https://youtu.be/gtM8BRF7Bd0

I’ve probably sent this song out every Christmas season even though it probably isn’t on many Christmas playlists.

To me it tells the story of the season and the story behind Christmas as well as any traditional Christmas song.

The story of Jesus and his birth told against the backdrop of God’s plan for all of humankind is the whole point of Christmas.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas with all of the to dos and happenings, but it’s important to reminder the bigger story.

That God sent his one and only son to live and die for you and wants to live in you for the rest of your days here and forever with you in Heaven.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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As costly as it was in the lives of our men and women in uniform, in military assets, and in esteem and pride, Pearl Harbor was a watershed moment for America. – Joe Baca

Today is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor – each year on this day I try to reflect again on that generation and what they have done for us.

I found this paragraph in a blog while reading about “The Greatest Generation”:

“The Bible instructs us to give honor to whom honor is due (Rom. 13:7). Surely this passing generation of ordinary people who did extraordinary things deserves our gratitude and recognition. They won history’s worst war and saved the world. They built the America you and I know and benefit from every day. They may very well be, as Tom Brokaw calls them, “the greatest generation any society has ever produced.”

I am not a historian and so I won’t argue whether or not they were, in fact, “the greatest generation”.

I will agree they were great though.

And the reason I think so is because they gave so much.

They gave their friends, brothers, and sisters in a great war so that the world would remain free.

They gave their youth in service to their country.

They gave their all in rebuilding after the war.

If you ask me, all of that adds up to greatness.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Conflict cannot survive without your participation. – Wayne Dyer

Dale Carnegie advises – the best way to win an argument is to not have one (paraphrased).

It’s so easy to let our pride get the best of us. Our desire to win or look important trumps the really important stuff.

Jesus asked us to “turn the other cheek” and to “love our enemies.”

And he said these things for our own good.

Not for those we forgive or love.

But for us. To become the kind of person whose response to an argument or difficulty is to offer love in return.

Decide what kind of person you want to be. Pay attention next time argument or conflict is about to get the better of you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.- Mother Teresa

Simple reminder today.

Smile.

A lot.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. – Hamilton Wright Mabie

A great part of Christmas is that we’re all (most of us) in on it.

We’ve decided to try to be nicer, more generous and all around better people to each other for a couple of weeks a year.

Maybe not the perfect system, but it’s a good place to start.

Decide to be in on it this year. A conspiracy of love. To love others more for the season (to start).

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/7r3VVMUhAxU?si=sfH1aV5JPPAesFTz

Joy to the world!

Joy is one of my personal goals lately.

To seek for and live out joy in my life.

It’s so easy to get distracted by all the stuff.

To get frustrated and down.

To let the news and the worries of life win out.

Christmas is a time of joy.

God sent his son to save us!

Merry Christmas.

Jake

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Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have. – Margaret Mead

I think of this quote often at our little group of companies.

We aren’t quite doing a bazillion dollars in business or making the Forbes list, but we are making a difference.

We are influencing each other and our clients in ways we can’t imagine.

How we work together and the values we build into the culture of who we are will have a lasting impact on all of us.

It’s no small thing. What we do matters.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. – William Arthur Ward

I read or watched something once that proved this out.

They studied people thinking about someone they were grateful for, writing a letter to someone they were grateful or calling that someone.

The group that made the call had more joy (Jake’s word for it, I’m sure they called it something fancy and smart sounding).

Make the call today.

Tell someone you are grateful for them.

Be honest, sincere and specific.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day. – Irv Kupcinet

This may or may not be an accurate description of me.

I tend to decide that I’m done with sugar and stuff around this time of the year….and then put off doing anything about it until after the new year…

So….don’t do what I do.

You can make change now.

No reason to wait until the year is over.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/k_eo76lM7iw?si=tfzJC4Y6csm95gSb

Well, Thanksgiving weekend is over and we’re off to the races.

The mad dash towards Christmas and the end of the year.

I’d like to suggest we all change things up and drastically simplify our plans. Avoid all the consumerism and focus on our friends and family. Be generous to others instead of buying more stuff.

Instead, I’ll suggest we slow down…just a little.

Listen to the words of your favorite Christmas song.

Pause and breathe when you hop in your car before putting it into gear and heading out to the next thing.

It really is a wonderful time of year, make sure you don’t miss it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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