A Small Town with a Big Lesson

It took me ten hours to get to the small town of Crane, Texas Population 3,500 only a little bigger than the entire population of a high school where I had just spoken. I flew from Boston, Massachusetts made a connection through Houston, Texas and then flew into Midland/ Odessa International airport. It was then an hour drive to Crane.

Drive to Crane

Living in New Hampshire and having not spent a lot of time in this part of Texas, it was surprising to see the flat landscape dotted with the up and down motion of oil machines that went on for miles known as “pump jacks”.

I have been in small towns before, but Crane, TX is a special and unique place. It’s special because of the amazing people and unique because of the way many of the people there live their life. Let me explain.

Pump Jacks

My visit to Crane started by meeting the gentleman who had coordinated my visit to come and speak with the middle school and high school students. His name is Keith Martin, and he has been a teacher for twenty-two years at Crane. He’s over six feet tall and has the type of personality that when you meet him for the first time he already seems like an old friend. I was also greeted at the school by two energetic student leaders Tawnie and Morgan. As they gave me a tour through the hallways I could see how proud they were of their school and community.

Ed and Keith Martin

The school assembly started out with the pledge of allegiance to the United States flag, then the pledge of allegiance to the Texas state flag and then there was a moment of silence. It was the first time that I had ever seen all three done at a school at the same time. The 450 students and faculty that made up the entire audience were wonderful as I shared with them my message of living and leading your life with gratitude, respect, kindness, and a belief in yourself and one another.

Ed with students from Crane HS

After spending time listening and talking with some of the students after my presentation Keith took me to a popular lunch spot in town called My Friends Grill. It was a perfect name for a place where the food was great and you instantly felt welcome.

The conversation that Keith and I had at lunch that day over a buffet of all-you- can- eat- tacos, quesadillas, and a bottomless glass of sweet tea is one that I will never forget.

My Friends Grill

It was there that Keith shared with me how he is 46 years young, has a wonderful wife, two amazing kids, two grand kids (with another one on the way) and a job that he loves. I also learned that he has an Arachnoid cyst on his brain about the size of a fist, which gives him massive headaches. He has already gone into major surgery once and will have to go in for surgery again at the end of this month. In our conversation, he looked me in the eyes and said that through all of what he has gone through and the unknown road that lies ahead that he was still so very grateful. I asked him, “Keith how are you able to stay so positive?”

The next thing you know, I was being taught how to live and lead an extraordinary life. Here is what I learned.

Have a strong faith to always remember that you are never alone: there is someone watching over you, guiding you, supporting you, and believing in you.

Be proud of who you are and where you come from. Keith shared with me that he had learned early on not to pretend to be anything that you were not. He talked about how important it was to take pride in your family and in your country.

Work hard. I learned that he had grew up on a small farm where at 4 AM every morning he would milk the cows and then head off to school. It was because of this strong work ethic taught to him by his parents that Pepperdine University had offered him a full scholarship.

Slow down. During my visit in Crane I never sensed for a moment that anyone was in a rush or stressed out needing get somewhere. For example, I had asked Keith, “What time do you want me to stop my presentation?” He said, “Ed. Say what you need to say, take as much or as little time as you need. We are in no rush here.”

Do what you love. I will never forget when I asked him what he loved about teaching and he said, “I love that look in a kid’s eyes when I teach them something that they never thought they could have done or imagined doing.”

Keep making friends. As I left Crane to catch my flight home, I thanked Keith for the privilege of coming to his school, for making me feel so welcome, and for the great conversation. He said, “Keep in touch my friend! Let me know when your flight lands.”

It was at that moment I said to him, “Wow! It’s amazing all of the traditions that your school and your community have in this small town.” He put this huge smile on his face as big as Texas, rested his hand on my shoulder and a with a twinkle in his eye he said, “Ed, It’s not a tradition…. It’s a way of life.”