Half luck, half brains...a mother's day story
I've been slowly reading the book about the Holiday Inn story. Back in the seventies the company became one of the largest corporations and business of it's kind in the world. Literally creating tens of thousands of jobs worldwide.
At a time when motels where just drab boring rooms with beds, baths and toilets, Holiday Inns provided families with ample parking right next to their rooms, clean restaurants and free ice. Then they did the unthinkable they made air-conditioning and television a regular amenity. On top of that Holiday Inns had swimming pools.
Can't believe those hotel rates in the picture below.
Today all these are standard features of hotels and motels but back in the 1950s these were luxuries. As always when someone figures out how to be blessing to the many life and business work well.
But my reason for writing this post is not about the Holiday Inn but the story behind how it began. The title of the book is "Half Luck and Half Brains."
The reason for the title is because Kemmons Wilson, it's founder, did not see himself as a genius, creator/founder but an ordinary citizen who served his country in World War II, came back to help rebuild his nation and help get the world back on its feet. Neither did he have a university degree coming from a background of poverty.
Kemmons would be credited for his insight in transforming the now multi-billion dollar hospitality industry. At one point Time magazine featured him as their cover with the title: "The Man With 300,000 Beds."
Interestingly the book takes you to the what's behind all the success of Kemmons - his mother Dolly. Kemmons an only son of a mother who was widowed and left penniless when her only baby was only nine months old. Although her husband had the foresight to get an insurance policy, an unscrupulous funeral home salesman took advantage of the clueless 18 year old widow.
Kemmons grew up with his mother during the Great Depression. Food was scarce life was hard but Kemmons was raised by a mother who became his source of confidence, work ethic, enthusiasm and more importantly spirituality. Amazing what a mother who stood 4 foot 11 can do.
In the midst of poverty and eating dried beans for a week at a time she promised him that he was destined for achievement. She declared to him, "Kemmons, some day you will be an important man, there's nobody who can do anything that you can't do better."
Kemmons memories of his mother was her devotion to him. He said,
"I had the most loving mother anyone ever had. I was her only child and she thought I was the best thing since sliced bread. She was the sweetest, most wonderful woman who ever lived. And if anybody ever loved a son, there is no doubt that she loved me. She hardly ever dated. I used to hear her tell people that she would never marry because no man was good enough to be the father of her son."
Dolly was disciple of Jesus. She was a member of the Methodist movement. She also made sure that her son never neglected the hearing of the Word of God preached every Sunday. In Kemmons Words, "She took me to church every Sunday of the world."
Fact is mothers are in the best place to make disciples of Christ.
None of us would be here without our mothers. Our world would be rigid and mechanical without them. This Mothers' Day take the time to honor your mother.
Happy Mothers' Day!
My Comments Policy
While my site offers visitors the ability to converse, I have a few ground rules so that our conversations will remain civil and courteous.
1. You must register in order to leave a comment. I don’t entertain pseudo, anonymous or bogus individuals. This site is my home (it has a Home Page, get it). I don’t let strangers who don’t introduce themselves into my home.
2. I love questions. I love them because a lot of times they are similar to someone else’s questions and can even trigger other questions from others. Questions also keep us all sharp. This is also why I respond to them as best as I can and at the soonest possible time. I believe that group answering benefits more people than private email exchanges.
3. We don’t have to agree. Debates are welcome. However, whether it is with me or any other visitors of my site, my rule is this: disagree if you must but keep things civil. That’s just how I run my home, and you are a visitor here. No shouting; I have seen it done in writing. No cursing and no insulting.
4. I reserve the right to delete your comments. Like I said, this is my home. I do not have an obligation to publish your comments. As a human being, you may enjoy the freedom to express your opinions on your own site but not on mine. To be specific, I will delete your comments if you post content that is in my sole opinion: (a) snarky; (b) off-topic; (c) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum, civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e. an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog entry.
5. You retain ownership of your comments. I do not own them and I expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on my site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and that you will relieve me from any and all liability that may result from those posts.
6. You grant me the license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free. By posting comments on my site, you automatically grant me the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, video, or presentation.
In short, my goal is to host interesting conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. I believe this clear and simple comments policy will facilitate this.
