Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, January 10, 2021.

In Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for Terrence Adrian Shannon. When my business was in a spare utility closet of a hair salon with just two plastic tables as make-shift desks, Terrence was the first member of the team. He was barely in his twenties, without much experience, looking to start a new career in Information Technology to better provide for his young family. Terrence was taking as much a chance on me as I was on him. He was the first person I had ever hired and I wasn't completely sure that I could keep finding enough business to pay myself, much less maintain a payroll.

But, what quickly became evident was that Terrence was not merely an employee but a dear brother sent for an appointed season. He approached his work with extraordinary commitment, professionalism and ownership. He often went to extreme lengths to provide our clients the best possible service. On one particular weekend we got a call from a company that had just suffered a major server failure. We worked around the clock, trading places sleeping on the floor a few hours at a time, to get the client back up and running before start of business that upcoming Monday.

There were a lot of stories like that but is only a fraction of why I am so thankful for this man. What blessed me the most was the fellowship. Being an entrepreneur is challenging. The uncertainty is the hardest part -not just for you, but for your family and the people who depend on you to provide for their families. It's a lonely weight. But Terrence did much more than I could ever hope to pay him for. He opened his life to me and embraced me as a friend. We prayed together, we cried together, we studied together, we did ministry together, we sought to become better husbands and fathers together. It just so happens that we became better professionals together.

It was my sheer delight to witness the work of God in Terrence Shannon's life. I watched the young man that started without much experience go on to complete his Computer Science degree at Mississippi State University and move on to become a programmer and Systems Analyst at Raytheon Aerospace. But more impressively, he became an outstanding father of five beautiful children and a husband whose example I admire. I am grateful to have had opportunity to call Terrence Adrian Shannon my friend. #52WoG