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A Christmas Wake-up Call!

pir8fan
Member
0 17 1

A few days back I was filled with the spirit of the holidays! I went out and bought EXtra presents! And I did what I call my "Ham Thing"! Some of you already know about it! Every year, I go to a small grocery store where I am not known! I listen to see who among the employees seems to know their customers the best! Then I go and buy five nice hams! After I pay for them I ask for the manager! I tell him that I want to give those hams back to him! I want the person who knows their customers best to pick out five families that need a little EXtra help this year! Those families each get a ham with the only stipulation being that they can not know who gave it to them! It was a fat man with a beard!

After doing this, and feeling very good about myself, I made one last stop at the gas station on the way home!  When I cranked my truck and put it in gear nothing happened! As I waited for the tow truck I was steaming! It was the old thing about letting no good deed go unpunished! I was finally able to get home, and found that someone had smashed one of the two golden reindeer that I bought for my yard this year! Yep, punishment for the good deeds was flowing!

Since that day I have had a liitle time to think! It took $652 dollars to fix my truck the next day! But I am not upset! I am happy that I had the money to fix it! How many people would have had their Christmas ruined by that unexpected expense? How many would be without a vehicle for a long time because they had no money to fix it? How fortunate am I?

Someone took out their anger on my reindeer! It is an inanimate object! I am grateful that they did not take their anger out on a spouse.....or a kid! The wire and glitter and lights can be replaced! Or, I can live just as well without it! I am a fortunate man! But, I allowed myself to be upset by things that really had no power to hurt me!

In retrospect, I hope these realizations make me a better man! In the future, I hope I can keep a better perspective! Tonight, as Christmas draws near, I am counting my blessings! To each of you at this site, I count you as a blessing! And I can count you without having to stop for a cigarette!

Merry Christmas to all of you my Friends!!!!                                   Tommy

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