fast and get off the ropes is the need for people to feel comfortable in this time of financial crisis.  People are scared.  Banks are scared.  Credit Unions are tired, and a little punch drunk maybe, but we are ready to stand up and fight for our share of the market and make people feel better about the future, at least so far as their finances are concerned.  We are like Rocky Balboa, smaller than our competition, driven by our hearts and old fashioned in our techniques, but unwavering in our spirit and unwilling to succumb to the fear.  We are truly poised to make a heroic 11^th round comeback.  Problem is, some of us don’t realize the bell is about to ring.

I have been watching the Olympics, like most of us, and I have noticed a lot of the runners in the middle distances and sprints come on strong in the final tenth of the race.  Sometimes it works, often it doesn’t.  I have heard several different announcers as they make the post-finish comments stating “if only there were 3 more yards she would have been able to take the gold” or “he just ran out of track to catch the leader.”  Having energy left to kick in ten yards after the finish line really does no one a bit of good.  I am terrified that is the eminent story for credit unions in the current market.  We are so late to start our kick that the banks have figured out how to turn it back on and are already three strides ahead to start with.  It is time to run forward.  Time to make some noise.  Time to get realistic about our past attempts to sell ourselves to the public and realize that we need to make a valid effort at it now or never.  The American people are ready for a REAL feel good story about the future and about their finances.

 We are that story, at least we can be if we take time to tell it.

It isn’t that we don’t have the collective talent, or capital, or opportunity.  In most cases that I have seen, we are just too damn busy adjusting the starting blocks and fiddling with our shoes to focus on the race.  We are constantly burdened with new and changing regulation that after hours of reading and interpreting doesn’t really change a thing about how we serve our members.  We are busy sorting through hundreds of emails, sales calls and ambush visits from vendors to ever look ahead to see where we are going.  We are told to do this for Gen Y and that for members who still want paper statements and this for our internal staff to help them feel better about telling the members that they should not want paper statements…all the while the track is getting shorter and the banks are getting back into their stride. 

What we need is a big adrenaline boost.  What we need is a tanker truck full of 5 hour energy.  What we need is a reminder that for just a moment it is OK to take the focus off of the NCUA, CUNA’s newest training product or the vendor wanting to sell you new lobby TV programming and to put the focus on ourselves.  We need to look at the bigger picture, just for a moment, and realize that we need to race ahead and push through the finish.  The CU third party vendors and all of the latest and greatest new products and initiatives that take up our time and fog our focus will still be here in a year, and will be much more attractive after a period of growth.  It is ok to say NO.  It is permissible to put them to voicemail.  It is advisable, hell it is downright vital, to kick in your final lap energy now and work on your internal signage or whatever you are spinning your wheels on later. (so long as you are in compliance)

I am tired of being tired.  I have had it with getting my wind knocked out every time I get back on my feet.  I have had enough of hanging on the ropes, and looking around only to see my fellow CU leaders there with me, tired and ready to drop.  I am ready to start my kick, if I’m going out its going to be swinging.

  Where are those red shoes…

Numbers...ohhh look at all the sprinkles!

There really is no black and white.  I mean yes there is black and there is white, I'm not arguing that the colors don’t exist, just that there are no "absolutes."

I'm referring simply to the fact that in my experience, it can be both dangerous as well as little arrogant to deal in absolutes.  There is a lot more grey area in the world than black, or white.

I prefer to live in the camp where there are infinite variables and limitless possibilities.  The “never say never” paradigm.  Even in a numbers laden, right or wrong filtered industry like finance, it has been my experience that although 5 is always 5; the interpretation of that five is dependent upon the perception of the receiver.  Five is 5 yes, but whether that 5 is good, bad or indifferent is an altogether different conversation.  One that I like to engage in, frequently.

With this being an election year, occurring after a period of economic uncertainty and market turmoil, on top of a teetering world financial crisis and unstable political climate in the Arab world with the kicker of rapidly rising fuel prices…five is never ever just 5.

I have read countless articles, by teams of economists and financial "gurus" over the past several years trying to keep ahead of the curve and keep my CU on the right course through all of this mess,  and all of them want to explain why they have a corner on the “real picture” market.  They each have their own spin on the facts and the figures and each wants me to believe without a shadow of a doubt that they have the “fiveiest” 5 out there and that the rest of the pack is just trying to paint their 3s to look like a five.  They are all experts.  They are all speculators.  They are all wrong most of the time.  And you know what, that is just fine by me.  Numbers are not absolutes.  When the “facts” are given, even by the world’s foremost economists and big brains on the global this or ratio of that, they are merely spouting off their spin on the data.  Data that most likely they have been given by a mathematician somewhere in a fluorescent lit cubicle in the back of an office complex who is dealing solely with the numbers, formulas, forecasts and fives that they are given by even more mysterious sources.   They don’t really know or care what the numbers represent, or why the expert needs them.  They can interpret ratios and percentages to lean toward whatever side the person paying for the research would like.  Five may indeed be half of ten, but it is only a third of 15…better get 5 more responses…

So, why bother to write this rant on the process of producing preposterous percentages for political purposes and perpetuating them to the populous?

1.      First off, I just spent 45 minutes of my life reading a journal article from an industry expert only to look for the research at the end to back it up and found that it didn’t exist…literally, there was NO research to back this "scholar's" article.  At all.   I needed to vent.

2.      Second, I am tired of hearing the talking heads of network news inaccurately regurgitate “facts” today that I read a month ago. 

They don’t understand what the numbers mean.  They don’t know where they came from.  Most importantly…they don’t know what they should do about them,  any more than you or I do BUT they know that the more you hear them over and over again, the more they become reality.  Take for instance the rumor of $5.00 gas. 

What was proposed, speculated and anticipated by some economists last fall is now $1.001 from becoming a reality.  It may very well be reality soon, my bet is just before my family and I pack up our 12 mile/gallon SUV to drive 1000 miles south for vacation this summer.  Oil prices are by nature speculative and thus mysterious in origin.  Ripe for the talking heads to spin.  The price is as much dependent on people’s perception and political pressure as it is on supply or demand.  When the experts tell us over and over that prices will go to $5/gallon by June, by golly who are the oil barons to prove them wrong.  They have already planted the seed in our heads, they have already greased the wheels and we have already had 6 months to moan and groan.  All of this so that when they DO decide to raise the price, we are already well enough conditioned to it that we won’t raise a fuss.  Not too much of one at least.  And hey, if this fuel price spike happens to play into a certain political agenda to boot.  Well again, who are the oil barons to keep the wheels from spinning?

It seems like the more information that is pushed out there to the public and the more readily available that information becomes, the less we care about its accuracy or significance.  I can check CNN Money every 30 seconds on my iPhone and follow tweets from top economists, but they don’t give me more than a sprinkle on a much much larger cupcake. 

We have become all too satisfied with the sprinkles.  In fact we demand the sprinkles.  Leave the cake to the experts we say.  But what if the "experts" have decided they like the sprinkles better too?   

This is some very scary desert we are almost eating.

It’s like me talking about sports.  I was an athlete in high school and an active participant in all sorts of competitive recreation in college, but I have never really enjoyed the spectator side of collegiate or professional sports.  I like watching an Ohio State football game when I get the opportunity to, and I enjoy the actual playing of sports, especially with my kids or family, but all of the people who can rattle off every statistic from every random team and expect you to chime in like its just common knowledge, they just annoy me. 

Now…that being said, during football season especially, I make sure that I catch just enough of Sportscenter or a little sports talk radio now and then to know the basics of what is happening out there in the wide world of sports so that when approached by one of these amateur statisticians, I can hold my own and fake my way through a 5 minute conversation.  Why?  I think it has something to do with me feeling that I have to know something about sports to be considered a real man in their eyes.  I brush up so I can “man up.”   Now, what scares me about the “expert” economists is that many of them do the exact same thing. 

When CNN or Fox contacts someone whose name appears on an “expert list” and asks them, “Would you like to be on National television, touted as an expert in your field?  We just need to know if you are an expert in the area of tea prices in China…”  Guess what, even though they have never been to China and don’t even drink tea they suddenly realize that the decades of research that they have done in the area of funding issues and overpopulation of prison systems in economically depressed counties in the Southern US relates PERFECTLY to the price of tea in China.  “YES, of course I can speak about that, it is near and dear to my heart…” ( just give me time to Google it ) 

Numbers are numbers, but they are almost never black and white, even if 5 is five.  Numbers can be spun, twisted, baked and whipped up to be whatever flavor you like, but if you want the truth, the real flavor of the cupcake...well you are just never going to know until you look deeper than the sprinkles.

Politics, politics politics...

I try to stay out of politics. Like talking about religion or College football, it tends to divide people.



That being said, when you run a business in a small town politics are part of the air you breathe. In the past I have always stated my stance as “common sense is more important to me than politics and the two rarely seem to be found together.” I still stand by that statement. It seems that lately, especially with the upcoming elections, people want to know what label you wear. I have never been big on designer fashion, so I admittedly don’t care much about labels.

But if I have to come out with a statement about my political views then so be it, here you go. My political stump speach, abridged version.


This county, as far as my “non-history-major” mind can comprehend, was founded on the belief that each individual citizen has certain God-given, irrevocable freedoms…rights. These rights are set forth and spelled out specifically by our Constitution, and are to be protected, enforced and perfected by our lawmakers and our government. I think that the founding fathers of our great nation believed in the power of words and wisdom to transcend the human weaknesses of greed and egocentricity. They counted on the ideals of the Constitution and its supporters to act as a tide, lifting all ships. They saw the birth of our nation as a chance to bring about a certain positive evolution in the human condition, allowing the United States to become a lighthouse, showing people the way to safely achieve the type of freedom that they believed God intended for us all to live with.  They also were motivated by a strong urge to no longer be constantly told what they must and must not do by a micro-managing dictatorship.


Ok fast forward 235 years or so to the times we live in now. Though the language of freedom still is spoken in certain political circles, the fears of our founding fathers are a real and present danger. The human weaknesses of greed and egocentricity are probably more prevalent in Washington DC than they were in the counties that our founding fathers relocated from so many years ago. Though the Constitution is still a foundational document for our government, it is now just one of many. It is danced around as needed to meet the ends in mind by whatever political party is in power and is often referred to, even by our elected leaders, as outdated.  Add to that the tendency of our political powers to micro-manage us as a people through regulation and rule, and you can see where I am coming from.  Benjamin Franklin would have gathered his drinking buddies from yonder pub and kicked our collective arses.


In my personal opinion freedom is a classic, timeless ideal.  Best practiced, not preached.  Like a black dress, always in style, regardless of the label.


So I guess I am not going to declare my label, but I will instead declare my overall dissatisfaction in the entire political process, in the machine we have created to churn out mediocre leaders from misinformed voters. I am just a bit disenfranchised I guess.  I get nostalgic when I look at the leaders that created this nation and I just don't see those kind of men (or women) running and being elected to office, by either party.


When you are in the business of helping build people up, invest in the local communities and do genuinely good work, for the betterment of the human condition and you continually have to swim upstream thanks to the governmental powers that regulate your “industry,” you tend to lose the rose color in your glasses. Call me old fashioned, but I think we could use a visit from some of the great men who took the very real risk of setting forth ideals greater than their own personal interests to slap us around and remind us what they fought for. Maybe we need to sit and have a drink with Ben Franklin or Thomas Jefferson and ask them how to right the ship. We have drifted so far off course that I fear we are in uncharted waters. The political process now feels foreign to us, because it is. This is not the nation our great-great grandfathers lived in, and that is not progress my friends.