In November of this year, I was promoted to director of the Center for Servant Leadership. It was not my aspiration to be the director. I was totally content being the associate director. This is precisely why I owe a debt of gratitude and thanks to several people. First, I owe thanks to Fran Magoni. Fran is the outgoing director of the Center for Servant Leadership. From day one, she taught me everything that I needed to know about the Center and the Pastoral Institute. Second, I would like to thank Dr. Ron King, Executive Director/CEO of the Pastoral Institute, our leadership team and the board of directors for having faith in me to be the director. Third, I would like to thank Mr. Bill Turner for having the foresight and wisdom to see a need for such a Center. Finally, I would like to thank you, the customers and the readers of the Servant Leadership Today newsletter. The newsletter is now in its third year and has circulation that is world-wide. I look forward to the opportunity to serve each and every one of you in some capacity, whether through workshops and speeches, servant leadership conferences or articles, as we move forward.
 
This has been a very rewarding year for me. I have never had so much fun in my career and I have never worked so hard. But at this moment, I am very tired. It is a good tired, though.
 
But there are consequences to working too hard. There is a reason you are receiving this newsletter so late in the month of December. Why? Because I have been sick twice in the last thirty days. The week of November 10, my birthday week, I had strep throat. That hit me like a tone of bricks and I spent several days in bed.
 
My favorite holiday of the year is Thanksgiving. I took the day off on Wednesday before the holiday. However, in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, I woke up feeling awful. The room was spinning and I was so dizzy. For a while, I was really scared. I am so glad that my wife is a registered nurse. She knew just what to do and took great care of me. Nevertheless, I slept the whole day and night. Needless to say, that is not the way I planned to spend my five-day weekend.
 
I was able to make it through Thanksgiving Day just fine. The whole family came over to the house for dinner, and we had a wonderful time. However, sometime over the weekend, I started to feel sick again. The diagnosis? Bronchitis. Once again, I spent nearly a week in bed.
 
In late October, our staff accountant told me that I needed to take my vacation days. I could only carry so many into the new year. If I did not take them, I would lose them. I had taken only two days off all year.
 
In a way I was thrilled to hear it. I was also a little disappointed. I have so much planning to do. However, after I gave it some thought, I began to feel a little giddy. "Wow!" I thought, "I finally get a chance to relax." Suddenly, the idea of staying up a little longer and sleeping in a little later began to appeal to me. I have not done that in quite a while. During my first week of vacation, my wife will be working, and our girls will be in school. That is the only downside to taking this vacation. Oh, how I wish they would be home with me....
 
The need for a vacation this late in the year has taught me some lessons. First, from now on I plan on taking a vacation earlier in the year. Second, I must do a better job of controlling my schedule. Finally, I must continue to enjoy every opportunity that comes my way. I did that this year. Yes, I am tired, but it is a good tired.
 
Happy Holidays!

Kelvin Redd