213Millionaire
Today
is a
GreaT
d ayepilogue
(Dr. Ken McFarland has shared this story throughout the world. He’s passed
on now, so I continue on his behalf. It’s my wish that this story touches you as much
as it touches me. I end many of my seminars and speeches with this story and thought it
fitting to end this book with it, as well.)
All attempts to bring about community spirit seemed to fail. Nothing seemed to
work in this small mid-western town. All the social groups tried, but not one of them was
successful at bringing the little community together – until Tommy McReynolds showed
up.
Tommy was a basketball superstar. He was a young man, but he could play
basketball like the pros. He set all the local, state and national basketball scoring records.
Tommy was hot!
He was so exciting to watch that the whole community would come to watch
him play. The community leaders were so impressed with how this boy could bring the
community together that they called him The Rope. They called him that because he was
the person who brought everyone together. He roped the entire community into this fever
pitch. Everyone was cheering for Tommy, everyone wanted to see The Rope.
Late one night, Dr. McFarland received a phone call at 3:00 a.m. The Rope was
dead. He’d been instantly killed in a car crash.
“How could this happen?” McFarland cried as he drove over to the McReynolds
home. Everyone looked up to Tommy. All the kids loved him. He inspired everyone.
“Oh, no, not Tommy, not The Rope?”
When Dr. McFarland arrived at the boy’s home, he was greeted at the front
door by the father, Papa McReynolds. They embraced and cried for several minutes. Papa
McReynolds took Dr. McFarland to the dead boy’s room and said something very unusual
as he opened his clothes closet.
“We have a saying down here,” said the grief-stricken father. “When we lose
one of our young un’s, we hang our dreams in the closet.”
“Oh, don’t say that, Papa McReynolds,” said his friend.
“Look, you must love me or you wouldn’t be here at 4:00 in the morning. But
Tommy isn’t going to school tomorrow. He won’t be here for turkey next Thanksgiving.
There won’t be any presents for Tommy this Christmas. I’m hanging my dreams in the
closet.”
Just then, Tommy’s younger brother Lance walked into the bedroom. Dr. McFarland
didn’t know what else to say, so he patted the boy on the head and said,
“You’re not going to hang your dreams in the closet, are you, Lance?”
The response came swiftly. “No, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Several years later, Dr. McFarland was invited to give a speech for the banquet