Welcome to the latest edition of “The Company We Keep” blog series! And thank you to everyone who took time to read last week’s installment, making it my most read blog to date! This series will focus on acts of kindness and selfless service I am fortunate enough to witness in my life every day. Folks contributing to others need to be showcased now more than ever. Today’s blog is dedicated to a good friend of mine, Rich Weller.

Anyone that knows Rich personally, realizes that I have hundreds of attributes to choose from while writing about him. He’s one of the funniest guys I know, but hey, looks aren’t everything. (Insert rimshot here) He truly is one of the funniest guys I know, but I also don’t know if I have ever met anyone as selfless as Rich. He’s quick to shine the light on others and content to work in the background. There is no ego when it comes to Rich. He’s a hard worker. He consistently invests in the community. He could most likely run for any public office and win in a landslide. But these aren’t the reasons I chose to write about Rich today.

I want to thank Rich for his diligence. For those that know Rich, this may not be the attribute you were expecting. I know it’s not quite as sexy as some of the other descriptors. But I have never seen anyone practice diligence more effectively than Rich. He is an avid entertainer, especially when it comes to social media. He is as funny as he is consistent with his posts. In fact, I have studied Rich’s methods through the years, because I have seen how excellently he gets his message across.

Rich and I have had a lot of talks about entertainment, especially regarding social media. One of the most difficult aspects of this medium is not knowing if you’re genuinely connecting with others or not. Yes, many validate with a “thumbs up” or a comment, but others do not. At times, one must wonder if it is worth it to keep posting, trying to entertain, sending positive messages, when it feels like no one is listening. Rich doesn’t have to worry about this too terribly much, as he has successfully created a large following. But it still happens from time to time. We wonder if we make a difference.

And here’s where Rich shines. He wonders for a moment. Then he continues to post. He remains diligent in sending positivity into the world. Last week, my daughter called me from college. The sole purpose of her call was to let me know that Rich posted a video online that made her laugh out loud. This is the same girl that has not laughed at one of my jokes since I did a Wiggles impression for her back in 2004. Kayla is very selective regarding what entertains her. But Rich did. He posted a video of a young lady taking a bite of an apple straight from the tree. Then he perfectly recreated the scene with him taking a bite of a slice of pizza hanging from a tree. It was hilarious. And Kayla, as much as she admitted loving it, did not give an online “like”. So, I wanted Rich to know he succeeded where I and many others have failed. He entertained my 20-year-old daughter. And odds are he continues to entertain thousands of others every day. He will never know, this side of Heaven, exactly how many lives he touches. And how deeply he touches them. But that doesn’t matter to Rich. He doesn’t do it for the accolades. He does it because it’s what he feels he’s called to do, and the world is a better place for it. With all the divisiveness on social media these days, each one of Rich’s contributions is a breath of fresh air.

Thank you, Rich, for remaining diligent in sending positive messages into the world. Whether you know it or not, you’re making it a better place to live.