one day you’re gonna die now growing up
as a kid I was always afraid of death
I hated funerals if I went to a repast I
didn’t even eat the food because I
didn’t want it to come and death somehow
invade my body but as we went along and
I said I don’t want to die I hated the
thought of death and even as a
psychologist death and dying was never
my favorite topic often told my wife I
always wanted to die before her because
the thought of living without her was
too difficult but on September 6 2017
the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever on
record hurricane Irma visited our island
with winds at 185 miles per hour
sustained and gusting over 200 miles per
hour as me and my family of five my
three year old daughter my three Oh
Sutton my eight year old daughter we
huddled in one room and we waited for
the hurricane to arrive at that moment
at 10:15 a wall broke down we had to
grab our family and crawl onto this wall
and run upstairs to my parents there I
met the rest of my family members it was
now 10 of us as we continue to wait and
sit there the pressure from the wind
began to become so enormous that it
started to break all the glass in the
house we went from one room to the other
we went to the dining room and just to
have that whole glass table blow up in
front of us we ran back to the living
room my twins crying family members
wondering what will happen at that
moment I heard a sound that I will never
want to hear ever again that is the
sound of wood and galvanized and steel
rip
through concrete and the roof been blown
from the top of your head I looked at my
family I said we have to go so as we
begin to run and run back downstairs
we passed the room where my mom still
had embarrassing pictures of me hung up
and that roof went as we were running
down I had to reach back to my twin
daughter to ensure she wasn’t sucked out
of a window at that moment we ran down
we ran into a room that was designed as
a bathroom 10 of us ended up in this
room that was six feet by four and we
wanted to escape what we did because we
had my father and I had to brace our
back against the door because at that
point the wind was invading our space
and the room on the other side was shut
tight because it was swollen shut
flooded from the other side we were now
stuck in this room and as we looked
around at each other I was looking at my
family members and saying this is crazy
but then we accepted I accepted for some
reason that this may be the possible end
but I looked around and stopped and said
you know what I don’t want to die on a
Wednesday I always wanted a more
biblical day like a Friday or a Saturday
or me even a Sunday but a Wednesday who
is gonna die on a Wednesday so as we
continue to sit there and look around
my brother said we need to pray and we
started to pray my knee started to sing
a song in her angelic voice and at that
moment I looked around all 10 of us now
in this room
family members starting to cry at that
moment I said this could be my possible
end not an ominous end but the end under
less
at least I was dying with the people I
loved but then I paused I said if I was
able just somehow to escape out of this
room what would I do with living with
the end in mind if I was just able
somehow we were able to escape alive
what would I do the first thing I said I
would live on purpose see what happened
is before this storm came I used to go
around life and just like most of us
used to take days off or a couple days
off we Netflix and chill just a little
bit too long now some of us are sitting
here and we’re thinking that our jobs
are our purpose it could be but you need
to make sure that you’re living your
purpose and doing everything you can to
make an impact see when you’re trapped
in a room and thinking you’re gonna die
it starts to make you think if I get
another chance to do better to do
something great
I will live every moment on purpose now
see that’s important because when you’re
trapped in a room and now we’re back in
this room my father and I we’re still
bracing up against the winds we’re still
trapped and now the water is starting to
come in my twins who are just young are
now crying and it’s this getting hot we
run out of fresh air and I said you know
what if I’m able to get out of this room
and I want to live on purpose and I want
to do something great here’s something
that I need to do I need to start to
visualize something really outside of
this room yes I have a purpose in mind
but this current circumstance that I’m
faced with does not resemble it so I
said I’m gonna visualize it so in spite
of the hot air the winds the rain the
tears and the destruction that was
happening outside I visualized something
greater something outside of my current
destruction now if your
living with depression or anxiety or
fear that’s all you know it’s your
current situation but I want to tell you
how you live with the end in mind you
get to this point you have to visualize
it
now here’s when you visualize it you
have to protect it because everything
around you is telling you to give up
it’s hot
you’re not know when the storm is gonna
end but you have to protect it
visualize it hold on to it because this
may be the only hope that would allow
you to get out of this room so now we’re
visualizing it and I’m looking around
and it becomes even worse see this is a
thing that happened five minutes in this
room turned into ten minutes ten minutes
into 20 20 into 30 30 into 40 40 into 50
and now almost hour of trapped in this
room and you’re starting to get
headaches and you’re starting to lose
your breath and you’re starting to think
that the end is really near and a
silence invades the room as we wait to
die but I kept visualizing there’s
something on the other side of this door
there is hope on the other side of this
door and people and my people in the
British Virgin Islands as I walked over
as we escaped out of that room and we
were able to get out and and and go on
we there was something I realized that
our people did for what the territory
they pushed see what happened is as I
counseled and met with groups and family
who lost everything lost loved ones
families business faith communities just
ripped apart family separated these
people we continue to push in the face
but this is how I realized that I had to
do the same thing and I did in that room
when we decided that silence hid the
room I said well this is the end but I
said you know what maybe I should just
try to push down this door that swollen
shut
so the piece and given up sorry to
invade us I started just separated from
six or three inches from this door and
banging my shoulder against this door
repeatedly and pushing with all I have
not a lot of space not a lot of time but
pushing not know when the end will be
but just keep pushing because I had to
escape I had to say that at least if I
died in this room
I died pushing but here’s what happened
I was pushing and people trying to tell
me to calm down but my brother came and
he started to push with me important
lesson sometimes in life when they’re
going through you could push as hard as
you can but it’s nothing better when you
have someone pushing with you so we
pushed our way and were able to break
down that door and escape that room now
people all over the world a matter where
you are you’re trapped in situations
where you feel like the end is near
you’re gonna give up just like myself
and the resilient people in the Virgin
Islands you can push but you need to get
someone strong with you living with the
end in mind doesn’t mean that you’re
living ominously living with the end in
mind says that you’re gonna in grass a
hope and a vision that allows you to
push your way through obstacles yes one
day you’re gonna die but you’re gonna
die pushing your way and overcoming
everything that you’re faced with Edgar
a guest said when you’re up against such
rubble
meet it squarely face to face lift your
chin set your shoulders plant your feet
and take a brace when it’s vain to try
to dodge it do the best that you can do
you may fail but you may conquer see it
through no matter what you’re going
through live with the end in mind see it
through visualize it but push through
every obstacle in your life thank you [Applause]
as a kid I was always afraid of death
I hated funerals if I went to a repast I
didn’t even eat the food because I
didn’t want it to come and death somehow
invade my body but as we went along and
I said I don’t want to die I hated the
thought of death and even as a
psychologist death and dying was never
my favorite topic often told my wife I
always wanted to die before her because
the thought of living without her was
too difficult but on September 6 2017
the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever on
record hurricane Irma visited our island
with winds at 185 miles per hour
sustained and gusting over 200 miles per
hour as me and my family of five my
three year old daughter my three Oh
Sutton my eight year old daughter we
huddled in one room and we waited for
the hurricane to arrive at that moment
at 10:15 a wall broke down we had to
grab our family and crawl onto this wall
and run upstairs to my parents there I
met the rest of my family members it was
now 10 of us as we continue to wait and
sit there the pressure from the wind
began to become so enormous that it
started to break all the glass in the
house we went from one room to the other
we went to the dining room and just to
have that whole glass table blow up in
front of us we ran back to the living
room my twins crying family members
wondering what will happen at that
moment I heard a sound that I will never
want to hear ever again that is the
sound of wood and galvanized and steel
rip
through concrete and the roof been blown
from the top of your head I looked at my
family I said we have to go so as we
begin to run and run back downstairs
we passed the room where my mom still
had embarrassing pictures of me hung up
and that roof went as we were running
down I had to reach back to my twin
daughter to ensure she wasn’t sucked out
of a window at that moment we ran down
we ran into a room that was designed as
a bathroom 10 of us ended up in this
room that was six feet by four and we
wanted to escape what we did because we
had my father and I had to brace our
back against the door because at that
point the wind was invading our space
and the room on the other side was shut
tight because it was swollen shut
flooded from the other side we were now
stuck in this room and as we looked
around at each other I was looking at my
family members and saying this is crazy
but then we accepted I accepted for some
reason that this may be the possible end
but I looked around and stopped and said
you know what I don’t want to die on a
Wednesday I always wanted a more
biblical day like a Friday or a Saturday
or me even a Sunday but a Wednesday who
is gonna die on a Wednesday so as we
continue to sit there and look around
my brother said we need to pray and we
started to pray my knee started to sing
a song in her angelic voice and at that
moment I looked around all 10 of us now
in this room
family members starting to cry at that
moment I said this could be my possible
end not an ominous end but the end under
less
at least I was dying with the people I
loved but then I paused I said if I was
able just somehow to escape out of this
room what would I do with living with
the end in mind if I was just able
somehow we were able to escape alive
what would I do the first thing I said I
would live on purpose see what happened
is before this storm came I used to go
around life and just like most of us
used to take days off or a couple days
off we Netflix and chill just a little
bit too long now some of us are sitting
here and we’re thinking that our jobs
are our purpose it could be but you need
to make sure that you’re living your
purpose and doing everything you can to
make an impact see when you’re trapped
in a room and thinking you’re gonna die
it starts to make you think if I get
another chance to do better to do
something great
I will live every moment on purpose now
see that’s important because when you’re
trapped in a room and now we’re back in
this room my father and I we’re still
bracing up against the winds we’re still
trapped and now the water is starting to
come in my twins who are just young are
now crying and it’s this getting hot we
run out of fresh air and I said you know
what if I’m able to get out of this room
and I want to live on purpose and I want
to do something great here’s something
that I need to do I need to start to
visualize something really outside of
this room yes I have a purpose in mind
but this current circumstance that I’m
faced with does not resemble it so I
said I’m gonna visualize it so in spite
of the hot air the winds the rain the
tears and the destruction that was
happening outside I visualized something
greater something outside of my current
destruction now if your
living with depression or anxiety or
fear that’s all you know it’s your
current situation but I want to tell you
how you live with the end in mind you
get to this point you have to visualize
it
now here’s when you visualize it you
have to protect it because everything
around you is telling you to give up
it’s hot
you’re not know when the storm is gonna
end but you have to protect it
visualize it hold on to it because this
may be the only hope that would allow
you to get out of this room so now we’re
visualizing it and I’m looking around
and it becomes even worse see this is a
thing that happened five minutes in this
room turned into ten minutes ten minutes
into 20 20 into 30 30 into 40 40 into 50
and now almost hour of trapped in this
room and you’re starting to get
headaches and you’re starting to lose
your breath and you’re starting to think
that the end is really near and a
silence invades the room as we wait to
die but I kept visualizing there’s
something on the other side of this door
there is hope on the other side of this
door and people and my people in the
British Virgin Islands as I walked over
as we escaped out of that room and we
were able to get out and and and go on
we there was something I realized that
our people did for what the territory
they pushed see what happened is as I
counseled and met with groups and family
who lost everything lost loved ones
families business faith communities just
ripped apart family separated these
people we continue to push in the face
but this is how I realized that I had to
do the same thing and I did in that room
when we decided that silence hid the
room I said well this is the end but I
said you know what maybe I should just
try to push down this door that swollen
shut
so the piece and given up sorry to
invade us I started just separated from
six or three inches from this door and
banging my shoulder against this door
repeatedly and pushing with all I have
not a lot of space not a lot of time but
pushing not know when the end will be
but just keep pushing because I had to
escape I had to say that at least if I
died in this room
I died pushing but here’s what happened
I was pushing and people trying to tell
me to calm down but my brother came and
he started to push with me important
lesson sometimes in life when they’re
going through you could push as hard as
you can but it’s nothing better when you
have someone pushing with you so we
pushed our way and were able to break
down that door and escape that room now
people all over the world a matter where
you are you’re trapped in situations
where you feel like the end is near
you’re gonna give up just like myself
and the resilient people in the Virgin
Islands you can push but you need to get
someone strong with you living with the
end in mind doesn’t mean that you’re
living ominously living with the end in
mind says that you’re gonna in grass a
hope and a vision that allows you to
push your way through obstacles yes one
day you’re gonna die but you’re gonna
die pushing your way and overcoming
everything that you’re faced with Edgar
a guest said when you’re up against such
rubble
meet it squarely face to face lift your
chin set your shoulders plant your feet
and take a brace when it’s vain to try
to dodge it do the best that you can do
you may fail but you may conquer see it
through no matter what you’re going
through live with the end in mind see it
through visualize it but push through
every obstacle in your life thank you [Applause]
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