Author: Dr. Flores Page 1 of 44

On a United Airlines flight recently, I made a connection from Houston Bush heading back home to San Antonio. I was lucky on this trip because my international flight into Houston arrived nearly 30 minutes early, which gave me plenty of time to collect my luggage and clear U.S. Customs. In fact, I even had a little time to grab a snack from the United Club.

Anticipating that my flight to San Antonio would be called, I made my way to gate B79 so I could board the aircraft early. I received a complimentary upgrade to First Class, although it was no biggie because this was a small jet and a very short 42-minute flight. The most we would be offered was a drink and a small snack.

But, nonetheless, our seats are a little more comfortable in this premium cabin.

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Several years ago, I heard a speaker make the following statement: “We can expect to have an emergency of some kind, whether work or personal, about every 90 days.”

When she first made this comment, I thought it was an exaggeration. If this were true, it would mean we are in constant peril because bad stuff is happening frequently.

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My wife and I were driving back from Waco to San Antonio this past Saturday after watching the Antonian High School Silver Dancers win the TAPPS State Title!

Our daughter, Helena, made the team as a freshman, and we are proud of the hard work the players, coaches, and parents put into the program. It’s a beautiful operation!

On the way home, we smartly decided to take the toll road that allows us to circle around Austin, and thereby bypassing this part of I-35, which goes right through the heart of Austin. For those of you who know the traffic situation in our state capital, you are aware that it is far better to drive around it than through it.

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I continued my journey on the San Antonio Master of Leadership Program (MLP) this month, and our next topic was Board Skills. I mentioned before that this program is not university-based; rather, our cohort of 60+ professionals spend a full day immersed in one subject area, such as Education, Community & Economic Development, Bio & Health, Military Impact, and Technology.

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Our older daughter, Kaitlin, met us in New York City during the holidays, and we welcomed the new year in the Big Apple. We rented an Airbnb in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

We were far enough away from the Times Square traffic, but close enough to either jump on the subway or request an Uber to get there.

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On a drive to pick-up our daughter from dance practice, I was listening to an audiobook in the car. A comment caught my attention when the author stated …

“The reality of the situation came to light when I decided to trust the truth.”

If you think about it, we have the option to trust what is real or something false. The bottom line here is that we have the choice.

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A few days ago, I was driving home after a work conference, and I was about a block from the house.

I was in a rush because I had a 6:30 Zoom call with students. Without any delays, I would be able to park my car, run into the house, and get to my home office just in time for the call.

However, as I drove down the street to my house, a neighbor was taking his time backing up his huge white F150. There were several cars in the driveway, which meant he needed to get the perfect alignment.

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While traveling to San Jose, Costa Rica, I decided to attend the Saturday Mass at San Rafael Arcángel Catholic Church. I was flying home on Sunday, which would make it difficult to arrive in San Antonio on time for church, so the Saturday option worked out great.

Fr. Henry had a terrific homily focused on accepting God. He mentioned that it did not matter why we had turned our backs to God in the past. He was clear we all had a chance on this day to make the right choice.

He said, “The time is now!”

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When speaking to a friend from church recently, our discussion turned toward relationships. In her full-time work as a Spiritual Director, she mentioned that marriages are beautiful both in the beginning and in the end. However, she said … “The middle can be messy!”

As we continued our conversation, she made a comment that resonated with me even outside of marriage: “The key is working through the mess.”

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Growing up in a migrant family in Uvalde, Texas, I’m careful with how I spend money. Whenever possible, I save first and spend later. A psychologist once told me this mindset is probably because I am afraid of going back to the days when our family needed government assistance to survive.

There is probably something to this clinical assessment, but there are likely other factors to consider as well.

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