This is where the circle closes.

Rick Luther called Kevin from New Orleans before I could reach my truck. Proof that your name travels faster than you do.

Now I'm going to tell you what happened when that same Rick Luther became my superintendent in Washingtonville, Pennsylvania.

We got a call out of a Pennsylvania local for a job up in Washingtonville. Powerhouse and a drywall factory going up side by side. I checked into the job trailer. And the man standing behind that desk — the superintendent running the whole show — was Rick Luther.

The same Rick Luther who was in that circle at the Superdome. Who watched me and Bundy walk out with our heads up. Who made that phone call to Kevin before I hit the parking lot. Now he was in charge. And when he saw me walk through that door, he reached out his hand and said: "I always told you you'd end up back under me. I knew you'd be here."

He didn't hire me because I applied. My reputation got there before I did.

Kevin was there. Bundy was there. Rick's wife cooked. His grandkids were running around. Tuesday or Thursday nights we'd go down to the basement — pool table, music, stories from the road. Real brotherhood. The kind you build over years of doing the right thing when nobody's watching.

One night at dinner, Bundy's little girl — couldn't have been more than six — spotted one of those claw machines. She looked at me and said: "Uncle Gator, I want that pink one." I went and got quarters. Kept at that machine until I won it. Bundy shook his head and said: "Gator, you fool. But you my fool."

That's what the payoff looks like. Not just a job. Not just a paycheck. Brothers through the door with you. Family at the table. A little girl calling you uncle.

Your name doesn't just open doors. It brings your brothers through those doors with you. Protect it. Work it right. And let it carry you home.

"Your name is your currency. Your work is your signature."Carry your union card with pride. But carry your respect even higher.

Daily Wireman Wisdom | Andre "Gator" Danielsandregatordaniels.com | payhip.com/GatorsZone