During my travels for my employment, I have stayed at the ‘Courtyard by Marriott’ on several occasions. They have always been extremely comfortable, clean, relaxing, and inviting. When you enter the room with your personal key card there is at least one light on, and the TV is on. It is at a low volume playing a ‘home’ channel, that I found out later would be the beginning point every time I turned the TV on. The programming is a pre-recorded message with beautiful pictures of destinations along with soft instrumental music, explaining briefly the history and origins of some of their hotels. The narrator is a Frenchman, with a soothing, deep voice and French accent, thus playing into their new branding of the Bonvoy Marriott membership program, taken from the French ‘bon voyage,’ meaning to wish someone a wonderful journey.
John Willard Marriot and his wife Alice made the move from Utah to Washington, D.C. in 1927. This was the beginning of an illustrious career beginning with a curbside food stand that sold A&W Root Beer, to the conglomerate it is today. The food stand became The Hot Shoppe, Inc., which was renamed The Marriott Corporation forty years later. So much history exists within those forty years of working as restaurants, expanding into the food service industry, and then into the hospitality industry, and their story is still ongoing. His food service companies played a large part in the Second World War, expanded to government buildings, hospitals, and schools thereafter. Their first hotel opened in 1957 in Arlington County, Virginia, which was demolished in 1990. Marriott’s International brand, The Marriott Hotels & Resorts is now located in Bethesda, Maryland, and are full service hotels and resorts. The internet reports, “As of June 30, 2020, there were 582 hotels and resorts with 205,053 rooms operating under the brand, in addition to 160 hotels with 47,765 rooms planned for development.”
Bill Marriott, who is John Willard (Bill) Marriott, Jr, now 92 years old, succeeded his father as the CEO of Marriott International for four decades and is now the executive chairman of the board, a billionaire, and an author of the book about his father and his family experiences, called, “Without Reservations: How a Family Root Beer Stand Grew into a Global Hotel Company.” When joining the company in 1955, Bill, Jr gave his father a much needed nudge to expand, since his father was a little leery after living through the Great Depression. He and his wife Donna have been married for over sixty years and have four children who have all worked for the company to varying degrees over the years. In 1983, they opened their first sister brand, named Courtyard, in Atlanta, Georgia, when Bill Marriott, Jr, realized that the modern face of the hotel industry was represented by segmented branding. He stated, “It was tremendously successful, so then we just started cranking out these Courtyards.” The internet says, “As of June 30, 2020, there were 1,254 Courtyard Marriott Hotels worldwide with 187,095 rooms in addition to 288 hotels with 49,335 rooms in the pipeline.” This sister brand is geared towards attracting the growing world of business clientele.
The initial TV programming that you see when you enter a room of a Courtyard hotel, represents not only the Courtyard’s by Marriott themselves, but the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, which took the place of the Marriott Awards program in 2019. Joining this program allows you to earn points to redeem for a stay at the Bonvoy brands, including Sheraton, Renaissance, Westin, St. Regis, Ritz-Carlton, and JW Marriott hotels. They will also allow you to transfer points into your Frequent Flyer Account. The marketers will show you shopping, restaurants, activities and more, in the areas where they have these hotels to captivate your attention and intrigue you to the point that you want to go there. The soothing music and presentation make you feel that you are a part of something bigger than yourself and just the actual hotel you are currently in. You can sign up and become a member of this community online, at your convenience. One day while watching it, there were so many compelling thoughts that were shared during the infomercial, that I was prompted to write some of them down so I would not forget them. Here are a few of the quotes I wrote down. “Don’t have the same day tomorrow as you had today”; “The sound of silence is as important as the sound of nature”; “Be open to newness”; “Don’t just inherit the life you went into today with, but be intentional, invent your own life”; “Life flourishes when you put thought into the details.”
When I get a chance to watch a TV show at home, I normally choose a cooking show or a home interior decorating and home renovation show. I love to see the end products of how the recipe comes out, or how the décor or the end results of the home renovations develop. They all take things from different areas respectively and bring them together to make something enjoyable and beautiful. Even when on a tight budget they seem to know how to make it work. There is a You Tube channel called Home Worthy, where they do tours of people’s homes, and they describe all that they have done to the home and property since purchasing it. They will tell you of each piece that is meaningful to them with words like, “This is a priceless piece;” This is an antique and very fragile;” “This I inherited from my grandmother, that I remember her displaying in her home when I was young.” They have all these gorgeous things around their houses, that are being used now by their family, instead of being in a cupboard somewhere under lock and key for safe keeping.
The older I get, the more I agree with this philosophy, that life is too short not to use the good China, glassware, or beautiful quilts that were handmade in the 1800 or 1900’s. If we do not enjoy them now, we will miss the true joys of life, and they will be passed down to someone else who may not know the value of them. We cannot take anything with us when our time comes to leave this world. We must cherish and enjoy every day and experience to the fullest. Incorporate our children and our grandchildren as well by intentionally making things special for them. These occasions are where we can teach them valuable lessons about life, love, and family. Possessions are just that, but the people who love you and support you are the real treasures. They will be able to pass these memories along to their children, even if the dishes, vases, or chairs break and must be discarded.
I was reminded of this important lesson once again in my own family recently. We had one of our daughters stop in at our house briefly, and while there she stated, “Do you recognize anything?” I was not sure at first what she was referring to, until she started swinging the handbag that she had on her arm back and forth. As she did, I realized that it was a beautiful purse that she had inherited from my mother, her grandmother, that was made from Ostrich skin from Africa, where my folks had been missionaries for over thirty-eight years. She mentioned that her old purse was tearing up, and when she looked in her closet that morning, she saw this one and decided to use it temporarily until she could get a different one. She let her little girls play with the old one. I asked her if she liked it, and why was she wanting to get a different one. She stated that she did like it, but that it was too precious to just use all the time. I was pricked in my heart that she had probably learned that lesson from me, to which I replied, “You do not have to put it up or get a new one. If you love it, use it now, while you can enjoy it! Life is too short to hide your favorite things until you die. Your grandmother would have been tickled that you are using it and enjoying it!” The little quotes from the ‘Bonvoy’ promotional, marketing video, were trying to get people to realize that same message, which is, write your own story, enjoy life now, if today went wrong, change things for tomorrow, reinvent yourself daily, don’t quit, life is too short not to live intentionally.
The Bonvoy video narrator stated, “Life flourishes when you put thought into the details.” This is so true in every aspect of life. So many people are only existing and going through the motions because they are so overwhelmed with everything that is on their plates. We must stop and take account every now and then of our lives, so as not to end up in a rut. It is said that a rut is just a coffin with both ends knocked out. That is not living. Paying attention to details will help us flourish, navigate through life with joy and be the author of our own wonderful, bestselling story. You may think you are not an author, however, we can all learn from the Master. Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Each new morning, if we really ‘live, laugh, and love’ as this new slogan or cliché says that is thrown around and displayed so freely by unhappy people, things will begin to fall into place. When we start and end our day with Jesus, the words to our stories will come to us easily and our writer’s block will be cured. 1 Peter 1:6-9 states, “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” As believers in Him, we have a wonderful destination we are looking forward to that will be a part of the last chapter of our story. Lamentations 3:21-24 says, “This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore, will I hope in him.”
We can enjoy the peace of God each day and the hope that comes in believing His promises. He has promised us not only salvation after death, but contentment and joy as we walk through this life. Jesus tells us, his disciples in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” If we were to take pen and paper, which is a rare commodity these days, and record our stories, would they be something that others would be interested in reading? Would they reflect that abundant life of joy unspeakable and full of glory that should be a part of the everyday life of a true believer? Could we pin a title on it similar to the John Willard Marriott story, “Without Reservations: How a Family Root Beer Stand Grew into a Global Hotel Company.” How compelling would it be? Would it be interesting enough to captivate the readers’ attention until the end? Would your story be intriguing and make others want to emulate your life?
There is a song that has been playing on the Contemporary Christian radio channels lately called, “God is in this Story,” by Big Daddy Weave, Katy Nichole. It says,
There’s torn up pages in this book, words that tell me I’m no good.
Chapters that defined me for so long. But the hands of grace and endless love,
Dusted off and picked me up, told my heart that hope is never gone.
God is in this story. God is in the details. Even in the broken parts, He holds my heart, He never fails.
When I’m at my weakest, I will trust in Jesus. Always in the highs and lows,
The One who goes before me. God is in this story.
So, if the storm you’re walking through feels like it’s too much and you.
Wonder if He even cares at all, well, hold on tight to what you know.
He promised He won’t let you go, Your song of healing’s written in His scars. God is in this story.
If it reads like addiction, if it reads like disease. He’s the One who frees the prisoner.
He’s the healer of all things.
If it reads like depression, if it reads broken home. He’s the One who holds your sorrow.
He won’t leave you here alone. God is in this story.
We do not have to be defined by failures, though we fail at times. We do not have to be defined by our weaknesses, even though we are weak at times. Paul states in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” Peace, hope, joy, longsuffering, love, and contentment all come from God and not from within us, therefore, God should be intertwined in every line of our stories. Every decision we make should involve a collaboration with God. In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, there was the WWJD slogan that was popular in word, on T-shirts, bracelets, cups, bibles, and any type of merchandise you could think of, which stood for ‘What would Jesus Do?’ Though it caught on quickly and became popular for a while as if it were something new, Rev. Charles Sheldon from Topeka, Kansas, authored a bestselling book called “In His Steps,” based on his sermons, which popularized this statement in 1896. The fad has now faded once again, in the sayings as well as the wearing of this slogan on everything, with other ditties taking its place, but we should consider keeping the principle of asking this question as a part of our lives daily when faced with life’s decisions.
Though it may seem a little morbid, to enhance our lives and live it to the fullest, we may need to step back and take stock of our lives and think of what our obituary and eulogy would look like if we were to pass away today. How would our epitaph read? Would we be missed by anyone, or would everyone be feeling relieved? If we went missing today, would anyone go out looking for us? In the scriptures we see what is known as the Books of the Bible, in the Old and New Testaments, named after the ones who penned them, such as Malachi, Zachariah, Jonah, Amos, Job, Peter, James, and many more. These were not perfect people with perfect lives, but those who had a story to tell for others to glean from and learn from. They made mistakes, and they had highs and lows in their lives, but they all had a redeeming factor that we can take away from their stories. The miracle working power of God can be seen in them all, which brings honor to Him. This is how we want the Chronicles of our life to read, that we went from a pauper to a child of the King. We went from a small food stand to a huge hospitality conglomerate. From a small cottage to a mansion on the hillside, that the Lord is preparing for us. We want our lives to be welcoming to others so we can introduce them to the Prince of Peace.
Next time you are doing something for your family or others, preparing a meal, or getting a picnic basket ready for a summer day by the lake, do not think twice about making it special. Put a few extra snacks in the basket that the grandkids may not always have or be expecting or fix their favorites for lunch. Treat them like royalty, because they will be the ones who will continue your stories when you are gone. Just as we love book series like the Nancy Drew Mysteries, or the Junie B volumes, our children and grandchildren’s lives will be the sequels in our series. Do not just suffice with the status quo. Pay attention to the details, go ahead, and use the good China, or put out the antique vase you love so much. Be the author of your own story!