Author: Drew Seale

Happy belated Memorial Day! I hope everyone had a great long weekend and are ready to get back to work this week.

My Sabbatical has been such a blessing so far. Have I told you how much I love FD?! I get so many reactions when I tell people that I’m on Sabbatical. A lot of people just can’t believe a company would do that for its employees and it’s so awesome when they say that because I get to share the story of why we do Sabbaticals.

This past week was full of rest and relaxation. It has been so great being able to spend so much quality time with my family. I usually get to spend some quality time but I’ve never been able to spend this much time with them at one time. I really feel like I’ve been able to bond very closely with my son and strengthen my relationship with my wife. Not only have the three of us been able to spend a lot of quality time together, but our extended family has been around a lot too and it has been great to spend time with them. Our parents have been so helpful in this first month of our son’s life. I can’t believe he is already one month old! Time is going by way too fast.

Yesterday during the day, Duke was being a little fussy and we just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. As it turns out, he’s just a one month old baby! Sometimes babies just get a little uncomfortable and fussy and that’s okay! Plus, my dad said Duke isn’t fussy at all. We apparently don’t know what a fussy baby is really like. My dad should know because I was a colicky baby and cried basically nonstop for 6 months. The fussiness for Duke wore off and last night he had his best night of sleep ever. He only woke up one time from 9:30-7:00AM to feed. It was great to get a lot of sleep last night. I had forgotten what it was like to almost get a full nights sleep.

I did do something unexpected last week. I fed about 50-75 people for breakfast and gave them sack lunches at a place called BOBS. BOBS (Breakfast on Beech Street) serves breakfast to the poor and homeless five days a week and a sack lunch and they’ve been doing this for over 16 years. I felt so bad for all of the people that came in to receive breakfast and a sack lunch but I was so glad to know there was a service like this to keep these people alive while being homeless or very poor. It was a great experience and I might continue to do this on a monthly basis from here on out.

I’m starting to get a little antsy about getting back to work but I’m excited to see what God has in store for me over the last two weeks of my Sabbatical.

Talk soon and God bless!

-Drew

It has been a little over three weeks since I started my Sabbatical and it has taken about this long for me not to think about what I have to do at work tomorrow. I had to constantly remind myself that I wasn’t going to work tomorrow. It finally started to sink in this last week and I can honestly say it felt calming and I felt relaxed. I felt bad for leaving people all my responsibilities but this last week I came to the realization that I needed to trust the people that took on my responsibilities and know that everything is going to be okay.

Trust has been a very big part of my Sabbatical. For instance, trusting my parents and in-laws to take care of Duke (my 3 week old son) while Christina and I went on a date! It felt so nice to actually have an adult conversation with Christina because those have been few and far between these past few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, Christina and I have been communicating a lot these past few weeks, but our conversations have usually consisted of wondering if Duke has a dirty diaper or when was the last time Duke ate? So, all that to say, we had a great time just the two of us and it was really nice to talk to Christina in a different setting. Now, back to this trusting my parents and in-laws thing. It’s so funny that we had somewhat of a hard time leaving him by himself with our parents. I’m pretty sure they raised us pretty well. I don’t think we should have anything to worry about. Yet, nevertheless, we still have to trust them with our son.

I can’t tell you how much I am thankful for my parents, siblings and in-laws for helping us out when we’ve needed a break or possibly just a nap. It makes me so happy and blessed to know that my family is there for Christina, Duke and I. Those little breaks that they’ve given us over the course of the last few weeks may seem like nothing to them but to us, they’ve been the best thing since the invention of sliced bread. I don’t know why God has blessed me with such great parents, in-laws, and siblings but He has and I am forever grateful.

Here is a quick update on the Dukemeister. He is slowly starting to sleep better and better at night. For the past few nights, we have been able to sleep about 4 hours in between his feedings which when that happens, we literally feel like we can conquer anything that next day. Yes, I will have to admit, the requirement of 8 hours of sleep is not exactly happening every night. But, it’s hard to blame my little bundle of joy for that! He is also growing and growing sooo fast! We are about to move out of newborn diapers and move into size 1 diapers. He is really starting to fill out and become a little “Michelin Man.” I think this will be the only time in his life that I am wanting him to get as fat as possible. The more rolls he has the better! Keep on eating like a champ buddy!

Last week, we also did Duke’s newborn pictures. We had Kelly Gilgenbach do Duke’s newborn pictures and Kelly really did an awesome job. If you need to do family photos, school pictures, newborn photos, wedding photos, maternity photos and pretty much any other type of photo, Kelly is the man for the job! He is incredible at creating lasting images that you will hold on to forever. Here are a couple of his photo shots for your viewing pleasure!

Talk soon!

That’s right folks. My service project has been an ongoing service project my whole Sabbatical so far. That service project being changing diapers! In all honesty, I feel like I’ve never been more blessed than right now.

I’ve really been able to focus on spending good, quality time with my family and that’s all a brand new father could ask for. This Sabbatical has been exactly what I needed in this time of my life.

As far as what has been happening since my last post, well, not a whole lot. Christina and I have been just trying to get the hang of this “parenting” thing. I’ve heard it’s a work in progress. We’ve been trying to get out of the house at least once a day, though, to make sure the sun is still shining and what not. The good news is that Duke absolutely loves car rides!

This last week we went over to Christina’s parents house for Cinco de Mayo and that was a blast! It’s always fun to get together with family and drink margaritas! Don’t worry, we didn’t drink too many because, well, we have a baby to take home with us at night now. Over the next few days we spent time over at my parents’ house and also went to see my sister’s and brother-in-law’s new house too! My older sister, Amanda, has a two year old and he was finally able to meet Duke and they hit it off great! I mean Graham talked to Duke and Duke just sat there but I could definitely feel the love between those two cousins!

As much as I love talking about my son, I wanted to share with you all another interesting event that happened this week. Over the last few months, I have been training an 8th grade girl in track. She has been a lot of fun to coach and we are hopefully just starting our coach/athlete relationship. The reason I tell you this, is because last week, her dad called me and told me that last weekend, his step-dad passed away unexpectedly at the age of 64. He said they had no idea what to do after he passed and didn’t realize that there was so much that had to happen when someone passed away. How many times have we heard this in our profession?! So, he started asking me questions and wanting to know how to get his own plans in order. He and his wife are in their early 40’s but because of this traumatic experience, he wanted to get his plans in order so that his kids wouldn’t have to worry about doing the things he was having to do over the last few weeks for his step-dad.

It’s amazing how God works you guys. I started a relationship with this family a couple of months ago and because of the profession that I am in and since I have a license to sell preneed in the state of Texas, I was able to sit down and meet with them and share with them the importance of pre-planning. It all made sense to them once we had finished our conversation. He said, “Man, I wish I would’ve met with you about 3 weeks ago!” I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard of families having to go through a traumatic experience before they realize they need us and the funeral home. As sad as all of the traumatic experiences are, this is why I love being a part of this company and this industry. You see, we are able to impact so many lives with the work that we do every day. Regardless of what department you are in, you ALL play a role in helping families get through one of the worst days of their lives.

Anyways, I think my service project kind of changed after I started thinking about it. It went from dirty diapers to being able to serve this family with two priceless gifts that their family won’t hopefully be opening until many many years down the road. But one thing is for certain, when the family does have to open those two gifts, FDLIC and the funeral home will be able to give them peace of mind knowing that all their parents’ plans have already been taking care of because of a decision they made 40 years ago to prearrange and prefund their funerals with a preneed insurance policy through FDLIC.

God is awesome and I can’t thank Him enough for all the many blessings he has given my family and I.

Until next time FD family!

P.S. here are some more pictures to help you get through the Monday woes next week!

Week 1 – Arrival of baby Duke!

Well friends, what a crazy first couple of days I have had! It all started when I got a text from Christina (my wife) during my presentation that Jeff and I were doing during the Shareholders’ meeting that she was being admitted into the hospital and that she would be induced in to labor early the next morning! I must say, it is very hard to describe the flood of emotions that came over me when I realized my son would be born within 24 hours. I couldn’t believe the time had finally come for Christina and I to become parents.

Sure enough, that next day April 26, 2017 at 1:14 pm, Duke Alexander Seale was born weighing in at 7 pounds 6 ounces and stretching to 20 inches long. I know without a shadow of a doubt that there is a God and to anyone who doesn’t think there is a God, they have never experienced having a child! I’ve never felt the presence of God more than I did when I saw Duke born. It was such an overwhelming feeling and it will be a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. All I could think about was how much I love this little dude and how I would do anything to make sure my son had the best life possible. In the back of my mind I felt God say to me, “The love you have for your son is only a fraction of the love I have for you and yout son.” To think we have a Creator that loves us more than we can even think possible is mind-blowing. Needless to say, I am so in love with Duke and I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for my family and our son.

Over the next couple of days, we had plenty of visitors and family stop by to see us at the hospital. We are so thankful and blessed to have an incredible support group that loves us and is there for us. Last Friday, we were released from the hospital and reality set in. We no longer could press a button and a nurse come in and let us know what to do with Duke. It is now up to us to figure out how to raise our son! I will say, that our first night at home was pretty rough. Our little bundle of joy cried from 9:30 at night until 5:00 in the morning almost constantly. Welcome to parenting! We have been pretty lucky overall though, because the next couple of nights, we were able to get around 4-6 hours of sleep. He’s doing so good and I’ve loved every minute that I’ve been able to spend with him. What an awesome blessing it is to work for a company that allows me to spend a whole month with my newborn son without having to go to work.

I know this time is going to go by fast but, I want to make sure and slow down and really embrace these next few weeks to soak it all in. For my Sabbatical, I will be focusing on spending time with my family and watching our son grow. I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting the minimum hours of sleep but my service project of caring for my son will be an ongoing service project! I will also be reading, “The Parables of Jesus: A Guide to Understanding and Applying the Stories Jesus Told” by R.T. Kendall. I’m really excited to see what the Lord will show me through this devotional. I will also be reading, “Making Vision Stick” by Andy Stanley.

I am excited to experience my Sabbatical during this incredible life-changing time in my life. I can’t wait to share with you all my experiences with little Duke! Here are some photos for you all to enjoy of him and my family until my next post!

-Drew

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

-Jeremiah 29:11