I got to talk to one of my mentors today. These are occasions I cherish as the two most influential mentors in my life don't live in MN anymore, and the third most important has far too important of things on his plate to have a consistent meeting time with me (my assumption).
It was a good two hour meeting. The weather was even nice enough that we spent the first hour and a half at a park. Upon closing that conversation time and moving back towards a building he said something that will stick with me.
"Nate, I don't mean this to be the capstone to a conversation, or that we have to be done talking about serious things, but I want you to know, in case you haven't heard it in a while, 'I'm proud of you.' I don't know how often you get to hear it, or if you care, but you need to at least know, there is someone in Texas that cares about you."
It was weird really. I didn't even know he was in town until I ran into him by chance (literally I saw him walking while I was driving) yesterday, and he is only in town for two days. We happened to be able to meet today.
Instantly when he said "I'm proud of you" I informed him that he had just spoken his most important words of the day.
When Pappy died earlier this year, the one thing I knew I would miss most is hearing that someone was proud of me. It isn't that I don't know that others are proud of me, it was just that Pappy would say it every time he talked to me. I always heard it. It is often easier to remember the things you hear, even when you know there are countless others proud of you.
I hadn't heard anyone tell me that since Pappy died. I'll admit it. I cried a little today. It meant a lot to me. As I told Paul this, he immediately said, "then you know it couldn't have been me, it must have been the Holy Spirit. What are the chances you'd run into me yesterday and that of all the things I'd chose to say today, I'd say the exact one thing you needed to hear."
He was hard to argue with. Paul usually is. It was a wonderful afternoon for me.
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