My laptop is covered with stickers from my travels. Most are brewery stickers collected from my travels, but one that always makes me smile is a simple yellow smiley face with a halo and the words Nebraska Nice.
If Nebraksa Nice Were a Person
I first met Christie Bevington six years ago. I had been invited by Christie to speak at the Nebraska Realtor Convention outside of Omaha in 2019. Christie was the Education Director for the association and was always one of the friendliest and most positive people you could ever encounter. Ask anyone who has ever met her and they’d agree.
Christie didn’t just represent #NebraskaNice, she was the embodiment of it.
I had several friends from Nebraska reach out to me last week to let me know that Christie Bevington lost her battle with cancer last week. They all reached out because they knew how much I respected her and was a proud member of her unofficial fan club. Christie died surrounded by her loving family. She’ll be remembered fondly across the real estate world she helped shape – one smile, one hug, one relationship at a time.
Christie had been battling cancer since the very first time I met her. She fought a long, hard, valiant fight and everyone who knew her had to admire her strength and determination. She never missed an opportunity to share a smile or give a hug.
The last few years Christie wasn’t even part of the Association anymore. She had moved on to some other obligations and opportunities, but you always felt her presence in the halls and classrooms (and bar) of the La Vista Conference Center.
Something tells me her presence will linger in that conference center, in those classrooms, and across the Cornhusker real estate community.
It All Adds Up…Quickly
I think if you add up all the time I spent with Christie, it would be less than 24 hours. That initial visit to Nebraska was the first of 5 times I’ve been invited back to be part of their Conference, 6 times if you count a virtual session during the pandemic.
For me…and I’d bet for many others, it wasn’t about how much time we had with Christie. It was that we had time with her at all.
It’s a great reminder to all of us that our relationships don’t have to be years in the making to have an impact, an influence, or importance to others.
It all starts with being nice.
#NebraskaNice
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