Dr. Spruill’ s acceptance speech:
Good evening. I want to thank you for this recognition and I want to thank you all for your service to our patients, our profession and our association.
Above all tonight, first I must thank my wonderful wife. She is the success catalyst in every aspect of our 41 years together. Now, in front of God and everyone here, I want to apologize to you, Sweetie, for not having been more sensitive to your needs when we had children at home and I was doing all that running around. I can’ t make it up to you, but I’ d sure like to try in the years to come.
Truly my friends, this should be a distinguished Lillian award because she made it possible. Honey, have I told you lately that I love you?
Well, now that I’ ve said the most important thing I could say this evening, let me touch on something else. Tonight is not about me. But hopefully, I can be encouraging to all of you and to others. When I was notified that I was the recipient of this award, I was actually surprised. Honestly, I had completely forgotten that my local had nominated me.
And I started thinking about“ Distinguished Service”. What makes it distinguished? What about a service that we provide is distinguishing?
In Richard Rohr’ s book“ Falling Upward,” the Franciscan priest suggests that our lives are in two parts. When we are young, it’ s about acquisition- we acquire an education, job skills, a family, we provide for our families, and in all of our cases, as small business women and men, we provide for our patients and employees too.
Where the first half of life is characterized by acquiring, the second half is about giving … and everyone goes through both phases. Unfortunately for some people, it is not until the end of their lives, when they give up their ghost. For most of us however, the giving is somewhere just after the middle of life.
I understand success is important! It’ s very important. You have to do well in order to do good. And while success is an important thing, it’ s not the only thing.
Thomas Merton said,“ if I had a message to my contemporaries it would surely be this: be anything you like, be mad men, drunks, and bastards of every shape and form, but it all cases avoid one thing: success. If you’ re too obsessed with success you will forget to live. If you have learned only how to be a success, your life …” will not be as full as it could be.
( Merton actually said,“ your life has probably been wasted.” A little too tough for a festive occasion like tonight)
Further, I love the rabbinical wisdom in the book of Proverbs and the prayer“ Lord make me a success, but not so much that I forget about You.”
As I said, that balance, that tipping point in life between getting and giving, happens near the end for some. For others, for many of you, it happens much earlier. As I look at the gathered friends here tonight, I’ m thinking of my friend Gary Davis out there. Gary is just back from his 19th mission trip to Ecuador. And Gary is the driving force behind Mission of Mercy in Pennsylvania. Our sixth MOM is in Reading next month. Of course, I’ d love to see all of you there in some capacity, on one or both days.
Speaking of MOM there’ s President Bruce( Terry). It is absolutely amazing to see him coordinating the plumbing, electricity and the layout of a 55,000 square foot arena at each one of our MOMs.
And then there’ s Jim Boyle; four years ago together with many others, we successfully lobbied the Anesthesia bill into law. And just this last Tuesday, we, with the GRC Committee, had a legislative breakfast and then we all walked Capital Hill pushing SB 373, our Assignment of Benefits legislation. By the way, if you haven’ t called your State Representative yet please, please do. And if you are in Representative Tina Picket’ s District, I want to talk to you personally and right now.
So, again let me thank you all. You all give in many forms; your spouses too, or you wouldn’ t be here, and I applaud all that you are doing, in your distinguished service.
A closing thought; Rohr guides us with this. As we give more, serve more, we transform from a human being- passive and self focused, to a human doing- active and other focused. And the good news is, it’ s a decision that you get to make. So where do you want to go? Where are you going now?
When a serving opportunity presents itself, instead of saying I could, I might, I can, I should, say
I will. And wherever you go, remember the words of the Dali Lama,
Happiness is a journey, not a destination so Work like you don’ t need money, Love like you’ ve never been hurt and Dance like no one is looking.
Thank you for this extreme honor. Joy and peace be with you all.
Now and always, may the Lord go before you, behind you, and beside you, and until we meet again, may He hold you in the protective palm of His hand.
Thank you again. Good night.
22 JULY / AUGUST 2018 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL