By David Daggett on 12/24/2007 6:42 AM

Safe, Happy Holidays!

     Holidays can be the happiest of times with family and friends. Please join with us in using our best efforts to keep your holidays safe and happy.

     Over the years we have seen holidays turned into instant tragedy by causes that should have been prevented. Perhaps one of the worst and most frequent tragedies are those caused by drunk drivers. We know – for years we’ve been helping the victims of drunk drivers.

     Other areas of safety concerns fall into categories of fire safety, food safety, child safety, and driving safety. Each of these areas can produce increased risks over the holidays.

     Fire safety includes taking appropriate precautions with Christmas trees and Christmas lights. Christmas decorations can also present hazards we usually don’t have around the house. Lastly, don’t forget fireplace safety as your family gathers around the living room fireplace.

     Certainly the holidays are a time for good food and fellowship. Be sure to be particularly careful with fully cooking meats and poultry. There are also lots of leftovers around the holidays that need to be properly and promptly wrapped and refrigerated.

     We all enjoy children around the holidays, and perhaps the holidays are the most special time of the year for our little ones. Use care in buying and selecting toys for small children, including watching for small parts and choking hazards. Also, children tend to be very curious of all of the additional decorations and holiday items in our houses. So, we need to keep a watchful eye and help them to have a safe, happy holiday too.

     Lastly, as mentioned above, safety on the roads and while driving is perhaps the most frequent danger we face. Above all, please don’t drink and drive. Call a cab or use a designated driver if you need to make your trip home a safe one for you, and for everyone on the road.

     Please join us in preventing accidents at this special time of year. From our Lewis & Daggett family to yours, happy holidays!

 

 

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By David Daggett on 12/17/2007 10:10 AM

   Our Future Looks Bright! 

    Youth are our future. At Lewis & Daggett we have focused for many years on youth initiatives, like Safe Sober Prom Night. We do this naturally out of our concerns for individuals. This is consistent with our L & D Team’s care and helping of people seriously injured, hurt at work, and disabled.

     So, to further this mission we spent some time this week with the After School Program at the West Forsyth YMCA. As you can see from the photo above, we had a good time.

     We were contacted by the After School Program Director Mary Ridings to talk about internet safety. She is a delightful hard working young lady who clearly loves the kids. Mary had read our piece on Internet Safety and asked us to discuss these issues with the students. We were more than happy to go out and have a discussion with their students.

     Don’t sell our students short - they were very bright and had a keen insight on the issues presented by today’s world, including internet safety. Our discussions led to three basic principles that probably apply to most aspects in life.

     First, "You Become Who You Hang With." This is their language, not mine. Certainly this is great advice and is consistent with what we all learned as kids - surround yourself with good and you will be good. The same applies with on-line activity.

     Next, "Don’t Talk to Strangers." We all learned this when we were very young, yet somehow the impersonal nature of the internet seems to make us not take it so seriously. There are predators (strangers) out there that we shouldn’t talk to. These students understand that the same principle applies just the same with the internet.

     Lastly, "Establish and Keep a Good Reputation." The students already know and are aware that colleges look at things like Myspace pages when making admissions decisions. Law firms do too. So, it is important to keep on-line materials positive and reflect favorably upon you.

     Please contact us if you would like more information on internet safety. Help us encourage and support our young people. We were impressed by these students and know that their future is bright!

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By David Daggett on 12/10/2007 12:42 PM

     HEROES

     Who are our heroes? We probably all have them. The truth is our real heroes are usually not superstars, but everyday people who affect us in everyday life. Perhaps we should spend more time focusing on the heroes who we see every day.

     Here at Lewis & Daggett I believe we have many heroes. I believe we have a team of people who truly care to help the folks who come to us at their times of greatest need. Quite frankly, I believe that quality is in all of our folks right up to the top with our leader, Mike Lewis.

     In actuality, many of our clients become our heroes. These people come to us when they are severely injured, disabled, or out of work, and somehow manage to keep on going. In fact, many times they end up being our encouragers. Wow! We are proud of and truly admire these people who can persevere at such difficult times.

     Can you think of the various mentors in your life? This would certainly include family, parents, colleagues, folks at church, and all those people we depend upon regularly for counsel and guidance. I read somewhere that everyone should intentionally have several mentors and at the same time have several mentees. When you think about it, this is how our values get passed along from person to person and from generation to generation.

     John Edwards has been a friend of our law firm for many years. He has gone on to be a United States Senator, vice-presidential candidate, and now presidential candidate. Certainly John Edwards has now become a star. However, knowing him on a personal basis also probably puts him in the hero category.

     We are all surrounded by heroes in our daily lives. I want to say a special thank you to all of my heroes. Some of you probably know who you are, and others, I will try to do a better job of recognizing. Thank you!

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By David Daggett on 12/3/2007 8:45 AM

     What Are We Affraid Of?

     What are we afraid of? Does fear motivate or paralyze us? Perhaps it can do both. When we fear what we do not know, it is clearly helpful to call on those who do know. For example, Lewis & Daggett can help when you are injured in an accident or disabled, just as experienced parents can help new parents with baby care questions. We help people who are many times scared and don’t know what to do next.

We are here to help!

     Fear is an interesting emotion. Most of us have other fears that keep us from fully exploring our inner selves. We usually do not fear our limitations - those are known. Rather we fear exploring our furthest abilities - those are unknown. When we take ourselves to our limits, whether it is it after an injury or in academics, spirituality, social, parental and spousal relationships, etc., or in athletics, we are at the same time exposing ourselves to failure, and yet we don’t feel "complete" until we have explored that unknown area.

     When we do explore, we then develop a peace or calmness that comes from truly knowing who we are, and what we are capable of achieving. When we are tired, scared, injured or out of work, what do we do and how do we respond? We can either give in and fail to discover our true power, or we can look fear right in the eye, keep putting one foot in front of the other, do what is right, good, and tough. When we persevere we therein find part of ourselves and our true character along the way.

     Perhaps the words from Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech in 1994 describe the power we possess but many times are afraid to obtain: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure . . . . There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

     When we conquer our fears we not only become what we can become, we also give others permission to become what they can become. It’s magical!

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