Friday's w/ Dan #8

In today’s Friday’s w/ Dan, we start with a simple moment of kindness that turned into something unforgettable — a woman, a case of Spotted Cow, and a reminder of how small gestures can ripple. Then we honor Master Sergeant Noah L. Tietjens and the legacy he left behind. And finally, we talk about Rookie — a story that carries real weight and real heart. This one means a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/@DanBackes-Omaha

https://podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1768323039635344d43bab5cf

https://open.spotify.com/show/2ZHWgVJf5Dadq6c1jHFrNC?si=53ebda63e03d409d

Transcript

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Welcome back to Fridays with Dan. Before we get into today's episode, I just want to say this up front. This one is powerful. I might need to take a pause or take a breath here and there, and that's okay. I usually try to do these in one take, but today might be different, and that's part of the story. So you know every week I talk about how the simple stuff matters, the small moments, the little human gestures that end up carrying more weight than we expect. And this past Sunday, I got one of those reminders in the most ordinary place imaginable, the grocery store parking lot. My wife and I go every Sunday around noon, same time, same store, same rhythm, and like clockwork, we always see the same woman shopping. She's almost always wearing a Packers shirt. She's a huge Packers fan, so naturally we become kind of casual friends, if you will. Just the nod, the smile, the the hey, how's it going? Wow, the Packers really looked good, or wow, the Packers really looked bad this week. And just that kind of friendly stuff. And so last week she had mentioned that she was heading to Wisconsin, and she casually asked if we wanted any new Glaris spotted cow, which, if you're not from Wisconsin, is probably the best beer that exists on the face of the planet. And of course, we said, Yeah, that'd be awesome, but kind of in that Midwestern way where you're not actually expecting anything to come of it, just like polite grocery store talk. Uh, so fast forward to this Sunday. We're in the parking lot, unloading our groceries, just doing the normal end of Aaron shuffle, and we hear, hey you guys, and we turn around, and there she is, holding a 24-pack of spotted cow. Not a six-pack, not a couple bottles, a full case. She didn't ask for money, she didn't make a big deal out of it, she just remembered. She followed through, she showed up with this unbelievably uh generous gesture, like it was the most normal thing in the world, and it hit me that this is what generosity actually looks like. Not the grand gestures, not the big dramatic moments, but the quiet ones. The ones that cost someone a little time, a little effort, a little space in their trunk, but they do it anyway. And while I'm talking about generosity, the kind that surprises you, I want to take a moment to acknowledge a very different kind of generosity, a heavier one, a sacred one. And again, I'm gonna try to get through this as well as I can. So this past week, our community welcomed home Master Sergeant Noah L. Tietjons, who was tragically killed in a military strike in Iran. He was from right here in the Omaha area, and his remains were brought home on Sunday. The entire community came out to support him. I've been thinking about him, about the life behind the uniform, about the years he gave to this country, about the tours he served. Not one, not two, but multiple deployments. The long stretches away from home, the training, the discipline, the responsibility. So you don't become a master sergeant by accident. That rank is earned over years of showing up, leading, mentoring, carrying weight most of us never see. It's a rank that says people trusted him, people followed him, people relied on him. We often use the words like courage and bravery to describe the people that honor our country, and they're true. But there's another word that fits. Generosity. Because putting your life on the line for your country, for people you will never meet, for freedoms most of us take for granted. That's generosity in its purest form. It doesn't ask for recognition, it doesn't ask for thanks, it simply answers the call. And there's one more kind of generosity I've been thinking about a lot this week. Quieter one, but no less powerful. If you follow NASCAR like I do, you know that Tyler Reddick has been on an absolute tear lately. He's won four of the first six races, driving with confidence, driving like a man who's found another gear. And on the track, he's a maniac in the best possible way. He's out there flying at nearly 190 miles an hour, slicing through traffic with just fearless intensity. Other drivers literally say, Holy cow, here he comes. Because when Tyler commits to a move, he goes. He races like someone who refuses to lift. And then the race ends. The adrenaline fades, and he walks into Victory Lane and picks up his son, Rookie. Rookie's been battling a serious metal condition, a tumor that infected his kidney and even his heart function. Tyler and his wife hasn't shared every detail publicly, and he doesn't have to. But he's been honest about how hard it's been, how impossible it is to fully focus on racing, his passion, his career, the way he provides for his family, and when your child is fighting something that big. And I have to imagine in that moment, in Victory Lane, everything hits him at once. All the hours in the hospital, all the fear, all the nights he didn't know what the next day would bring, all the moments he wondered if he'd ever get to enjoy something as simple as holding his boy after a win. And to me, that's another form of generosity. The generosity of a father who keeps showing up, who keeps working, who keeps carrying the weight of worry and hope at the same time. So today, as we talk about kindness and follow-through and the small gestures that make life better, I also want to honor the people whose generosity shows up in all these different forms, in service, in sacrifice, in parenting, in the way that we treat each other, even if it's in the grocery store parking lot. Master Sergeant Tiat Jens, Tyler Reddick, and the woman with the spotted cow. Three completely different stories, one thread running through all of them. Generosity matters, and that changes people. So maybe this week, keep an eye out for the people who quietly make your life better, the ones who don't owe you anything, but still show up. Because sometimes the simplest acts of generosity end up being the ones that stay with you the longest. So I'm going to read a short verse from Proverbs chapter 11, verse 25. A generous person will prosper. Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. So, Lord, let us pray. God, we come to you today with full hearts, grateful, humbled, and aware of the generosity that surrounds us in ways big and small. We thank you for the simple kindnesses that remind us we're seen, like a woman in a grocery store who went out of her way to bring joy to someone else. Bless her for the way she followed through, for the way she showed love without expecting anything in return. And Lord, we lift up Master Sergeant Noah L. Tietjens and his family. We honor his years of service, his leadership, his courage, and the weight he carried on behalf of all of us. Wrap his loved ones in comfort. Surround them with peace that doesn't have to make sense to be real. And help us never forget the generosity of a life given in service. And finally, Lord, we pray for Rookie, for his healing, for his strength, and for every day of recovery ahead. We pray for Tyler and his wife Alexa. For the parents who have carried fear, hope, exhaustion, and love all at once. Give them rest. Give them courage. Give them moments of joy that remind them how far they've come. So as we go into this week, let us be people who show up the way you show up for us. Amen. So I know this has been an emotional episode, everyone. Heavier than usual, deeper than usual, but sometimes that's exactly what we need. Sometimes it takes a story, or three, to open our eyes a little wider. To soften our hearts, and to remind our souls what really matters. Generosity in all its forms has a way of waking us up. So thanks for spending a little time with me today. Take care of each other out there. And I'll see you next Friday.