Thomas F Sleete

Musings from Fourth Place Thomas F Sleete

When I was an adolescent, I remember visiting the home of my favorite cousins. As I was hanging out one day, I noticed a plaque above one of my cousins' bed. It read, "I'm Third."Finding that an odd thing to look at every day, I asked my cousin what it meant. He replied, "It's simple really. What it means is that in my life, God is first, others are second, and I'm third."The more I thought about it, the more sense it made to me. What a great way to prioritize what is truly important in one's life. I was so impressed, I began to try to live by it. As I've gotten older, I've found that my life has been dedicated to the philosophy that should really read, "I'm Fourth." If I am honest in how I've tried to arrange the relationships in my life, I've had to revise the old saying. For me, God is still first, my family is second, others are third, and I'm FOURTH.