I sent the email below a few years ago….

Yesterday was the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I recently read “Unbroken” which is the story based in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. More than anything I was again struck by the willingness to serve shown by Americans in general during that time period.

The book is about Louis Zamperini. He was a famous track star headed for greatness, but he didn’t think about his career or the money or the fame, he wanted to serve.

It reminded me that my job is to do the most with the opportunities given me by the sacrifices of men like him. To make the most of the freedom won at such an extreme cost.

Be thankful today to those who have served. Be humbled by the gifts given that can never be repaid. Be dedicated to honoring their sacrifice by giving your best.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, all honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness.”

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Every year we are presented with the temptation to believe that Christmas is all about us. What should we ask for? What should we get everyone else?

Don’t fall for it!

Spend some extra time in prayer this Christmas.

Spend some extra time talking to an old friend.

Make the season something more than what you can buy.

Make it a great day.

Merry Christmas.

Jake

https://youtu.be/Bzrkyy9h4x8

This song is a new Christmas favorite in the Davis house.

Part of the Christmas season at our house is playing all of our favorite Christmas songs.

Find some of your favorites and play them today.

Merry Christmas.

Jake

Below is an excerpt from Band of Brothers.

It is an amazing story about an amazing group of men.

This story stuck out to me because it shows how difficult battle and war can be for a person, but that hope and love can always win out.

Let’s be thankful for the service of others and spread hope and love wherever we can.

Make it a great day.

Jake

From Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose –

Sgt. Skinny Sisk also had a hard time shaking his war memories. In July 1991, he wrote Winters to explain. "My career after the war was trying to drink away the truckload of Krauts that I had stopped in Holland and the die-hard Nazi that I went up into the Bavarian Alps and killed. Old Moe Alley made a statement that all the killings that I did was going to jump into the bed with me one of these days and they surely did. I had a lot of flash backs after the war and started drinking. Ha! Ha!

Then my sister’s little daughter, four-years old, came into my bedroom (I was too unbearable to the rest of the family, either hung over or drunk) and she told me that Jesus loved me and she loved me and if I would repent God would forgive me for all the men I kept trying to kill all over again.

That little girl got to me. I put her out of my room, told her to go to her mommy. There and then I bowed my head on my mother’s old feather bed and repented and God forgave me for the war and all the other bad things I had done down through the years. I was ordained in the latter part of 1949 into the ministry and believe me, Dick, I haven’t whipped but one man since and he needed it. I have four children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

The Lord willing and Jesus tarrys and I hope to see you all at the next reunion. If not I’ll see you on the last jump. I know you won’t freeze in the door.

"Nothing ever seems too bad, too hard, or too sad when you’ve got a Christmas tree in the living room." – Nora Roberts

I know this quote makes Mr. Leverton happy! (Follow him on the FaceBox to find out more….)

The Christmas tree might not be your thing. Maybe it’s the nativity set. Or putting up the lights. Or wrapped presents under the tree.

2020 has left us with a lot to complain about. Instead, let’s focus on the little stuff at Christmas that fills us with joy.

Pick out something you love about Christmas and share it with someone you love.

Merry Christmas.

Jake

One of my favorite Christmas books is “The Grinch Whole Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss.

Here are my favorite few lines:

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?

It came without ribbons! It came without tags!

"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn’t come from a store.

"Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!"

Maybe I’m just a little bit of a sap, but I think that there is some magic to Christmas. And that it doesn’t come from a store.

As we make this last push towards Christmas, let’s focus on more than the packages, box and bags.

Merry Christmas.

Jake

“The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.” – C S Lewis

CS Lewis always seems to get me with his challenges to humility.

This one in particular seemed a particular challenge.

I’m hoping that Christmas will inspire me to take on this challenge this year. To be focused on the glory of my neighbor. To put others always above myself in my daily to dos.

At Mavidea and Maxlider we’re lucky enough to have customers and coworkers to work with. They provide a daily opportunity to work towards the ideal described above.

The end of the year will go quickly. It will be easy to slip into ego, pride and selfishness as we go about our work.

Don’t fall in to the trap. Don’t let your back be broken with pride.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself.

– Anonymous

Thanksgiving week. Time to count up all the good in your life.

Keeping count is one of those habits that can be either good or bad.

If you keep count of all the negative, it will pile up quick.

If you keep count of all the good, it will do the same.

You get to pick which to count.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Thanksgiving week.

It’s a great opportunity to be reminded of all that we have to be thankful for.

Friends, family, careers, God, food, shelter – we all have a long list.

Happiness and contentment begin with thankfulness.

One of life’s great balance acts is the balance between thankfulness for what we have while still stoking the desire for growth and change.

As we look to make changes in our lives, we need to both strive for more and better while being thankful for where we are and the journey to get to where we want to go.

I still haven’t wrapped my head around this entirely, but I’ve taken up the practice of trying to be thankful for where I am any time I’m working on changing something.

Be thankful for the $10 in your savings account even when you would like it to be $1 million.

Be thankful for the 1 pound lost even though you want it to be 20.

Be thankful for the opportunity for growth, some never get it.

Make it a great day.

Jake