Life in Small Bites

Rev. Russell Williams
Chief Inspirational Officer
Leaders of Integrity, ETHICAL EDGE, and I am blessed to add, my friend.

It was a Friday evening…mid-December 1955.  The holiday season was in full display.  Dad was driving his 3 kids…my sister, brother and me…to the Santa Fe Railroad Depot in Pasadena to await the arrival of our grandmother traveling on the Super Chief from Albuquerque. We got there early enough to take our positions standing behind the white line to await the train’s arrival.  It was the first time we had ever seen the Super Chief arrive at night. I was so excited!

The announcement of the train’s imminent arrival did not occur over a loud speaker.  It was far better than that.  Before I could see the Super Chief 300 yards up the track as it made its turn from the east onto the southbound straightaway to the depot, there was a vibration on the ground that grew by the moment until the vibration was so strong that it went through my whole body. Then came the moment….as the locomotive engine made its turn…a brilliantly large single, oscillating light came into view bringing a showering of light everywhere present to accompany the overwhelming vibration that now roared through my body.  What a treasured childhood memory!

That boyhood experience matured over the years into a deep, appreciative understanding of the Author of Light guiding our journey as individuals and a living humanity.  The Light that leads us is wisdom discovered and applied in our practice to become leaders of integrity whose mission it is to serve as an influence for good at home, at work and in the community.

Back in 1781 as our fledgling nation sought to define a Constitution  to guide us, Benjamin Franklin, the oldest member of  The Constitutional Convention, stood before his peers for the first time…at a perilous moment in the proceedings and stated, “The longer I live..I see the truth that God governs the affairs of men.”

As I turn the corner into the metaphoric last 300 yards of my professional life, I am choosing to dedicate my energies to give voice to a role I now define as the chief inspirational officer of the Leaders of Integrity initiative birthed in 2009 as the Ethical Edge. Similar to the turbulent time of long ago, we shall, together, grow our influence as wisdom keepers of the Light leading us.

I believe every person who is pursuing their role as a leader of integrity needs the powerful vitamins of hope and encouragement to offer light to their path. This effort now animates my work with you and many others in our shared mission of influence for good.

In closing, I thank you for your involvement and support of the mission of Passkeys, a   non-profit publicly supported foundation.   I appreciate your year-end, charitable gift as an expression of your gratitude for the contribution the foundation is making in the lives of many…and  I trust includes you.