Twas the week before Christmas and half the Crawford’s were filling ill.
The dreaded Flu was the culprit and we kept popping pills.

Suffering from sick stomachs and feverish-stuffy heads,
The new popular places in the house became the bathrooms and the beds.

My wife Karen and Little “C” are still feeling Okay,
And Monique dodged a bullet because she’s in College far away.   🙂

Little Chance has spent two days in his favorite night-time robe.
And Chayse Marie keeps on complaining about her tummy and stuffy nose.

Now for me a Flu like this I’ve never experienced before.
Feeling hot & cold flashes and sleeping on the toilet-room floor.

But it takes more than just the plain-ole’ Flu to get Mr. Bread Crumb down.
Even if I’m in a fog or a daze when I get up to walk around.
Or, I’m coughing up stuff that looks a lighter shade of brown. (sorry for the visual)
Or, being afraid to eat anything because I can’t keep it down.
Or achiness all over is trying to force me to wear a frown.

So I opened all the blinds to let the bright sun shine in.
Then I retrieved my journal and laptop and my favorite blue Pilot pen.

Yes, the old cousins doom & gloom are never allowed to occupy this soul.
So I pour into my Passion and eventually take back control.

My writing and content creation always helps me to get through.
And inspiration can come from the toilet-room floor too.  LOL  🙂

So what’s your Passion today my friends, what helps you to overcome?
What gets you up with a smile on your face at the rising of the sun?

Only a true Passion can make you do things that your body doesn’t want to do.
And though your Passion may be to help others, it also may help you to recover too.

As for Mr. Bread Crumb he’s just trying to be productive even when he’s not feeling his best.
And you can count on the Crawford’s still making this Christmas better than the rest.

Rather coughing, sniffling, sneezing, stuffy-head, feverish, upset-stomach or hot & cold flashes, cling to what makes you smile and make this Christmas Season FAL-LA-LA-LA-LAWESOME!!!

www.MrBreadCrumb.com

You can cuddle up with my book these holidays to stay warm and inspired @:  www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

I was helping out in my daughter’s elementary school 4^th grade class today having a ton of fun with the kids making holiday-specific crafts and stuff and I suddenly and unexpectedly had my little world rocked by an unlikely dude under 4 feet tall.

I made a special point to interact with all 30 of the students over my short one hour stay and they were super-surprised when just before the end of class I was able to call all 30 of them by name, one-by-one.  Even the three other parents there were impressed that I even included their names too.

I learned a little known secret several years ago about names and it never fails to create a huge connection with people, because a person’s name is said to be the sweetest sound to anyone in any language.

Minutes before I left the room I was blindsided by one of my daughter’s classmates when he approached me in confidence with the following statement.  “Man, I wish you were my Dad.”  Caught off guard a bit, I paused for a few awkward seconds then said, “If your Dad found out that I was your Dad he would probably be pretty upset.”  Then he smirked and giggled nervously as he said, “Nahhh…  He wouldn’t care, I never see him because he lives in Vegas and he never talks to me.”

Well, needless to say folks, that comment broke my heart.  I wish I could say that I’m surprised by his plight and situation, but unfortunately I’m not.  You see my friends, our country and world is littered with these types of kids.

I have several group-home boys and other “spare” neighborhood, absentee fatherless kids that I commit more than 18 hours of my time to every week and I always wish that I could do more but even I have my own limitations with only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in every week.

So today I say to all of those within eye and earshot of my message please reach out, reach over or reach down to scoop one or two of these “casualties of an absentee” up and sow some quality time into them.  They’ll be glad you did and you may just be surprised what it actually does for you too.  🙂

Let’s make a little time to help others to Make it GREAT!

www.MrBreadCrumb.com

www.52BreadCrumbs.com

www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

I was chatting with a good friend recently and I was reminded of the fact that many people miss valuable lessons in life because the package it was being delivered in didn’t meet their standards.  They managed to misjudge the message because the person delivering it didn’t have on an Armani suit with a silk tie and shiny shoes and a toothy smile to match.  Hmmm…

I invite you to consider today that the most powerful messages in this “life” thing can oftentimes come from the most unlikely and unusual source.  Knowledge and wisdom have no respect of persons.

So don’t miss your opportunities to catch your messages and Make them GREAT!

www.MrBreadCrumb.com

www.52BreadCrumbs.com

www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

The biggest form of Failure is the Failure to take ACTION!  Don’t let this be you.  Realize that Failure is an unavoidable prerequisite for success, so expect it on your journey and keep on pushing.

Now get off your rusty-dusty and start Failing your way to success and Make it GREAT!

www.MrBreadCrumb.com

www.MakeItGreatNOW.com

I just got off the phone with a good friend of mine whom I had the special privilege of calling “Team-mate” back in the mid 90’s when we were fellow student-athletes at the world-famous University of Utah.  🙂  He’s currently resting at home on hospice care suffering from a rare aggressive form of cancer with apparently only days or even hours to live.

“How are you?” was his first statement to me and I quickly responded with the words, “Never mind me, how the heck are you doing?” and what he said next completely caught me off guard and left me with a renewed appreciation of the word “Attitude”.

“I’m currently taking some steps in the direction of completing my Masters Degree with some one-on-one’s with my teachers at the University and I’m on the brink of preparing paperwork to move toward pursuing my Doctorates.  Many of the school teachers and administrators are continuing to work with me.”  He said.  “WHAT!!!  Are you kidding me?” I said.  We both shared a brief laugh and he assured me that that was his main agenda and focus at this time in his life.

Wow, I must admit that many thoughts went through my mind about what I was going to say to my dying friend before I picked up the phone to call him, but he completely surprised me with his jubilant, lighthearted attitude.  Sure I could tell in his voice that he was super-weak, but the things that he said in our short 20 minute conversation made me feel strong and re-affirmed in me the importance of our attitude until our last days.

Over the years I’ve learned that our “Attitude” is a tool and it can be leveraged for good or not-so-good and it all depends on what we decide.  Simply put, our “Attitude” is super-important because it sets the foundation of our thoughts and emotions in our day-to-day life.

I don’t know how many days or hours my old friend has left on this earth, maybe a day or week or a month.  Or, maybe he’ll have a complete turnaround and defy the odds and have a new story to tell.  But whatever the case of his passing date, I can surely believe that no doubt he will maintain an awesome “Attitude” because that’s the Bronzell and know and love.

So what’s your “Attitude” like these days?  It’s your tool, so choose wisely and Make it GREAT!

www.MrBreadCrumb.com

www.MakeItGreatNOW.com