I remember driving home toDallas,Texasfrom my college at theUniversityofUtahinSalt Lake Cityto pay my parents a surprise visit during my summer break in the year of 1992.  I did the 1292 mile drive in just under 20 hours straight.  My little charcoal grey colored Hyundai GLS 4-doorSedandidn’t have an air-conditioner, but dollar-for-dollar it was one of the most reliable vehicles I’ve ever owned.

I remember I would always carry my fake toy gun underneath my seat just in-case I ended up in a bad situation.  The original color of the gun was bright orange when I bought it at Smith’s Grocery store inUtah, but I later spray-painted it a flat-black color.  It really did look convincing from at least three feet away.

After making the long trip home without incident, I arrived at about 4:30 am and I was still wired up on the NoDoz caffeine pills that I had been popping along the way.  So, I snuck into the house and just sat there on the couch staring at the ceiling waiting for Mom and Dad to wake up to find me in the living room.  My little brother found me first so I was still able to preserve the element of surprise for my parents.  I always got a kick out of seeing their faces when I just walked into the room and jumped into the bed with them.  Ahhhh, those were Great times…

I hung out with my little eleven-year-old brother Patrick all day and at the end of the late night we found ourselves at a Burger King drive-thru located on the corner of Singleton andIndustrial Blvdnear the edge of downtownDallas.  After ordering our usual Cheese Whoppers with fries and strawberry milk shakes, we noticed a strange man approaching my car.  He appeared to be a homeless man with the usual tattered clothing and long scraggly beard and afro with a raggedy ball cap.

He stumbled over to the passenger side of the car and asked the usual question, “Can you spare some change for me to get a bus ticket to Oak Cliff?”  He was about three feet away from the car but even that distance couldn’t mask the odor of booze and BO.  I immediately said, “Hey, we’re headed that way so why don’t you just hop on in the back seat and we’ll take you on over there with us.”

The look on Patrick’s face was priceless.  Knowing that we live in West Dallas and this guy was trying to get to Oak Cliff which would be across town from us, Patrick looked over at me and abruptly exclaimed in a whisper, “What!?  Noooo man…  Are you serious!?  I smiled and quietly re-assured Patrick that everything would be alright.  After all, I had a gun just incase I needed it.  Well, Patrick got the surprise of his life that night.

I would love to share the rest of the juicy details of what happened that night, but I don’t have enough space to do it here.  You’ll just have to get my book, “Make it GREAT”.  Its stocked full of lessons learned, bridges burned, tables turned and wisdom earned on this life journey of mine.  It’s finally scheduled to be released this November 2012.  The initial printed copies will be limited, so be sure to reserve yours right away. 

You can pre-order today and before November and receive one of my free bonus CD’s with some great tips and content for overcoming the F.A.C.T.S. of Life (Fear, Adversity, Change, Trials & Struggles).  The reviews have all been AWESOME!

For a complete description of the book and/or to pre-order, click on the following link:  http://www.cedriccrawford.com/the-book/

I can’t wait for you to see and hear what I’ve seen and heard in this “life” thing.  You’re going to LOVE IT !!! Let’s all continue in our noble efforts to Make it GREAT!