Can you believe it? It’s late October. As I write this column, it seems everyone is in a panic to be ready for Halloween. October is almost gone and I am left still wondering where September went. Unbelievably, the Holiday Season is upon us. Sometimes I wish things would slow down a bit. I cringe at the thought I will blink and it will be November.
Every November, my wife, Kathy, and I Christmas shop in Gatlinburg. We think we are getting ahead of the “Christmas rush.” I’m thinking, “What’s the rush?” or “Why all the rush?”
We shop all the outlets in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge to “save” money. Of course, while we are “saving” money we spend in the neighborhood of $500 on hotel, food, etc. It’s a strange concept, this idea of spending money while you are of “saving” money. But more importantly, we are beating the “rush.”
Dr. Jerry Zimbardo, Professor of Psychology, wrote in Psychology Today, “The devil’s strategy for our times is to trivialize human existence in a number of ways: by isolating us from one another while
creating the delusion that the reasons are time pressures, work demands, or anxieties created by economic uncertainty.”
Not only do we find ourselves being isolated from one another, but we also find ourselves losing focus on that which is most important.
As we plunge head-long into the Holidays here are a few things to think about:
Consider your citizenship. Is this not a great country? – The United States of America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
As Thanksgiving Day approaches may we breathe the prayer, “Long may our land be bright with freedom’s holy light. Protect us by Thy might, great God, our King.”
A speaking engagement took me to Albuquerque, NM a few years ago. The landscape there is called “high desert.” While I was there, I witnessed an event for which Albuquerque is world famous - The annual launching of hundreds of hot air balloons. It was spectacular!
I am constantly amazed by our nation’s grandeur. From the Grand Canyon, to the Columbia River Gorge, to the Great Smokey Mountains, to the Shenandoah Valley, to the Atlantic shore to the high desert of New Mexico…my list could go on and on. It is no wonder we call her “America, the beautiful.”
Consider your friends. I like to think I have many friends. They are as diverse as these United States. They all have their particular strengths and weaknesses. Friends make our lives rich. Take care to take care of your friends.
Count your blessings. Our lives are filled with challenges. We’ve all suffered some disappointments and setbacks. If we focus on the bad, we often lose sight of the good.
Get a jump on Thanksgiving Day. Start counting your blessings in advance. Cultivate the “attitude of gratitude” all the way through the Holiday season. As the folks at Al-Anon say, “It works if you work it.”
Take some time to reflect. A lot of water has gone under the bridge (or over the dam.) Many lessons have been learned. And we’ve all enjoyed some wonderful experiences along the way. It is important that we, occasionally, take a deep drink from the past and savor the best moments and experiences of our lives.
The Holidays are a great time to recall the memories of those whom we will miss this year…those who made Thanksgivings and Christmases of the past special. Find yourself a rocking chair, pour yourself a cup of coffee, hot tea, or hot chocolate, and sit a spell.
You might even cry a few tears…Happy Tears.
Dig a little deeper. Do a little research on the first Thanksgiving celebration. Re-connect with those first pilgrims who stepped on our shores. Get to know them a little better. Be reminded of their courage and resolve in the face of hardship.
When Thanksgiving Day is past, take out the old family Bible and begin reading of the events which led up to the cradle in Bethlehem. Unless you cultivate the soil of your soul, this blessed season will come and go, and you might not be touched by the wonder of it all.
So, here’s to a warm and wonderful Holiday Season. We all have ground work to do to make it so.
And remember. The most important things in life are not things.
Copyright 2022 by Jack McCall
