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Another month has past and I've made it. I've officially been 25 for one whole month. This gives me courage and hope to think I just might make it the rest of the year. The beginning of fall has started. Watching the trees turn orange and leaves start to fall on the ground only make my excitement for what some call "dreaded" Christmas season only grow. I absolutely LOVE Christmas and the whole entire winter season. There's something about turning the fireplace on, snuggling with that special someone, sipping a cup of hot cocoa while watching an old Carey Grant or Doris Day movie. And let's not forget Christmas Carols, shopping for presents, hearing Christmas music on every station you turn to. But, we are not quite there yet. Right now we are getting ready for the colder weather to start brewing. Jackets are usually needed to keep the chill off but not quite cold enough for a heavy coat. This month we will celebrate the holiday of Thanks. I think at times we get in such a hurry that we forget what the last two months of the year are all about. Most are worried about what their going to cook, where they are going to seat everyone, how they are going to get to where they are going, and so on. Very few sit and actually ponder what this holiday season is all about. It's about giving. The act of true giving is not partial to only gifts, but it's an act that requires total honesty, humility, joy, and most of all not expecting anything in return. For instance, I work in retail and now is the time that I see many glum, worried, in-a-hurry people. The "thank you"'s one hears are hardly something worth going home to write about. It's sad that as Christians we can't be more like Christ. What a struggle it is to just be real in our own everyday lives. We are in such a hurry to get where we're going that we leave our personalities at home in the bed. I am guilty. Some days I don't want to deal with customers who want to return a shirt they've already worn and then proceed to yell at me because it didn't match the color of their living room. **ok, so that's a little overboard, but trust me, I've heard some wild stories** But, I have to look at it this way: My job pays my bills. I've had three raises and two promotions in the last year. I have no doubts that God gave me this job. Granted, it's not what I really want to do with my life, but I am here till God moves me. I am thankful for my job. Some days I don't want to get out of bed, but rather sleep my life away. **you know you've wanted to do that too** There are even days that I wake up in a bad mood, yes, I know it's hard to believe. I just don't want to deal with people...especially those annoying ones' called my family. But, I have to say, "thank you Lord for my family". Where would I be without them? They've sat in the ER for 9 hours when I was having stomach cramps. They drive me back and forth to work when my car is out of order. They let me borrow money when things are tight. Most of all, they love me for who I am, even if I'm in a bad mood. I think that we've made ourselves so pressed for time that we forget to tell the person who helped us find that perfect gift, "thank you". We forget to say "thank you" to the person who held the door open for us while we struggled with groceries for our thanksgiving dinner and Christmas gifts. How about the customer who buys our products and merchandise so that we actually have a paycheck, or the man who stands all day outside a store ringing the bell so that one or two people will donate spare change for the homeless? Sometimes, especially during the holiday season, the biggest complaint you'll hear in retail is "boy, is this a thankless job". Let me encourage everyone this season, to help make everyone a little more thankFULL!

Reader Comments

Well said, Amy. We all need to be a little mroe thankful, now & all during the year.

God is good all the time & all the time God is good. 

Elaine Harcourt

Amy...

Well done! I, too, am thankful for my job...for more reasons than I can express here!

Speaking of which, if I'm allowed to host our local talk show on Thanksgiving Day(which I'm praying I will be!), may I quote from this column? I can always use good, appropriate material!

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