This is also a slow period for work.  Not a great combination, right?  I don’t know about you, but my business has certain times during the year where the pace is slower than normal.  The year-end holiday season just happens to be one of those times.  So, I’ve decided to use my new found time wisely.  Now is the time to search for more clients and amp up my marketing efforts.

Now is also the time to:

• Get all my financial and tax documents ready for tax time
• Finally get my new office organized and make a list of any supplies I still need
• Create  a nice “Just Checking In” campaign on Send Out Cards (absolutely LOVE this program and highly recommend it) for my current clients
• Update the “Welcome” page on my website to incorporate my knowledge and specialization of Send Out Cards
• Create more articles to be scheduled and posted ahead of time so that when times get crazy, my articles won’t fall through the cracks
• Clean out your work inbox by creating a separate email account (Gmail is always good and FREE) for all those subscriptions and newsletters and start changing the email addresses over.  Don’t put a forward on the new email address as it just defeats the purpose.
• Enjoy this extra time with my family – for as long as it lasts 

Whatever the reason, whether it’s just a natural lull in business, the loss of a client, or a family emergency – NOW IS THE TIME!  Do something constructive with your new found time to help your business along for the next year.  You’ll appreciate the effort in the long rung, promise.  What things can you do in your spare time to create an even more profitable business for yourself?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!

Time of day:  Yesterday…early morning

I’ve simply lost it.  My car keys…that is.  Oh, and my son, too (but that’s later in the morning)!  Both are in the house, this I’m sure of.  I just can’t seem to find either!  I’ve been panicking all morning, but that doesn’t seem to be doing any good.  I’ve looked everywhere in both the most obvious and the not so obvious areas.  I’ve even employed my daughter to go on the hunt with me.  But, so far…no luck.

I have a pretty busy day (and quite a bit on my mind) and part of the day does in fact involve driving my car.  But, without my keys or my son, my day is at a standstill.  Sound familiar????

Time of day: Yesterday…early afternoon

I did eventually find my car keys, but not after A LOT of panic-induced stress and several emails to my husband.  As if he would know where my keys are, let alone our son, when he has been at work this whole time.  LOL

How did I find them you may be asking?  Actually, it was quite simple.  I just stopped looking.  Sounds a bit silly, right?  Well, after getting the last “leave me alone and just find them” email from the best husband in the world, I did just that.  I left things alone.

You see, we are in the midst of a move.  We are getting everything ready to be packed up by government movers and moving out of state.  So essentially, our home is a bit of disarray at the moment.  There are things on counter tops that aren’t normally there.  Papers, books and yes, KEYS, get moved from one place to another all day long.  No wonder I can’t keep track of them.  Add to that the small fact that I recently changed out my key chain that I’ve had for a better part of ten years for a new, more classic looking one and you have the workings of a small tsunami.  That being said, I did eventually find the keys.  They were actually hanging in the spot they were supposed to be at.  Go figure!

As for my son….well, I left him alone, too.  Please don’t think I’m a bad mother, I’m not.  But in a house with only 1300 square feet, I knew he couldn’t have gone far.  I also knew he loved making forts and it was well past his nap time.  My chances were pretty good that he not only was close by, but was actually snoozing for a change.  Far be it from me to interrupt what could very well be one of the last little naps he takes.  At least until we are settled in our new home.

Sure enough, I heard a faint, “Mama,” coming from upstairs.  When I followed the voice, I found my precious son.  He had indeed made a fort, in the back of my room.  That’s why I didn’t find him earlier.  Normally, the kids know Mama and Papa’s room is off limits.  Somehow, at that particular moment, that didn’t seem to matter.  What mattered was my son was safe (although in the back of my mind, I knew this) and that he had taken a good nap.  Never mind the fact that I spent all that precious time wondering around the house looking for him and my keys, instead of working on client projects.

That just didn’t matter.

Time of day: Today….early morning

I spent this morning reading.  Not just any book, but a fictional book.  One that I’ll probably write a review for in a later blog post.  But that’s beside the point.

I made a conscious effort this morning to read my book and drink a cup of coffee instead of taking the elusive quiet time and get a jump start on my work day.  Why?  Because I didn’t want another day of lost items, children or my mind.

In the next few weeks things are going to get pretty hectic and while my husband is winding things down at his current job, I will be the one who is looked to, to keep things moving along.  Between soccer games, returning those finally found library books, cooking dinners-while at the same time creatively using up the reminder of the food in this house so as to not waste it, working on keeping my client projects up to date and ensuring them of a smooth transition while moving, I’ve got quite a bit to juggle.  But, with some organization and some good time management systems in place, things will work out just fine.  What would you do in this situation?  How would you keep things moving along and what systems would you use?

So with a quiet contentment about me, I am off to start my day.  And to be honest, I don’t feel a bit guilty for taking some much needed “me” time this morning.  I know I have things to do, but I now have a much clearer head and am ready to face the day.  Oh, and the 80’s music in the background is doing a world of good too!

Well, I’ve come up with 15 items that may be on your list that can each be done in five minutes or less!  Even better, it gets those measly items checked off that growing list of yours.  What I suggest, is writing these items onto your list or whichever list it corresponds to and once you’ve completed the task, mark it off.

Write it on my list just to turn around and mark it off?  That’s crazy!  Not really.  What it does is trick your mind into thinking your accomplishing a project or task.  That in turn will make you feel like you are actually making headway.  And you are!  In addition, it adds just enough motivation to help you push past that plateau and on to the next item on your list.

Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged.  All of these “tasks” are small and can fit into any schedule.  Trust me.

1. Schedule that consultation with a VA you’ve been meaning to get to.
2. Shred something…or buy that shredder for the office that you’ve been meaning to.
3. Empty the dishwasher.
4. Reply to 3 emails…make it good ones, those that are pressing, not ones from your family that was a forward of a forward-those can wait until after hours.
5. Preheat your oven for dinner.
6. Organize your file cabinet by tossing at least 5 old files you no longer need.
7. Check your voicemail.
8. Get rid of all expired medicine in the medicine cabinet…this includes old vitamins, too!
9. Step away from your computer and do a few stretches.
10. Write that “Thank you” note that you’ve been putting off.  The recipient would like to be acknowledged.
11. Update your family/work calendar to show all graduation and wedding invites.
12. Go through your coupons and recycle the expired ones and paperclip the valid ones to your grocery list.
13. Clean out your laptop bag, purse or backpack and toss all the trash.
14. Clean up your computer files by putting uncategorized ones in the appropriate folders.
15. Jot down at least 5 ideas for your next blog posts.

Do you have any tasks that you would like to share?  What types of tasks/projects are on your “To-Do” list(s)?  Have you been successful in accomplishing them?  I would love to hear from you!

In fact, the latest one-“Restless Heart” by Wynonna Judd is the one that I wanted to talk about.  Many of you know Wynonna Judd as both a solo artist as well as part of the group, The Judds.  But, did you know she was a writer???  I sure didn’t!  I was scanning the new release items within the eMedia Library and came across this title.  I took a gander at what it was about and decided to check it out.

In short, the book is about a girl, Destiny Hart, who grows up in a military family and moves from town to town.  Once her dad retires from the military and plants roots in Kentucky, Destiny finally can settle into a normal life.  She was dared by one of her friends to get up and sing in front of an audience.  It was then that Destiny knew what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.  The book chronicles the ups and downs of making it in the music business and the strength it takes to stay your ground…no matter the cost.

What struck a chord in me was the thought that you couldn’t have it all.  Meaning, if you have more than one dream, you have to choose between the two.  Who says????  Yes, achieving your dreams or goals is hard work and trying to achieve more than one could be even harder to obtain, but it’s not impossible.  The inner struggle that Destiny finds herself in, is one that many of us have experienced at one time or another – “Should I go for it (your dream) or should I take the road that everyone “expects” me to take?”  Do you know which direction she chose????  Pick up the book and read it and find out for yourself.

What would you do if you had to make a choice between two pretty amazing dreams?  Have you been in that situation before?  If so, what was your ultimate decision?  I would love to hear it!

Operations manuals. 

Everyone needs one, but no one has one.  Sound familiar?  It should. 

How many of you have a manual in your office?  Is it up-to-date or “in the works?”  Have you even considered creating one?

If you own a business, the answer should be a resounding YES.  However, many of us tend to put this “little” project on the backburner for when we have more time to work on it.  But, that time never seems to come, does it?  Well, now is as good a time as any.

I was one of those who was always putting that task off; thinking it would one day miraculously appear whole and complete.  Boy was I wrong!  I was also wrong in thinking it would swallow up my time.  I didn’t really start thinking about my own operations manual until a client of mine asked me to create one for her.  I thought, “What a daunting task!  This is going to take forever!”  But, it didn’t.  Honest.  After I completed her manual, I decided to go on and create manuals for all of my clients.  Not only is this an invaluable asset to your client’s business, but it shows initiative on your part!

Here is the simple truth.  If you go through your normal work routine and document the steps as you go, your basic operations manual could theoretically be done in a one day.  Yes, one day!  It doesn’t have to be perfect and it certainly doesn’t have to be pretty.  You always have the option of going back and revising and “beautifying” your manual once you have the basics down.  Just as long as you start it…today!  Remember to keep it simple enough for someone to walk in and be able to pick up right where you left off, should the need arise.  Better still, you don’t even have to print it out, unless you just like to have that reference handy.  However, you do want to make sure it’s accessible, whether in paper form or electronically.  This way you can hand it off to someone if it’s requested.

 Remember, the sooner you start this process the better you’ll feel about having your policies and procedures in place.  Wouldn’t that truly be a load of your shoulders???

About Alice is short, so it’s possible to read it in one sitting.  But, what you get out of it will stay with you.  Calvin Trillin lets his readers in on who his wife, Alice, was.  At least, a little about her.  To me, Alice was a beautiful person.  She was a wife, mother, teacher and a humanitarian.  I loved reading the little excerpts of letters that she wrote to her girls and others.  She was so uplifting! 

I’m not use to reading books written in first-person.  Most of them turn me off because they tend to be so one-sided or biased.  However, I didn’t get that from this book.  It was real and genuine and after I was done reading it, it made me sad.  Not for the way the book ended, but because the world had lost one of the good ones.    I didn’t know much about Alice before this book, but I have every intention of finding out more and looking up her writings.

Thanks for sharing a little of your world with us, Mr. Trillan!

Which brings me to my point.  Love is great, but there really is more going on behind the scenes then what others see.  For instance, do you ever feel like you just don’t have anything left to give?  What about those days when you have done everything possible to make everyone happy, but you aren’t?  Or you love talking to this girlfriend of yours, but you always feel drained after the call ends?  What if a client needed you do complete an already assigned project early as well as a new one that was just handed to you today?  Could you really do it?  Do any of these scenarios sound familiar to you? 

They certainly do for me and it wasn’t until I learned about the “Love Tank Theory,” that everything seemed to make sense.  The Love Tank Theory was created by two very inspirational and smart individuals-Debra Guzman and Carol Scissel.  I had the distinct pleasure of learning what this theory was all about personally.  You see, I was fortunate enough to work with these to wonderful ladies-one was my mom and the other is a great mentor.  I saw first-hand how they taught this great theory in their classrooms and the reactions it brought about.  Even better, I was able to not only apply this theory in my own life, but I had the opportunity to teach this theory as well.  Let me tell you, there is nothing more satisfying then seeing someone actually get what you are saying and apply the principles to their own lives and have it work.

In the most basic of terms, the Love Tank Theory is about the love and attention exchanges that happen between you and others on a daily basis.  When the balance of exchanges tips in favor of the other person, then we feel the effects-i.e. can’t do anything right, tired after talking to one of your most favorite people or feeling you have nothing left to possibly give to anyone, much less a client in “rush mode.”  These are clues letting you know that your internal “Love Tank” is running on empty or dangerously close to being empty.  Still not getting it?  Try this: think of the gas in your car.  How low do you let the tank get before you fill it back up with gas?  We know that the lower we let the tank get, the more chance we have at not being able to get that last errand ran.  What happens if there was an emergency?  Would you have enough gas in your tank to make it?  Probably not, if you are the type of individual who lets the tank go below the 1/4 line.  Now, think about your internal love tank.  How low do you let yourself get before you refuel?  Chances are, there is a direct correlation between the two. 

We get so busy throughout our day trying to meet the needs of everyone else (husband/wife, children, friends, business/clients) that we forget to take the time to meet our own needs.  When it’s too late, we crash!  We feel stretched too thin, overwhelmed and anxious.  When we are in this mode, we aren’t good for anyone, much less ourselves.  Don’t let yourself get this way. 

How can we prevent this from happening?  Learn to recognize the signs.  If you see your friends name pop up on your phone and you start to feel anxious, that’s a sign.  If you dread another snow day because that means your kids will be home with you all day, that could be another sign.  Take a step back and breathe.  Figure out what YOU need to bring your love tank back up again.  It could be as simple as taking a coffee break or turning on your favorite CD and zoning out to it for awhile.  Whatever it is, take heart and listen to your internal self.  Be honest with yourself and learn to LOVE YOURSELF!  Remember that old adage: “You have to love yourself first before you can love anyone else?”  It’s true.  If you aren’t taking care of yourself, then how can you possibly take care of anyone else or your business for that matter?

Here are a few simple and easy suggestions to get your tank full again:

• Take a pottery class one night a week (or any other class that interests you) and have fun!
• Got a new eReader for Christmas?  Download a book for it and actually set aside time each day to read a chapter or two.
• Send yourself some flowers.
• Color with your kids.
• Have a new favorite group you love listening to?  Buy or download their new CD and blare it in the car. 
• Go get that massage you’ve been wanting. 
• Looking for a change-go to your hair stylist and see what she suggests for a new cut or color.
• Have a night out with guys or girls and don’t worry about what’s happening at home.

Granted these ideas seem easy or even silly, but have you ever noticed that once you’ve done one of them, you feel happier?  Like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulder?  It could quite possibly be that you are tending to your own needs for a change and thereby filling up your “Love Tank”.  Once you’re full, you can conquer  whatever comes your way.  Just be sure to watch your gauge from here on out.  You deserve it!  So, enjoy this loveable holiday and embrace the love you have for yourself! 

If you’re anything like me, you have either not really starting shopping for those unique gifts for you family and friends OR you “forgot” a few people and are now scrambling to find something, anything, for those individuals.  But don’t worry.  The more you panic about it, the less likely you’ll find that perfect gift, even if it’s right under your nose.  Literally.

Here are few quick tips to either help you get started or to help you finish up:

Shopping

1. Set an overall budget and don’t go over it!  Make sure to also set a limit on how many gifts you want to get per person.  You don’t want to go overboard on one person and run the risk of making them feel uncomfortable.
2. Make a list of who you are wanted to grab a gift for and any/all ideas you  have for that person.  My suggestion would be to create this list in Excel.  You’ll have plenty of columns (for things like…ideas, budget amount, actual amount spent, bought, etc.) and rows (for all those wonderful people in your life).
3. If you can, make sure to pick up a few interchangeable gifts for those that may happen to give you  a little something, but whom you did not intend to give back to.  These types of gifts would also be good as last minute hostess gifts for those parties you were just now invited to and to which you intend to attend.
4. If you are making your gifts, make sure to include those items in your budget.
5. Save all your receipts and make sure to get gift receipts when possible.  This will not only help you out after the big day, but will enable the recipient to make the exchange himself/herself at a later date.

Wrapping

1. If you have small children in your family (spoiler alert!!!) that still believe in Santa, make sure to distinguish Santa’s gifts from everyone else’s by buying specific wrapping paper just for that purpose.  In our household, we make sure to buy wrapping paper with Santa on it and save all Santa related gift tags for those specific gifts.  Make sure to hide that wrapping paper out of the sight of prying eyes!
2. Designate a specific are of that house that is off limits while wrapping is in process.  This will not only build on the anticipation, but will give you some much needed quiet time.  Make sure you have all necessary tools needed-tape, scissors, enough wrapping paper, tags/bows, Christmas music (if you wish) and maybe a nice hot drink. Hot chocolate or apple cider would do the trick nicely, don’t you think?
3. Create stacks.  One stack for colleagues, one for out of town gifts, one for family and friends and one for immediate family (those go under YOUR tree).  And of course, a stack from Santa.  You could have more or fewer stacks you need to make.  Then, my suggestion would be to work backwards…Santa, yours, friends/family, out-of-towners and colleagues.  This way, the more immediate gifts are done first.

The Big Day

1. If you can, wake up at least 30 minutes prior to getting the kids up.  That way you can wake up, have a cup of coffee, plan your breakfast menu and mentally gear up.
2. Have plenty of trash bags on hand so that all the trash, “shredded” paper and bows go straight into the garbage or recycling bin.  Not under couches or behind the tree. 
3. Have a warm family breakfast.
4. Watch the kids exhaust themselves on all the new toys and games they were given and have then promptly taken a nap right there on the floor.
5. Relax and enjoy yourself!

At any rate, I realized that this was a perfect “wish” and I wanted to share it with you.   

Christmas at the Gas Station

The old man sat in his gas station on a cold Christmas Eve. He hadn’t been
anywhere in years since his wife had passed away. It was just another day
to him. He didn’t hate Christmas, just couldn’t find a reason to
celebrate. He was sitting there looking at the snow that had been falling
for the last hour and wondering what it was all about when the door opened
and a homeless man stepped through.

Instead of throwing the man out, Old George as he was known by his
customers, told the man to come and sit by the heater and warm up. “Thank
you, but I don’t mean to intrude,” said the stranger. “I see you’re busy,
I’ll just go.”

“Not without something hot in your belly.” George said.

He turned and opened a wide mouth Thermos and handed it to the stranger.
“It ain’t much, but it’s hot and tasty. Stew …. Made it myself. When
you’re done, there’s coffee and it’s fresh.”

Just at that moment he heard the “ding” of the driveway bell. “Excuse me,
be right back,” George said. There in the driveway was an old ’53 Chevy.
Steam was rolling out of the front. The driver was panicked. “Mister can
you help me!” said the driver, with a deep Spanish accent. “My wife is
with child and my car is broken.” George opened the hood. It was bad. The
block looked cracked from the cold, the car was dead.

“You ain’t going in this thing,” George said as he turned away.

“But Mister, please help …” The door of the office closed behind George
as he went inside. He went to the office wall and got the keys to his old
truck, and went back outside. He walked around the building, opened the
garage, started the truck and drove it around to where the couple was
waiting. “Here, take my truck,” he said. “She ain’t the best thing you
ever looked at, but she runs real good.”

George helped put the woman in the truck and watched as it sped off into
the night. He turned and walked back inside the office. “Glad I gave ‘em
the truck, their tires were shot too. That ‘ol truck has brand new .”
George thought he was talking to the stranger, but the man had gone. The
Thermos was on the desk, empty, with a used coffee cup beside it. “Well,
at least he got something in his belly,” George thought.

George went back outside to see if the old Chevy would start. It cranked
slowly, but it started. He pulled it into the garage where the truck had
been. He thought he would tinker with it for something to do. Christmas
Eve meant no customers. He discovered the block hadn’t cracked, it was
just the bottom hose on the radiator. “Well, shoot, I can fix this,” he
said to himself. So he put a new one on.

“Those tires ain’t gonna get ‘em through the winter either.” He took the
snow treads off of his wife’s old Lincoln. They were like new and he
wasn’t going to drive the car anyway.

As he was working, he heard shots being fired. He ran outside and beside a
police car an officer lay on the cold ground. Bleeding from the left
shoulder, the officer moaned, “Please help me.”

George helped the officer inside as he remembered the training he had
received in the Army as a medic. He knew the wound needed attention.
“Pressure to stop the bleeding,” he thought. The uniform company had been
there that morning and had left clean shop towels. He used those and duct
tape to bind the wound. “Hey, they say duct tape can fix anythin’,” he
said, trying to make the policeman feel at ease.

“Something for pain,” George thought. All he had was the pills he used for
his back. “These ought to work.” He put some water in a cup and gave the
policeman the pills. “You hang in there, I’m going to get you an
ambulance.”

The phone was dead. “Maybe I can get one of your buddies on that there
talk box out in your car.” He went out only to find that a bullet had gone
into the dashboard destroying the two-way radio.

He went back in to find the policeman sitting up. “Thanks,” said the
officer. “You could have left me there. The guy that shot me is still in
the area.”

George sat down beside him, “I would never leave an injured man in the
Army and I ain’t gonna leave you.” George pulled back the bandage to check
for bleeding. “Looks worse than what it is. Bullet passed right through
‘ya. Good thing it missed the important stuff though. I think with time
you’re gonna be right as rain.”

George got up and poured a cup of coffee. “How do you take it?” he asked.

“None for me,” said the officer.

“Oh, yer gonna drink this.  Best in the city. Too bad I ain’t got no
donuts.” The officer laughed and winced at the same time.

The front door of the office flew open. In burst a young man with a gun.
“Give me all your cash! Do it now!” the young man yelled. His hand was
shaking and George could tell that he had never done anything like this
before.

“That’s the guy that shot me!” exclaimed the officer.

“Son, why are you doing this?” asked George, “You need to put the cannon
away. Somebody else might get hurt.”

The young man was confused. “Shut up old man, or I’ll shoot you, too. Now
give me the cash!”

The cop was reaching for his gun. “Put that thing away,” George said to
the cop, “we got one too many in here now.”

He turned his attention to the young man. “Son, it’s Christmas Eve. If you
need money, well then, here. It ain’t much but it’s all I got. Now put
that pea shooter away.”

George pulled $150 out of his pocket and handed it to the young man,
reaching for the barrel of the gun at the same time. The young man
released his grip on the gun, fell to his knees and began to cry. “I’m not
very good at this am I? All I wanted was to buy something for my wife and
son,” he went on. “I’ve lost my job, my rent is due, my car got
repossessed last week.”

George handed the gun to the cop. “Son, we all get in a bit of squeeze now
and then. The road gets hard sometimes, but we make it through the best we
can.”

He got the young man to his feet, and sat him down on a chair across from
the cop. “Sometimes we do stupid things.” George handed the young man a
cup of coffee. “Bein’ stupid is one of the things that makes us human.
Comin’ in here with a gun ain’t the answer. Now sit there and get warm and
we’ll sort this thing out.”

The young man had stopped crying. He looked over to the cop. “Sorry I shot
you. It just went off. I’m sorry officer.”

“Shut up and drink your coffee ” the cop said.

George could hear the sounds of sirens outside. A police car and an
ambulance skidded to a halt. Two cops came through the door, guns drawn.
“Chuck! You ok?” one of the cops asked the wounded officer.

“Not bad for a guy who took a bullet. How did you find me?”

“GPS locator in the car. Best thing since sliced bread. Who did this?” the
other cop asked as he approached the young man.

Chuck answered him, “I don’t know. The guy ran off into the dark. Just
dropped his gun and ran.”

George and the young man both looked puzzled at each other.

“That guy work here?” the wounded cop continued.

“Yep,”  George said, “just hired him this morning. Boy lost his job.”

The paramedics came in and loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. The young man
leaned over the wounded cop and whispered, “Why?”

Chuck just said, “Merry Christmas boy … and you too, George, and thanks
for everything.”

“Well, looks like you got one doozy of a break there. That ought to solve
some of your problems.”

George went into the back room and came out with a box. He pulled out a
ring box. “Here you go, something for the little woman. I don’t think
Martha would mind. She said it would come in handy some day.”

The young man looked inside to see the biggest diamond ring he ever saw.
“I can’t take this,” said the young man. “It means something to you.”

“And now it means something to you,” replied George. “I got my memories.
That’s all I need.”

George reached into the box again. An airplane, a car and a truck appeared
next. They were toys that the oil company had left for him to sell.
“Here’s something for that little man of yours.”

The young man began to cry again as he handed back the $150 that the old
man had handed him earlier.

“And what are you supposed to buy Christmas dinner with? You keep that
too,” George said. “Now git home to your family.”

The young man turned with tears streaming down his face. “I’ll be here in
the morning for work, if that job offer is still good.”

“Nope. I’m closed Christmas day,” George said. “See ya the day after.”

George turned around to find that the stranger had returned. “Where’d you
come from? I thought you left?”

“I have been here. I have always been here,” said the stranger. “You say
you don’t celebrate Christmas. Why?”

“Well, after my wife passed away, I just couldn’t see what all the bother
was. Puttin’ up a tree and all seemed a waste of a good pine tree. Bakin’
cookies like I used to with Martha just wasn’t the same by myself and
besides I was gettin’ a little chubby.”

The stranger put his hand on George’s shoulder. “But you do celebrate the
holiday, George. You gave me food and drink and warmed me when I was cold
and hungry. The woman with child will bear a son and he will become a
great doctor.

The policeman you helped will go on to save 19 people from being killed by
terrorists. The young man who tried to rob you will make you a rich man
and not take any for himself. That is the spirit of the season and you
keep it as good as any man.”

George was taken aback by all this stranger had said. “And how do you know
all this?” asked the old man.

“Trust me, George. I have the inside track on this sort of thing. And when
your days are done you will be with Martha again.”

The stranger moved toward the door. “If you will excuse me, George, I have
to go now. I have to go home where there is a big celebration planned.”

George watched as the old leather jacket and the torn pants that the
stranger was wearing turned into a white robe. A golden light began to
fill the room.

“You see, George … it’s My birthday. Merry Christmas.”

George fell to his knees and replied, “Happy Birthday, Lord Jesus”.

Now, I realize that the ending of this story has a slight religious tone to it, but I believe the context of the story is what is important.  The true meaning of Christmas is not how  many gifts you can buy or for that matter, how many you receive; it’s the little things you do for others out of the goodness of your heart all throughout the year, including Christmas day that counts!  Let’s remember to take care of our fellow men and women when we see a need arise.

And for those of you who are young at heart like me, Christmas just isn’t the same without a little bit of Charlie Brown.   Even he finds out what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.  Gotta love that tree, too! 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4Hv9YmhGpw]

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!!!

Wikipedia defines forgiveness as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, and/or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.  Forgiveness can also simply be defined as a person who forgives, including forgiving themselves.

 Let’s put our differences aside and forgive each other or ourselves.  Man up or woman up, as the expression goes.  Take the higher ground for the betterment of your own wellbeing.  Who needs all that toxic or negative emotion floating around anyway? 

Forgive yourself for working too many hours and not spending enough time with your family.  Then, work on creating more of a balance between work and home life.  Forgive that so-called friend who decided to steal that client out from under you.  They must have really needed the extra income more than you at the time.  Then, work on speaking to your friend in a non-confrontational way to let them know how you feel. 

This is one wish that is close to my heart.  I have high hopes that this wish will come true not only for me, but for all of you who may be struggling with forgiveness, as well.  Release the negative energy in order to let more positive energy into your life!