In 1923, young Bill Havens' lifelong dream came true when he qualified to compete in the 1924 Olympic Games. In fact, Havens represented one of America's best prospects for a medal because he had established himself as a world-class contender in the singles and the four-man canoeing events.

Several months before he was scheduled to leave for Paris, the site of the 1924 Olympics, Havens' wife joyfully told him that he would soon fulfill another great dream: they were expecting a baby. Coincidentally, the baby was due smack dab in the middle of the two-week Olympic competition.

In the 1920s, traveling from the United States to Europe required a two-week voyage across the Atlantic on an ocean liner. With the trip there and back, and the two weeks of competition, Havens would be gone more than a month-and-a-half. If he went to Paris, he would almost certainly miss the birth of his child.

Bill Havens faced a quandary: two wonderful landmark events loomed before him, but he could not possibly attend both. When he asked his family and friends what he should do, they encouraged him to go and compete. He could win glory for himself and for his country and, after all, his child would be waiting for him when he returned home. His wife's doctor assured him that the pregnancy was progressing perfectly and that his wife and child would be fine. Even Mrs. Havens urged her husband to follow his dream of Olympic gold.

Still, Bill Havens spent many days deep in thought before he felt comfortable making his crucial decision. On the one hand, he would possibly win a medal but, on the other, one moment of glory paled in comparison to a mother's and a child's life. Finally, Havens chose: he would not go to Paris. Instead, he would stay home with his wife, by her bedside, and welcome their child into the world.

Bill Havens could have easily told his wife, "I love you, I'll be with you in spirit," then kissed her good-bye and boarded the boat. Instead, he chose to show her, and their unborn child, the sincerity of his love for them. On August 1, 1924, Bill's son was born-four days after the Paris Games concluded. If Havens had gone to the Olympics, he would have been aboard a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at the moment his son Frank came into the world.

Bill Havens felt he had made the right decision, but he could not keep himself from imagining, over the years, what it would have felt like to stand on the victory platform with the Star Spangled Banner playing and the crowd cheering. He sometimes doubted whether anyone cared about his sacrifice. In the long run, had what he'd done at home really mattered more than what he might have done in Paris?

In the summer of 1952, Bill Havens finally got his answer. That year the Olympics took place in Helsinki, Finland, and in the midst of the games, a telegram arrived at the Havens' home from Frank Havens. That telegram read:

"Dear Dad, Thanks for waiting around for me to get born in 1924. I'm coming home with the gold medal you should have won.... Your loving son, Frank."

Frank Havens had competed in the 10,000-meter singles canoeing event, one that his father might himself have won in1924. When young Frank won Olympic gold, his first thought turned to his father, who had sacrificed the same glory in favor of his love for his family. Bill Havens' actions had spoken volumes about his values, and they connected him to his family and his fans more than any words or any lump of metal ever could. In the end, they made things go right.

Priorities..

It is so easy to forget what really matters. We live in a hectic world and sometimes we lose track of what is really important. If you ask people why they are working their answer will usually include something about family. At first, when we are struggling to get by, it is, I need to take care of my family. Later as we get a litle more prosperous, we will say we want our families to have what we didn't. Our families count!

The sad truth is that our children grow up so fast that one day we wake up and realize that we have missed the most important time of their lives and of ours. We find ourselves staring into the face of a child who is getting ready to leave home and we wonder where the years have gone. We look into the face of our mate and think of the good times that we should have had and realize that our values got turned upsidedown.

The reality is that our children and our mates need us.. and they are more important than anything else in this world. We need to stop and make a fresh commitment to those we love. I want to encourage you to give your children and your mate the most precious of gifts.. give them.. you.. your time.. your attention.. your love.

Make a promise with me, right now. Promise yourself to spend at least a hour a day with your children. Make an investment in your family..Spend time playing games, talking, doing things together.. whatever "they" want to do.

Promise to spend more time with your mate.. time listening to them, sitting quietly together, sharing with your heart and your love. You will never regret the time invested in the lives of those you love.