Last week, while at breakfast, I told Jeanne, “I’m grateful I’ve lived long enough to appreciate what you’ve meant to me and our family.”

This morning, while reading the Bible, I was again reminded of Proverbs 12: 4: “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband.”

When we were married, my intention was to be a good husband and when children came, to be a great dad. In our early years with children, I spent quality time with my family.

As time went on, I had a desire to be successful as the world considered success. I belonged to many organizations, got involved in politics and worked hard at trying to be successful. With all of that going on in my life, I neglected the most important people in my life – my family.

I remember a bumper sticker that read: “The family that prays together, stays together.”

My focus on other things prevented me from having a family prayer life. I did go to church, but that was just a religious activity that I needed to be successful.

Over the years, God spoke to me through other people as He often does. Dr. Billy St. Martin was one. I remember him telling me that regardless of his busy schedule as a doctor, he tried to have dinner with his family.

That sounded good at the time, but I was too busy focusing on myself trying to be successful.

Recently, I read that years ago, a Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati studied 500 teenagers and discovered that those whose parents had dinner with them at least five times a week, were less likely to use drugs, be depressed or have trouble with the law. They also did well in school and had well-adjusted friends.

Recently, at one of our early morning men’s meetings, a friend of mine who is very wealthy shared that with his success and all the material things he’s accumulated, his family has suffered. I told him something I heard years ago — “No success in the world will make up for failure at home.”

Later that day, he called and asked me to repeat what I had said so he could write it down.

I pray that he, and all fathers, will decide to spend more time with their families.

If you have any questions or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-652-8477 or email hkeller@comcast.net.