Today’s BIG story is written by my friend and “little brother”, Troy. My heart skipped a beat when I read this. Here is Troy:

When I was 12 years old, my mom and Non signed me up to be in the “Big Brothers, Big Sisters” program of the Lehigh Valley. This is how I met Phil. Phil and I were paired as a big and little. And when I first met this guy, I was thinking to myself “who is this nerdy guy talking to me about NASCAR, fishing and making model cars?” I thought for sure he was in over his head walking into the old BC in the old South Side projects. BUT what shocked me is how much we ended up getting along. Phil and I were paired for the next 6 years. This came at such an important time in my life, facing major back surgery, going thru my teen years. Without many positive male figures in my life, Phil took me under his wing. It wasn’t always about a serious life lessons, sometimes it was just about helping a kid find an escape from it all, Phil took me around his family, took me to Sixers games, we volunteered at events, went bowling, fishing, sometimes just a trip to the mall so I could vent and talk about things I was facing in life. I’m a big believer in giving people their flowers while they’re alive, so tonight I wanna thank you Phil. Thank you for being a big brother, for being a friend. We got to take this picture Sunday morning when we got breakfast, first time I’ve seen him in over a decade!! Love you man.

My Response to Troy: Awe Troy Lister Jr. you made my heart skip a beat. It has been my honor to be your “BIG”. We had some great times and we certainly made memories. I am proud of you for the man you have become. It was a pleasure catching up with you at breakfast and watching you demonstrate and discuss the principles you live by. I loved every moment of it. Thank you for allowing me to be a positive influence in your life. Thank you again for breakfa$t. Grateful that we have kept in touch and looking forward to our next adventure – shoulda saw my bust amove tonight! – highway closed and me driving on the median in the wrong direction for about 100 feet to cross back over to the opposite direction so we could get home tonight.   THANK YOU Troy. Love Ya!