I’ve spent months and he did it all in 2 hours

(If you read here, yesterday, feel free to skip this lengthy
explanation.  Cause it’s the same.  Unless you would like to be
astounded again today by my writing genius.  Your call…)

Here’s the thing.

I am lame.  I like to do lame things that make me feel good.  One of
those things is do something nice for people randomly and out of the
blue when I feel like they did something cool.

If I was rich, I would love to be the kind of person who was like
“You are awesome.  Here’s a new car.” 

But I am not, so it usually looks like this
“You are awesome.  Here’s a coffee/card/mug/baking”.

It’s almost as good as a new car.

And the truth is that it probably makes me more happy than the person(s)
that I give it to, because for whatever reason it makes me all warm and
fuzzy to point out to people that they rock.  So you can think I’m
really nice, but I’m mostly still being a little selfish.

I can spend a LOT of time focusing on why people suck.  And I think that
our society is quick to write letters of complaint about employees who
are incompetent or speak to the manager when we are mad about the
service, but when do we ever do the opposite – speak up when someone
does something great?  Hardly ever.  At least I don’t.

So I TRY to go out of my way and tell people that they are amazing that
day.  I say try because it was a conscious choice to try and do this a
few years ago and while it’s becoming habit, I’m not totally there yet. 
But I’m working on it.

So for the next while until Christmas, my goal is to find one person
doing something awesome every day, and do something kinda cool back.

And then bore you with the details.

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So, on the first email of this series I wrote how I was setting myself up to fail by saying I’d write every day.

Ya.

That.

Anyways, about finding awesome.

Monday, I got to spend my afternoon hanging out with the ladies at the Military Family Resource Center gift wrap table, where we wrap gifts at a local mall as a fundraiser.  I don’t do much other work with the MFRC, living off base we just aren’t very involved with their programs, but I love wrapping gifts and it’s a great way to feel in the Christmas spirit, so I try and make it out for a couple afternoons every year.  I believe this is my 3rd year there.

When I was arriving for my shift, a really awesome couple was just leaving.

R not only serves on the Board of the MFRC, he also spent many of the last years in his career in the Family Support Troop at DH’s Regiment.

I realize that a soldier doesn’t enlist to get put in Family Support.  It’s usually not their planned career move and many times it’s a temporary solution for a soldier that is for whatever other reason unable to do regular duties.  Those soldiers spend their time coordinating events, creating newsletters and making phone calls to Regimental families.  I really do understand this was not in the Recruitment Video.  Don’t get me wrong, we have had many great soldiers in the FST, but I can imagine it must be frustrating sometimes doing a job you didn’t expect when you signed on the dotted line. 

But every once and a while you get a Soldier who even in Family Support, chooses to go above and beyond.  Who does not act like this is where he was stuck and instead excels where he is put. 

R was one of those guys.

He genuinely cared about families.  He was supportive and compassionate.  Even now, working in the civilian world, he sits on the board of the MFRC and take time to volunteer for events like this one.

When we chatted yesterday, he summed it up so well when he said:

‘I just think you need to do the best job you can whatever that job is‘.

There are not a whole lot of people like that.  I know I’m not always that person.  I excel at the things I enjoy doing, at the things that are exciting and the things that were my idea.  But I often slack off on those things that are outside what I feel I should be doing.  I give less of myself to projects I didn’t plan on having to do. 

And then, even more annoyingly, I expect others to be just as excited and give just as much attention to those same things that excite me, while I give no thought about how I am avoiding or ignoring the things they would like to work on.

Can you imagine what it would be like if we all gave 100% to every job given to us, with a grateful heart that someone entrusted us with the work?  How amazing would that be?
‘s new employer is lucky to have hired someone with that kind of ethic.

So for R and his incredibly sweet and supportive wife T, I took their coffe order to bring them when they were finished their shift. 

Christmas Blessing #4 – Peppermint Hot Chocolate for Complete Commitment.


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Today, I was back at the mall.


No kidding, I really was.  Even though I was there wrapping presents for 8 hours yesterday and I’ll do the same Friday, DH was doing HIS Christmas shopping today and the funny thing is, he’s gone so much when he’s home I like to go out with him.  So we drove together to the mall, split up so he could shop (while I texted him cute things I liked that I saw on sale… don’t judge me), then met back up for lunch.

While at the Mall, I saw the lady standing next to the Salvation Army kettles, ringing the little bell with a big smile on her face.

This year, charities are way behind on donations.  Some are down almost half from last year, even though demand has gone up.  Meals on Wheels, the Christmas Bureau and The Salvation Army, as well as Adopt a Teen program are all well behind in their fundraising goals.

The Salvation Army provides basic needs in their many charities across Canada, everything from help for new refugees to homeless shelters and drug rehabilitation facilities.  The “Journey” program that I took part in Friday’s post, that is a program run by the Salvation Army. 

And right now they are 6 million dollars away from their national goal, just to reach the same amount they received last year.  With less than 2 weeks before the end of the year.

I heard this one volunteer standing with the donation kettle tell someone with her that she couldn’t afford to give much, but she had the time to come in and hopefully help out that way instead.

That, my friends, is true charity.  Not in how much is given, but what it costs you personally.  It’s finding a way to give without the excuses.  It’s giving time when you don’t have money.

Actually, I think giving time is much, much more important that giving money.  Our time is our most valuable asset.  Money comes and goes but our time is gone once it is given away.

So something for the kettle and something for the lady taking the time to smile and ring that little bell in her Santa hat.

Christmas Blessing #5 – A Treat for Giving What Can Never Be Taken Back

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