Billy Blurb

“Everything is relative” is a concept that underscores how our perspective influences how we interpret events and actions around us. This idea is crucial in understanding how different reference points can alter our perception of what’s happening. To illustrate this, let’s consider a common example.

Imagine a plane flying at 500 mph. A passenger runs from the back to the front of the plane at 10 mph in an attempt to get to the bathroom before anyone else. The question arises: how fast is the man moving? The answer, it turns out, depends on the frame of reference you choose.

 1. Relative to the Floor of the Plane: If you’re measuring the man’s speed relative to the plane, his speed is simply 10 mph. After all, he is running inside the plane at that pace.

 2. Relative to the Surface of the Earth: From the perspective of someone on the ground outside the plane, the plane is moving at 500 mph. If the man runs forward at 10 mph relative to the plane, you would add the two speeds together. Therefore, the man’s speed relative to the ground is 510 mph.

3. Relative to the Center of the Earth: The surface of the earth is moving at 1040 mph relative to the center of the earth, which means you’ve got a few more questions to ask, like which direction is the plane moving, and then adding the movement of the surface, and a whole lot of other variables.

Here’s my point: When you’re looking at something, what you’re measuring it against makes a difference in the conclusions you make. The key is asking the right questions. What is the subject? What is the object? And from where are we observing? By considering these factors both from our perspective and the perspective of others, we can better understand the complexities of communication when those perspectives don’t match. Ask great questions before arriving at your conclusions and also when seeking to understand the conclusions of others. You may just find that you learn more about you, others, the topic you’re addressing, and the problem you’re trying to solve.

Benefits Highlight

FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY REIMBURSEMENT will be made for any employee (and their partner) who successfully participates and completes the training offered by Dave Ramsey. Take the class that will teach you step-by-step how to budget, beat debt, invest wisely, and take control of your money! CLICK HERE to order either a virtual class or in person. Turn in your receipt and certificate of completion to be reimbursed.

$500 KID’S COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP is provided to the children of employees at Tri County Air. This is per/child, per/year, for either a higher education or trade school. We want to partner with you in the development of your kid’s success in the world, and if a degree or certification is the way they are going to add value to others, count us in as partners. CLICK HERE to find out more and to apply. Applications must be filled out by June 1st of each year.

Invest In The Eternal

The slides below give an overview of what the Care Point in Guatemala City that we are partnering with endeavors to accomplish through their work. We sponsor 40 children through Puerto de Esperanza, and their connection with the resources described below are changing their world.

We just finished up the funding for our fourth well in Chad, Africa, which helps a whole community thrive in ways it never could without it. Each well serves hundreds of individuals, and opens the door for the message of the Living Water to be shared with an open door into their villages. As you may know, Africa is experiencing a lot of unrest, and it tends to spread across the continent like a virus. This partnership with NeverThirst enables us to invest in lives and communities that we may never meet, but has an impact that will reverberate for generations to come. Click on the images below for an update on the latest, and click on the QR Code below to see a Google Maps overview of the village it serves.

Every Month We Celebrate Those Who Have Two Milestones, Their Birthdays & Their Work Anniversaries. We’re Thankful For All Those Who Are Part Of The Tri County Family!

Pics From Around

What Our Customers Are Saying

We highlight a few of the comments each month to remind us of how we’re doing in our mission of comforting all in such a way that “they are compelled to tell others” about their experience. This month, we are highlighting one particular letter we received a few weeks ago because it demonstrates how all of the various functions work together to make extraordinary experiences for our customers. Enjoy!

Employee Spotlight

 Chase Thomas is one of our Service Techs. He participates in The Everglades Challenge, a truly unique and demanding adventure race:

• This event is a 300 nautical mile, unsupported expedition through Florida’s waterways, from Tampa Bay to Key Largo.
• Participants utilize human-powered or sailing vessels (kayaks, canoes, small boats) and carry all their own supplies.
• The challenge tests endurance, navigation, and seamanship, facing unpredictable weather and the challenging Everglades environment.
• Racers must complete the course within 8 days.
• This is a WaterTribe organized event.

Essentially, it’s a grueling test of skill and resilience.

“I do this race with my father ( SOMETIMES BUTTING HEADS ) but that’s part of the fun. The view is always amazing on the islands. While we had to end our race early due to equipment failure this year, the adventure alone made it worth it. The Everglades Challenge is a unique experience to say the least. However, the friends I meet along the way is what keeps bringing me back.”

From The Hart

Barbie & I spent a weekend with one of my cousins who is an artist, and she let us stay in her studio where she creates her heartfelt work. The piece that most captures my imagination is of a blue heron flying out of a dark storm into the light of day. It’s a significant expression of the journey she has been on the last couple of years as she has tried to process the swift and untimely death of her father to an aggressive cancer. Her grief journey has been both raw and beautiful at the same time, and I’m thankful for the honesty and hope that is expressed in this piece in particular. She had laid it out on a table for us along with some other works. This one was especially accented the morning we were leaving as the sunrise broke through the window onto the table, ironically emphasizing the darkness and light in the painting through a shadow that was cast across its watercolor brushstrokes. It was as if God were adding an exclamation point to what she had painted. There is calm after the storm.

As Easter approaches, I am reminded of the part of the story where Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus after he had been crucified and buried. It had been a dark and tumultuous week, full of fear and dire circumstances beyond her control. But something within her stirred that Sunday morning, so she acted on it and started moving toward the tomb, “while it was still dark” is what we’re told in John 20. What amazes me is that she started moving without knowing she would find an empty tomb, and she would have missed the life-changing discovery that would forever mark her if she had just stayed put in the darkness. But she leaned in towards the One who had leaned in towards her in her own personal darkness, and the light she came into was even more brilliant than what she could have imagined. Jesus had conquered death and the grave, and through His resurrection gave the confidence of deliverance from darkness into light.

We’ve all encountered different types of storms, and we all have had dark clouds close in on us in various ways throughout our lives. What we do at those times makes all the difference. What my cousin did, what Mary Magdalene did, is what we are invited to do, by Jesus himself when He says “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) What is it that is closing in on you, weighing you down, and beyond your ability to “fix”? He is a healer, a comfort, and a savior. As we turn to him, we will be able to exclaim with reassurance the words of David “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps 27:1) There is a calm after the storm. There is a light beyond the darkness.

Looking Ahead

More To Come On These As We Get Closer. Save The Dates!

April 12-13. Venice Sharks Tooth Festival. We are the lead sponsor for this event. Come enjoy live music, food trucks, educational speakers, merchandise and fossil vendors, a kids corner, and more in downtown Venice. When you do, stop by the Tri County Air tent and say hi!

April 18. 2nd Annual TCA Employee Golf Scramble at Serenoa Golf Club on Friday (no work that day). Sign up by clicking here. Limited space. Free Event.

April 20th. Easter. Here are a list of churches attended by our employees that you can check out on this special day celebrating life and the conquering of death.

Ten Til Tuesdays. Every Tuesday, at 6:50am or 8:20am, we invite you to join us in the Comfort Care office for an encouraging word for living and a quick prayer time to face life.