"The Saga continues...."

And so the saga continues. Many, many, many changes have occurred since August, when the person who promised to love, honor and share in the expenses decided to take an early retirement from the Dallas Morning News to start her own business. In case you haven't followed the blog over the past year, Pattye opened a Antiques and Collectible store in Plano. It has been quite a learning experience for both of us and we feel like we have made a lot of strides and have turned a corner towards success in this market.
With the recent addition of her on-line Ebay store, Gathering Eggs, you will be able to see some of the many beautiful pieces she has acquired and now has listed. Follow the above link over there and I think you will be very impressed. Oh, and don't be afraid to buy something while you are there also!

My journey also has had some twists and changes as well.
In early November, I was offered a position as a Department Head with the "Big Orange Home Improvement company". Man, what an experience, particularly during the holiday season.
I am going to reserve some of my comments for a later time about what I have learned during these past two months. Many have to do with how incredibly rude people can be.....but that is for later.

The good news is that my situation has also turned a corner.
During this interim I came in contact with a well-known, well-respected and well-established swimming pool building and remodeling company that has offered me a position as their Retail Store Manager. And so with no trepidation, I have accepted and will be hanging up my Orange apron effective January 1.
Fountainhead Pools, will be my final stop in my long journey of employment. I am absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to work for a excellent team and develop their retail business to greater heights.
And so life continues.... which brings me to this point in the blog where I usually have something witty and philosophical to add.
You never know what looms around the corner waiting for you. Sometimes when you have doubts about where your next step will take you, all you can do is have faith, rely on your instincts and believe in yourself. And, most of all have, if you are as fortunate as Pattye and I, a trusted companion who believes in you and supports you in your decisions.
We are really blessed to have such great interaction between us.
Often, I remember the words her father read to us some 19 years ago when he performed our wedding ceremony.
From 1st Corinthians 13:13, he spoke of Faith, Hope and Love , the greatest of these is love. Yes, we have all three and they have allowed our saga to continue......

"What would Life be like if............."

What would Life be like today if................and this is a stretch, but if .....................Mary and Joseph would have had the Internet to try and book a reservation. I'm not being sacrilegious, just my ole dumb self.
You know there are still places in the world today that haven't changed in over 2000 years. Transportation is still by donkey. Communications are non-existent. Health care is nothing more than having a mid-wife provide a broken branch for an expectant mother to bite down on during childbirth. Thousands of illiterate people journeying to town to be taxed much like the trip to Bethlehem.
But why, if you believe in "The Christmas Story" from Luke 2, .....why did the Event occur at that time in the history of Man. Why then....why not now?
I believe in much of what is written and interpret it based on the teachings I had pounded into my head by the threatening nuns during my early years at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School.
I have the visions that we see today of the Nativity scenes displayed in department store windows, front lawns, and of course "living" drive-by church parking lots.
But suppose, just suppose, that God had decided to make a change in his Palm Pilot Scheduler and decided that 2005 would be a good year, and let's see maybe, Richardson Texas might be the best location for the birth of Christ.
Would Mary and Joseph have logged onto travel.com and tried to make a reservation at a Quality Inn. Or even better, couldn't they have simply registered to pay their taxes by contacting the IRS on the Internet.
No thank goodness, it happened when it did. Timing is everything. I guess He really knows what He is doing.
And, it wouldn't have made for a very profound story, would it?
I like traditions. I like to read the great stories in the Bible. I love the story of the Journey to Bethlehem.
You know, when I think of Christmas in these terms, then the melancholy that usually overtakes me this of time of year (see: http://ireadthenews.blogspot.com/2005/12/it-is-best-of-times-it-is-worst-of.html) subsides and I truly see the meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!....and thanks God for choosing December 25, 0000, it seems like the perfect day.

"It is the best of times, it is the worst of times"

Excuse me Charles Dickens, but since I can never seem to come up with such magical sentences as you then I must borrow your great gifts.
Yes, as Christmas approaches, it now becomes the best of time for me, but yet, the worst.
The best are obvious..... The holiday spirit. The joy of giving. The reuniting with family. Food, food and more food. And of course for those of us who still profess a faith in God, the anniversary of the birth of His son.
But unfortunately it also becomes a time of sadness for me.
Maybe I should blame it on the paintings by Norman Rockwell that used to appear on the covers of Life magazine at this time of year.
Rockwell's paintings always depicted what I thought Christmas should be like, but it never was that way and it still isn't today.
I don't become a Scrooge at Christmas, but just the opposite. I love to give. I love to entertain. And, Lord knows I love to eat.
It's just the melancholy that begins to creep in during these coming days. It has always happened and I am sure it will happen again this year.
I guess I like to picture Christmas surrounded by my family. The lovely wife with her kerchief serving sugar plums , whatever the hell that is. The grandchildren dressed in their nightgowns waiting impatiently to open their gifts. And I, waking up from a long winter's nap with my cap upon my head.
I do remember one of the better Christmas seasons though,............... well I thought I did, but I guess that was just a painting also.
Alas. I guess I'll just watch "It's a Wonderful Life", exchange a gift or two with Pattye. Wait for the kids and grandkids to come by and open their presents, eat and clean up the house.
................See, I told you it is the worst of times.........
Merry Christmas!!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Dear Tom,

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If I see it in your blog, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

I know, I know, this isn't really a letter to me, or in these days an e-mail to me, it's the story of a young girl in 1897 who wrote to the New York Sun asking if there was a Santa Claus after her father was unable to answer the question and suggested she write the newspaper.

But if I may take the liberty I would still like to answer her question.

To all of the Virginias out there and all of the kids from 8 to 80, of course there is a Santa Claus.

He's busy right now with all of his helpers collecting toys and gifts that he will spread under your Christmas tree.

I have seen his helpers standing in line at 5:00 in the morning, braving the cold and wind, in order to get the lowest price for gifts. I have seen his helpers demanding from store clerks to find additional items even though the store has been out of stock for days. I have seen his helpers walking casually by a Salvation Army volunteer avoiding eye contact so as not to have to part with any spare change. I have seen his helpers argue with other helpers in parking lots in order to get a spot closer to the front door of the store to save a few steps. I have seen and heard his helpers cuss about having to hang outside lights in order to celebrate the holiday season.

Yes Virginia, Santa's helpers are out there getting ready for Christmas.

Is this what it has come down to?

Each year we ask ourselves "what has happened to the meaning of Christmas?".

Yet we continue to put ourselves and families through such aggravation and misery that by the time comes around on Christmas morning we have become so frustrated that we have forgotten the true meaning of the holiday.

So, while we have a few weeks left. Let's put ourselves into the mindset of Virginia and all of the kids of the world.

Could you imagine the thrill on your child's face if you took your child to a Toys for Tots drop-off center and offered a gift to a needy family?

Do you think your child might receive some joy in dropping your loose change into a Salvation Army bucket?

Do you think your son or daughter might believe there really is a Santa Claus if they knew they could be one of his helpers and drop off some gifts to a homeless shelter?

I do. And I think it would probably be a Christmas they will always remember.

So, this year, let's try to prove to all of the Virginias that there truly is a Santa Claus!