of real estate - Keller Williams Realty

GRACE, DIGNITY AND LIFELESSONS IN UNEXPECTED PLACES.Superstars:My dear family,This October, I had theprivilege of hostingour company’s regionaldirector’s meeting at my newhome in Edmond, Okla.One afternoon, as a group, we toured a placethat is very near to my heart: the OklahomaCity National Memorial & Museum.Despite the many occasions that I havevisited this hallowed ground, I never ceaseto be moved beyond words by the extent ofthe destruction that hit so close to home andthe depth of the beauty and dignity that hasemerged from the rubble.I’d like to devote my final “MoMentumCorner” of 2010 to a letter that Shaun Rawls,regional director of our New York Tri-StateRegion and operating principal of The RawlsGroup, sent to members of his team the dayafter our tour.Bless you, Shaun, for so eloquently sharingyour experience and your perspective with us.Visiting this memorial reminded us howprecious our loved ones are to us, and as weenter into the holiday season, my prayer foryou is that you will open your hearts to all thatyou have to be thankful for. May you and yourloved ones be blessed beyond compare withshared times of love and laughter.Last month I had the pleasure of attending the OklahomaCity National Memorial & Museum, honoring the victimsof the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Buildingthat occurred on April 19, 1995. It was, perhaps, the mostimpactful memorial that I’ve ever visited, and I highlyrecommend that you put it on your “to-do list” of places tovisit.There was so much to take in during the tour that tries torecreate a morning that started like any other and ended likeno other. The actual memorial that’s constructed in placeof the Murrah Federal Building’s setting beckons feelingsof reverence, peace, humility, respect and pride. Part of thepower of this memorial comes from sitting on a stone wall,in front of the reflecting pond that separates you from thefamous lawn of bronze and glass chairs that sit in honorof each and every victim of the bombing, while a U.S.Park Ranger tells you all about the bombing and how thememorial came to be, and what every aspect of it means.I think that one of the most important ingredients inthe power of this memorial is the U.S. park ranger and hisobvious love for what he does for a living. To look at him,he is very unassuming, wearing a Park Ranger’s uniform,complete with the “Smokey Bear” hat. I peg him to besomewhere between 25 and 30 years old. Yet, when he startsto speak, he captures your attention with a spirit that heclearly feels honored to be addressing you. Every word hesays commands your full attention. He makes the bombingfeel like it happened just the other day, and he makes theentire memorial come to life by explaining how every littledetail of the experience has a distinct, thoughtful andpowerful meaning. He also makes you feel wonderful aboutall of the good that exists as a result of such a tragic event.As I listened to him, I couldn’t help but wonder howBless you!Mo Anderson,Vice Chairman,Keller Williams RealtyKeller Williams Realty executivesand regional staff at the Oklahoma City National Memorial& Museum, honoring the victims of the bombing of the Alfred P. MurrahFederal Building that occurred on April 19, 1995.30 outfrontNov./Dec. 2010 • vol. 7 no. 6Keller Williams Realty