Some trips are remembered because everything goes exactly as planned. This wasn’t one of those trips.
Traveling with a wheelchair, presentation materials, bags, and what felt like millions of yellow bracelets is never simple. But once again, I was reminded that God often places little blessings along the way if we’re willing to notice them.
My trip to Omaha had one very important purpose: sharing our story with the team at Turner Construction. Omaha became the 36th state where Youngstrom Safety has had the privilege of presenting, and every time I think about that number, I’m amazed. What started over 30 years ago because of one workplace accident has now reached thousands of workers across the country.
That never stops humbling me.
Urias had been instrumental in bringing me to Turner, and the entire team made me feel welcome from the moment I arrived. One of their vice presidents, Blanca Diaz, even interpreted part of the presentation, something I certainly wasn’t expecting. It was just another example of people going out of their way to help.
As always, I wore Russ’ yellow bracelet and brought his wheelchair with me. I also shared the video Russ recorded before he passed away.
Every time I show that video, I’m reminded how powerful his voice still is. It doesn’t feel like an old recording. It feels like he made it specifically for the people sitting in that room. Someone asked if that was really Russ’ wheelchair, and I’m always grateful when they do. The wheelchair isn’t just a visual aid. It helps people understand that this wasn’t simply a workplace story or another safety statistic. It happened to a real son, a real husband, a real dad, a real family.
If bringing that wheelchair helps even one person stop before taking an unnecessary risk, every extra step it takes to travel with it is worth it.
The yellow bracelets were also a hit, and our prize-package winners were genuinely excited. Those simple reminders often continue the conversation long after the presentation ends. Turner team member mike who drove me in the “buggy” to and from my Ubers and even cleaned wheels of my suitcases, while waiting with me.
Outside of work, I was able to spend some time with my cousin Diane, meet her husband (and their dog!), and visit the Omaha Zoo. We later found out it’s the largest zoo in the United States, and we had plenty of laughs while exploring it. We also treated ourselves to dessert at Dirty Dough Cookies. I ordered their fried ice cream cookie with vanilla ice cream🍦🍪🍦, and let’s just say it disappeared pretty quickly! Sometimes the sweetest memories really are the simple ones shared around a table.
At one point we found ourselves wandering through the nocturnal exhibit, trying to find the exit in the dark. We were completely turned around and laughing at ourselves the whole time.
Then something unexpected happened.
I happened to take photos of a tiny bird🐦 that one of the zoo researchers had been hoping to spot for an entire week. It turned out to be the oldest known bird of its species in the world. I easily could have walked right past it without ever noticing.
That little moment stayed with me.
How many blessings do we miss simply because we’re moving too fast?
Eventually it was time to head home, and that’s where another series of blessings unfolded.
I arrived at the Omaha airport very early, carrying all those yellow bracelets once again. An airport employee saw me juggling my wheelchair, luggage, and presentation materials and offered to help. He stayed with me all the way from the parking garage, through the construction, and into the baggage check area.
His kindness made a long travel day so much easier.
Then the ladies at baggage check noticed all those yellow bracelets and started laughing. They helped me rearrange my luggage so I could avoid paying an extra $100 baggage fee. At one point I was moving nearly four pounds of bracelets from my checked bag into my carry-on.
I’m sure I looked pretty funny standing there reorganizing everything in the middle of the airport, but we were all laughing together by the time we finished.
Looking back, I realized that none of the biggest blessings on this trip were things I had planned.
- They were people.
- A construction team that welcomed me.
- A vice president willing to step in and help.
- An airport employee who carried far more than he had to.
- Baggage agents who took the time to save me money.
- Family who made me laugh.
- A tiny bird I almost walked past.
When I sat down afterward and started listing everything I was thankful for from A to Z, I realized most of the blessings weren’t dramatic moments at all. They were ordinary acts of kindness that could have easily gone unnoticed if I had been too rushed or too distracted.
Life is full of those moments.☺️💛☺️
We can spend our days noticing the inconveniences, or we can start looking for the blessings hidden inside them.
I’ve found that when I intentionally look for blessings, I almost always find more than I expected.
That’s also why I continue sharing our story. Every presentation is about more than workplace safety. It’s about helping people remember who they’re going home to. If one story, one yellow bracelet, one conversation, or one moment causes someone to pause instead of taking a shortcut, then it has been worth every mile traveled.
If your team could use a reminder that safety isn’t just about policies—it’s about people—I would be honored to come share our story. Together, let’s keep moving safety from the head to the heart.
