The surprise of the show for many was Dr. Kevin Ham. (Ieft in picture next to Frank Schilling and myself. Kevin spoke at the very first TRAFFIC in 2004 and has remained very quiet until a few weeks ago when he asked me for some time to speak at TRAFFIC which I was happy to agree to. He told me "There was something he needed to say." That was all I needed to know because as many were about to find out, Kevin was much deeper than just the 2.0 story.
Kevin got up early on Wednesday morning and without notes, gave a MOVING 50 minute talk about things more important in life than the almighty dollar but at the same time just how passionate he was about reaching new goals, bigger dreams and feels like he is barely scratching the surface. I was watching, some were close to tears. Including Kevin. Including me. Including many. The most moving part was when he talked about "Value" and put things in perspective when comparing things of value next to each other talking about the value of his children and asked what number do you put on their value. Not even billions would come close to their value. Money may make us comfortable, but life is short and one has to keep things in the right order. He talked about Ben Stein and how much his speech at the first TRAFFIC in 2004 was an inspiration as Ben talked about spending time with your mother and father while there is still time.
Dr. Ham ended his talk to a standing ovation. A really warm standing ovation. That only happened three times before at TRAFFIC. The first standing "O" was in 2004 and that too was for Kevin.
So when folks talk about the VALUE of going to TRAFFIC, listening to Kevin was priceless. I am sure everyone there would agree that his words were worth the price of admission 10x over. Sometimes the biggest value is found in an unexpected place and time. |
