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BEHIND THE BOOK
This is the "story
behind the story" you might say ... the story behind Stack the
Logs!
This A father
shares his wisdom…
A little less than four years before I started the manuscript
for Stack The Logs!, my father died of a rare cancer of the
bone marrow and blood. Our last few years together allowed us time
to grow and appreciate each other in a special way. This book is
dedicated to my father, Frank F. Lunn III, who passed away on
5/8/98.
The birthday card…
On the final birthday card I received from my father, he wrote
me a touching note…
"Both Mom and I are
very proud of your accomplishments. You have planned well, kept on
an excellent forward thrust to your objectives and handled your
disappointments well. If you plan to succeed and implement that
positive plan, you will still have disappointments. You have a great
supportive family and Lisa and Frankie will help carry you through
these times. Stay positive, stay focused, maintain your great moral
character and…KEEP ON STACKING THOSE LOGS!!"
A phrase worth
repeating…
“Stack The Logs!” began as my father’s homespun
encouragement phrase to me. He would remind me again and again that
success does not happen overnight. It takes thought and persistence
and is achieved over time. Patience and persistence when you know
you are on the right track is the underlying meaning. Those words
were burned into my mind and now they took on a new significance.
The idea of a book
takes shape…
Like the character Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz who goes on a
journey only to find she already had what she was looking for before
she left, my father’s words were a stark reminder of lessons learned
through study and through life.
Building a Book-
Section Parts…
My wife framed the birthday card for my office as a Christmas
present. For three months, I looked at it and thought about his
words daily. As I reflected, I noticed seven main components jump to
life.
Plan Well
Keep An Excellent Forward Thrust To Objective
Deal With Your Disappointments And Setbacks
Create A Positive Support Structure
Stay Positive And Focused
Maintain Moral Character
Keep On “Stacking The Logs!!”
In a quick note on a
birthday card, my father gifted me a seven-part blue print for a
successful life. No magic and no shortcuts. There is wisdom within
the simplicity and a roadmap for success. I knew that I had to write
a book called…Stack The Logs!
With all things
working together in the planning and development of the book, I
began the outline and initial research and writing in late January
2002.
Kahuna Business
Group (STACK Strategy)
Initially founded in 1995 and adapting and changing over time to the
current business it is today, Kahuna Business Group is a successful
empowerment marketing company.
My teammates and
business partners at Kahuna began to utilize a five step success
strategy in our business to achieve our goals. We have had many
learning experiences, ups, downs, hardships and victories along the
way to add a unique perspective to the process. The acronym for this
strategy (STACK) coincidentally worked out in perfect harmony with
the title of the book.
Easter 2002--A
change in plans…
The book was just starting to take shape when something happened
that would change the course of our lives. The week before Easter,
our family was preparing to take a long holiday weekend. My (almost 9 year old son) Frankie had developed a rash
resembling chicken pox. Thinking nothing of it, my wife Lisa took
him to the Doctor to get something for it.
The rash, it turned out,
was the presentation of something much more sinister…
“Mr. Lunn, I need to
let you know that your son has leukemia…we need to get him to the
hospital right away…leukemia…St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital…leukemia…Memphis…leukemia…St. Jude…”
The conversation was
one I will never forget and was the first step in a long journey.
The Lunn children
after the journey…
Frankie (10) is a sports fanatic. He loves the Bears and the Cubs
and watches sports and sports shows every chance he can get. He
plays sports and dreams of being a quarterback someday for “Da
Bears”.
Matthew (7) is hands
on, loves construction and is all boy. He loves to take things apart
and to get dirty. He rides his bike like he has been doing it for
years and loves to ask questions about everything.
Rachel (5) is a little
dancer who will dance anytime anywhere she hears music. She is the
complete beautiful “mini-me” look-a-like to her mother and is
definitely daddy’s little girl.
Frankie’s Story
(part 1)…
Frankie was diagnosed with leukemia, a deadly cancer of the bone
marrow and blood. On Easter Sunday, March 31, 2002 our family
became forever a part of the family of St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital as Frankie’s treatment for acute myeloid leukemia began.
The book takes on a
new meaning (part 1)…
Stack The Logs! is not about cancer or death. Rather it is about
life and living it to the fullest. It is about learning to take
control of your life and discovering success on your own terms.
The wisdom of a
father (part 2)…
Stack The Logs! was born from the wisdom of my father…
The courage of a
son- Frankie’s Story (part 2)…
The challenge to continue and make the book meaningful was
provided to me by the courage of my son and the rest of my family as
we all dealt with the situation and the potential consequences. I
hate what Frankie had to endure during his initial battle with
Leukemia, but our first day he set the tone for me and helped remind
me of these principles. Even though he was separated from his
family, being stuck with needles and dealing with pain and
discomfort, he began to share blessings with me.
The inspiration of
an institution…
“No child should die in the dawn of life”
- Danny Thomas, Founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital saved the life of our son and showed us a face of
compassion combined with a purpose for continuing the mission
started by Danny Thomas more than 40 years ago. Danny’s dream could
not be more personal for me or our family. What we witnessed as part
of the St. Jude family forever changed us.
St. Jude model of
the STACK Strategy…
The wonderful success stories and the incredible improvements made
by St. Jude in the last 40 plus years is one of the best practical
examples of “Stack The Logs” and is a perfect model of the
basic theme of the book. We witnessed miracles and came away from
our St. Jude experience better than when we arrived. The STACK
strategy in the most basic words are setting course, taking action,
accepting feedback, correcting course and keeping on. St Jude
Children’s Research Hospital has a mission of “Finding cures. Saving
children.” When St. Jude first began, the survival rate for what my
son had was a heartbreaking 4%. 40 years of living the STACK
Strategy has led to a survival rate of more than 80%.
9/11/02…a symbolic
national date and a personal triumph
As an American, the mere mention of 9/11 stirs emotions of sorrow,
anger and disbelief. However, on the first anniversary of the 9/11
attacks, my son along with many others in our community, celebrate
his recovery and return home with a parade on his first day of
school. Nationally and personally, the previous months had been full
of heartache, pain, healing and new beginnings. Frankie survived not
only cancer, but also 6 months of grueling and painful chemotherapy
and was now coming home.
The book takes on a
new meaning (part 2)…
After witnessing the incredible story and continuing miracles
happening at St. Jude, my family and I realized that Stack The Logs!
could not just be an ordinary book. What began as wisdom from my
father, developed in the courage of my son, took on new meaning with
the miraculous observations from our St. Jude experience would now
become something much more than just another book…It would become
our mission.
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