Count On It

The Christmas Season is over and New Year’s Day is right around the corner. Soon we will start the countdown to 2020. Doesn’t that seem crazy? Wasn’t it only yesterday we were sure the world was ending because the new year was about to turn 2000? Yet, in the blink of an eye, 20 years have gone by.

So I’ve been thinking about what has happened in the world over the past 20 years and it seems like a lot has happened… and a lot has changed. But has anything really changed?

Twenty years ago, people were excited about computers and how they would make life so much easier for us. But if you ask me, people are working harder than ever. Twenty years ago, people were critical of the government and President Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives. Today it’s President Trump’s turn to be criticized and impeached. Twenty Years ago, the St. Louis Rams were in the Super Bowl and earlier this year, the Los Angeles Rams were in the Super Bowl. (Okay, a slight difference there.) Twenty years ago, Al Qaeda terrorists bombed the USS Cole. Today, terrorists are still a huge problem all over the world.

So, it would seem like nothing in the world has changed much in the past twenty years. But I bet if you look back at your own personal life, there has been some change. For me, I can’t even begin to count the number of things that have changed in my life! I went from being divorced to being happily remarried. I went from having one son, to having four children (and somehow now having six grandchildren). I went from owning a Lighting Maintenance Company to owning a Lighting Supply Company to now owning a company that sells parts to the Solar Industry. I went from having blonde hair and blue eyes to having gray hair and bad eyesight. (Bummer dude!) And I went from being a man focused on work and making money to a man focused on his faith, his family and his friends.

And that got me thinking… Maybe it’s not that my life has changed so much, maybe it’s just that through all the trials and tribulations of the past 20 years, I’ve managed to grow up just a little bit. There were lots of bumps in my road, problems with friends, financial failures, my wife being hospitalized, and the death of both of my parents. But like a molten tool on an anvil, perhaps God has been shaping me all along into the man he intended me to be when he planted me on this earth. I know if you look back at your own life, you’ve probably had your share of tough times as well. But as you remember the hard times, remember also that the one who is constantly shaping you, is also always loving you. Count on it!  

Things do not change. We change.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Gift Getting

It’s now officially the Christmas season, so I spent quite a lot of time shopping this past week. Actually, the truth is that I drove my wife around to different stores and malls and watched her shop because she is the expert at selecting gifts for people. But hey, I carried the bags, so that’s something!

While we were shopping, my wife asked me several times what I wanted for Christmas. I know it would have made it easier on her if I simply gave her a few wish-list items, but I just couldn’t come up with anything. I thought about it a few more times during the week, but at this point in my life I’m really happy and pretty much have everything I need.

I know that last statement sounds cliché but I’ve discovered that our needs change as we get older. When I was a boy I wanted toys, and when I was a young adult I wanted a nice car, and in my forties I wanted a better home for my family. But at 64, I’ve got everything I could ever want and don’t feel the need to clutter up my life with any more material things, especially since I live in such a small house!

However, my wife kept asking me what I wanted because she loves to give gifts and she loves me. So I kept thinking about it along the lines of, you know, underwear, socks, a golf shirt or maybe some golf balls, and then it hit me. I know what I really want!

What I really want is a chance to spend a little time with my closest friends. Obviously, I want to spend time with my family as well over the holidays, but we already have that planned out and I know it will be great. But getting to see friends during the Holiday Season is a whole lot harder because everyone is always so busy. Then again, like everything else in life, if you want it bad enough, you figure out how to make it happen. So, I sat down and made out a list of friends and started putting down possible dates. I showed it to my wife and with her approval, I started sending out emails and text messages. I made a dinner date with Bill and Ruth, set up a golf game with my friend Paul, set up a round of golf in Temecula with Danny and Stacy, and a round of golf with Brad, Jeff, and Marvin in San Juan. And I also set up several other dinner dates and four other rounds of golf with assorted friends throughout the area. I couldn’t set up dates for everyone, but for those I don’t get to see, I will be writing a letter to them to remind them how much I appreciate their friendship.   

And that got me thinking… Making an effort to spend time with friends or writing them a letter of appreciation is a nice little gift. But maybe it’s not actually gift giving…maybe it’s more like “Gift Getting”!   

Love is, above all, the gift of one’s self.

~ Jean Anouilh

Productive Patience

I’ve heard it said that time is our most precious commodity.  If that’s true, then patience must be one of our most important assets. Unfortunately, I am not doing well in the patience department.

For some reason, I always feel like I need to be doing something productive. Maybe its because I’m a type A person, or maybe I’m just a little ADD, but one thing’s for sure, I have a really hard time doing nothing. In fact, nothing gets me more frustrated than waiting. Here’s an example.

On Wednesday of last week, the day before Thanksgiving, I needed to stop at Costco to pick up a prescription. Of course, when I pulled into the parking lot it was extremely crowded, so it took me a few minutes to find a parking spot. But I got lucky and found one very close to the building. Or at least I thought I was lucky until I reached the entrance. Much to my surprise, as I walked up they were closing the large roll down door at the entrance and tons of people were streaming out the exit. I stood there for a moment trying to figure out what was going on and then noticed that the only lights on in the building, were the emergency lights. The power must have gone out, so everybody was bailing.

I was a little irritated that the place was closed but shook it off and headed for my truck. But I was too late! Hundreds of people were already in their cars, fighting to get out of the parking lot. Since I parked close, I was the lucky guy who was now last in line in a large gridlock of cars all trying to exit at the same time. I knew I was stuck and there was nothing I could do about it. As I sat there, inching along at less than one mile per hour, I got more and more frustrated. But then I decided to do something productive, I decided to offer up a prayer. No, I wasn’t praying to be delivered from the parking lot (although I did think about it). I was just praying in a conversational way with God, just wanted to let Him know that I was thinking about Him. I don’t usually do that in my car, but hey, I had lots of time and nowhere to go.

After about 20 minutes, I found myself only 50 yards from the street, freedom was in sight! So I got another “productive” idea. I would try to warn people who were still streaming in from the street that Costco was closed. I rolled down my window and waved to get people’s attention, but only one lady paid attention to me. I explained the problem and told her she should turn around and she thanked me profusely. So hey, guess what, I found one more way to be productive during my predicament!

And that got me thinking… If you are like me and sometimes struggle with patience, there are always things you can do to be productive, like talking to someone. And remember, there is always at least One Person, you can talk to!  

Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson