For Sam, With Love

            Growing up Catholic, there's a few givens – we'll feel guilty about most things in life, a crucifix is a staple in our home and we will always be surrounded by cousins.

            Guilt is the cornerstone of my life, the crucifix – with holy water – hangs in my dining room and I have 27 first cousins on my Dad's side and 25 first cousins on my Mom's side.

            Our family had a lot in common with our cousins in Lake Charles, La., mostly because we had a cousin our age. I hung out with Sylvia who was one year older than me. Mark was my brother Jimmy's age and so on right down the line.

            In the middle of that interlacing was my cousin Sam. His escapades were legendary. If the "Indiana Jones" movies were running back then, we'd have all bet the Baltimore Catechist that Sam was the closest thing to Indy we'd ever seen.

            He was up early and went to bed late. He was the one climbing every tree in the yard. Once, Sam rode his bike off the roof and he and the Schwinn got tangled up in the clothesline, narrowly escaping broken bones. He ran away from home at least once a week, and he did all that with a huge, I double-dog-dare-you smile on his face and a laugh that lit up the world.

            Sam believed in taking a chance, because, he said, no matter where you landed, the ride was so much fun.

 Striking Out

            When Sam was 17, my uncle said since Sam thought he knew everything, he should get out on his own. Sam took on all kinds of odd jobs to make ends meet. Eventually he started his own building company but then he began working with New York Life.

            Sam worked hard to catch up on all the financial lingo and never stopped believing in himself. Twenty eight years later, Sam is the 2013 New York Life Council President with more sales than any other agent in the country.

            According to an article written about Sam, he accomplished this goal by changing how he looked at life. He looked inside himself for answers and stopped blaming others.

            He altered his outlook, from life being a series of unfair hurdles to seeing life as manageable opportunities. Over the years, he built a wildly successful business.

            He and his wife, Denise, are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, a handsome son and they're the hosts for the weekly Hebert Sunday dinner and the annual Hebert family reunion.

            When my father passed away, Sam was the first person at the funeral home and his shoulder was one I sobbed on. Later, it was a unanimous decision for us to give Sam my Dad's ring because Sam was one of my Dad's favorite nephews.

             Sam wears that ring every single day, and I love how he cherishes my dad's memory and models my Dad's passion for adventure.

            Through all the ups and downs in his life, Sam's blueprint for success is straight forward – envision a life that for you is ideal, hitch your intentions to that vision, plan not to fail and then go make it happen.

            As I watch a YouTube video of Sam's talk to NYL agents, I can still picture that gangly kid on his banana seat bicycle, an impish smile on his face, ready to take on the next challenge.

            I'm grateful every time I think about that wild child cousin who's now influencing others to follow their dreams. Even if it means hitching yourself to a bike and riding it off a roof to get there.

 

This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.