CLICK BELOW TO REDISCOVER HUMANITY
A DECADE+ OF STORYTELLING POWERED BY THE BEST WRITERS ON THE PLANET

They Fit

I met the realtor at the old farm. It seems to be perfect. After years of traveling to cities and towns across the country for my job, I just needed to settle in a place with a small house and plenty of space to walk and reflect. I needed a place to find me. But was this the place? I had already looked at several other places but they were missing something-something that would let me know that I was home.

When the realtor took a call from another client, I began to walk. That is when I saw them. Hanging on what was once an old fence post were two shoes – two well-worn, beat up, dirty old shoes. I could not help myself – I stood and stared. Somehow, I could image the miles they had walked around this farm – the joys of the past that gave them flight – the sorrows that caused the wearer to drag them along the ground – the life they had once seen. Love and heartache – success and failure – togetherness and loneliness – these two silent guardians of this farm had experienced the life I was desperately looking to find.

Slowly, I walked toward them as if drawn into their spell. I just had to know. I examined them closely – tenderly – fear gripping me as I tried to see them from every angle while still not disturbing their perch of honor. Finally, I turned and walked away.

The realtor was just getting off the phone. “Well, what do you think.”

“Let’s go put in an offer,”I replied as I walked toward my truck.

“Wait a minute. Just like that? We looked at a lot of places. Why this one?”

I knew he would never understand so I replied with the only answer I could. “They fit.”

Len Bernat
Len Bernat
LEN is a leader groomed by 20 years of molding and shaping by some of the finest leaders in the United States Marine Corps. Their guidance helped Len realize his full potential as he moved from an enlisted Marine to becoming an Officer of Marines. Len became known for being the leader who could turn any lackluster organization into a strong, functional unit. Upon his retirement, Len worked in several positions before finally starting a second career in governmental procurement. His experience and leadership skills enabled him to be recognized as the 2011 Governmental Procurement Officer of the Year for the Governmental Procurement Association of Georgia and opened doors for him to teach at many of the association’s conferences. Len was also called to the ministry and was ordained at Ashford Memorial Methodist Church in November of 1999. Today, Len is the Pastor of Maxeys Christian Church in Maxeys, Georgia. Len has been married to his wife, Hazel, for 36 years and they have three daughters, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Grab your copy of Len's new Book – Leadership Matters | Advice From A Career USMC Officer. Using his life experiences as examples, Len takes the eleven principles of leadership and the fourteen traits every leader should possess—which he learned during twenty years in the Marine Corps—and teaches the reader how he was molded and shaped by some of the best leaders the Corps had to offer.

DO YOU HAVE THE "WRITE" STUFF? If you’re ready to share your wisdom of experience, we’re ready to share it with our massive global audience – by giving you the opportunity to become a published Contributor on our award-winning Site with (your own byline). And who knows? – it may be your first step in discovering your “hidden Hemmingway”. LEARN MORE HERE


8 CONVERSATIONS

TAKE STROLL INSIDE 360° NATION

TIME FOR A "JUST BE." MOMENT?

ENJOY OUR FREE EVENTS

BECAUSE WE'RE BETTER TOGETHER