Posts by Miami Rooftop Prayers

At that point, lemonade was nowhere on the menu. We were bidding on a five-day contract for a major firm whose name you’d recognize. Unbeknownst to us, one of my sales team members decided to sway the client to use another firm—in the belief she’d benefit more by abandoning us and working with them.  Based…

You might have seen this somewhere. Maybe even lots of time. Martin Luther said it. “I have lots to do today, so I need to spend more time alone with God.” Sounds counterintuitive, I know. You’ve got a MEGA busy day ahead so you . . . . . . stop to contemplate, instead of…

Things have been jumpin’ around here lately! (If you were at the big concert, you’ll know what a pun that is.) Hundreds of thousands of tennis fans flocked to the Miami Open. And tens of thousands danced the night away at the Ultra Music Festival held in Miami Marine Stadium. As JamBase reported: “Dutch DJ Armin van…

I was being interviewed. Putting me even more on the spot, I was being filmed. This took place in our home in Weston recently with a former student. One of her interview questions intrigued me deeply—and rattled me at the same time. “Bill, if they were to make a movie about your life, what would…

“West Maui’s Road to Hana.” That’s what some call it. The north shore of West Maui—if you’ve ever been to Maui, you know exactly what I’m sayin’. The fine print said our rental car contract would be voided if we took that road. It even makes the road to Hana look like a cakewalk. This…

The Big Five-Oh. Fifty years. That’s how long I’ve been managing and leading teams of people. Longer, actually. In 1968, at the tender age of 22, I ran a hotel for navy officers in Monterey, California, managing 148 rooms. My team of 60 enlisted men cooked and served 21 meals per week. The following year…

Cape Cod in the summer of ’67. Sun, surf and sand. Susan and I were dating, taking long walks on the beach, enjoying beach bonfires in the wee hours with fellow workers from the restaurant.  At summer’s end, we parted. She returned to her home near Boston, and me to my home near Buffalo.  The…

He was too young to die. Gone at the age of 59, leaving my mom and me behind. Medical advances since that sorrowful day—May 1, 1968—would have cured my dad’s hardened arteries and heart. This knowledge is still tough for me. Although his physical heart had hardened, his spiritual heart was soft as butter.  He…

The police officer peered through my car window at 2 AM. “Let me see your driver’s license and registration,” he commanded.  As Britney Spears would sing: Whoops, I did it again! I was driving home from a catering gig. Yep, a respectable businessman. The same one who writes you these messages every morning. Deuteronomy 4:1…

“Where’s Melissa?” One day in early 1994 I posed this question to one of my event managers. “Oh, she decided to leave and work for another caterer.”   Melissa was a model and a popular bartender. Everyone loved her. After she left, we missed her . . . but, in our business, we’ve grown used to…