The M3 Weekly

Welcome to this week's edition. Let's get right into it.

MUSIC - November 6, 1981 I remember my first concert. I was 5 years old, but still have vivid memories of that night with the Commodores. My father and mother loved the group and the concert was held in Auburn, AL not far from Tuskegee University where members of the group met while attending that amazing institution. While I don't recall details of a set list of course, I do remember the large crowd of over 10,000 singing together at times. I recall excitement of this larger than life moment for me as I stood up and held a railing in front of my seat and moved up and down trying to find some semblance of rhythm (still a challenge for me). It was a moment I will never forget and I quickly learned the power of music to unify large groups of people if only for one night or even one song. It's why I got into DJ'ing in college and still do it to this day (more on that in a future edition).

MEALS - The room could not have been much more 100 SF and was a dining area and kitchen all in one open concept. To me, that room was just as grand as any The MICHELIN Guide restaurant in the world I have been to. That room was part of my grandmother's 980 SF home where she raised my aunt, late uncle and late father mostly as a single mom after my grandfather passed unexpectedly when my father was 7 years old. Most importantly, it was the site of Sunday afternoon meals with extended family and for most of my young life also the site of major holiday get togethers. These were some of the greatest times of my life. My grandmother could flat out cook every southern specialty and managed a relatively large garden by herself. She canned every year and if there was ever a place you wanted to be in case of an apocalyptic event, it was at that small house big on love that sat on Jones Avenue in Hueytown, AL. The power of meals became evident very early to me and to this day there is nothing I love more than a dinner party.

MONEY - My late uncle on my father's side of the family was who I looked to very early from a business acumen standpoint. He was the first in the family to graduate from college after receiving a degree in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering . From there he had a very successful career with US Steel working in Fairfield AL and Pittsburgh, PA before moving to their newest US Plant built in Baytown, TX where he spent the remainder of his life. Spending part of a summer in Texas with my uncle and aunt as a young teenager, I attended a dinner with one of his business colleagues and his wife. It was at that dinner where I learned the power of building deep, trusting relationships in business and life. His colleague was from New Jersey originally and visiting Texas as I was. Listening to the discussion you would believe these two guys had been together last week rather than had not seen each other in years. It was clear to me they built a deep relationship and business was simply the platform they built it from. There was a clear mutual trust, respect and admiration they had for one another and it was evident that was earned over time. From that point, I realized the power of money in a positive way. I have never forgotten it.

Hopefully some of these experiences resonate with you and continue to highlight the unifying power of music, meals and money. Each week may feature some of my life experiences or simply feature a topic of interest we may all want to learn more about. If you want to share any anecdote or story with this community we are creating together, please feel free to do so in the comments.