We wish you a Merry Christmas

Jesus has a jet plane

Little Man once told me a story about Jesus. It's been a while and it was told while we were traveling. The basics - Jesus has a jet plane.

This week I found proof:

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow

Something to Make you Smile

I thought I might make up for the lack of posting by giving you an early Christmas present. I know it's not very Christmasy, but I promise it will make you smile.

Watch this one first (sorry it's kinda pixely):



Now this:

Dear Santa

Little Man has been asking for a dog for the last year and we've been putting him off. Mostly by increasing his collection of stuffed animals. Now he's telling people that Santa is bringing him a REAL dog for Christmas. For CHRISTMAS!!!!! I don't know what to do. Do I hope that he doesn't remember? Do we risk his disappointment on Christmas morning? Should Santa start looking at a dog that will fit well with our family, just in case?

Help!

If you can't say something nice...

I have been working incredibly hard the last month to organize a successful fundraiser for Calvert Hospice. It's been stressful on the whole family and I've had my moments when I've wondered if it was truly worth it.

Friday was the big day and as with any big event, things went wrong and I didn't think we would get it all done. But thanks to my family and wonderful Hospice volunteers, it all came together. The Hall was beautifully decorated, the food was amazing, the silent auction went well and I got great feedback from my boss and from those attending. Of course, there was room for improvement (the perfectionist in me always finds something) but I was really happy with how things went.

Until yesterday....

A older gentleman came into the office yesterday. He seemed very nice when I first sat down to talk to him about his "concerns about the Gala". Then he just got mean. Once he started there was no way to stop it. I sat there quietly, trying to smile as he single handedly torn apart small details of the event which, in his mind, were less than acceptable. It felt as if it would never end, but eventually it did and I was able to escape to my office before the tears came. In a matter of minutes, the day went from feelings of happy relief to feeling as if I had failed. All of the little things that I knew weren't perfect, were now confirmed. All of my mistakes and certainties were pointed out in detail. I was wrong and I had failed. Now, I realize that some of this came from days (weeks) of sleep deprivation, 12 hour days and still trying to be a good mommy. But I spent the rest of the day nursing those wounds, trying to figure out what I should have done differently and wondering what brings us to be so mean to others.

I know there are times when registering a complaint is necessary. I wonder though how often we take it too far, straying from constructive criticism to just being mean. Do we truly understand the circumstances? Is it really going to improve the situation? When did it become ok to be so mean under the guise of being "concerned"?

I hope that next time I'm in a situation where I might feel "concerned" or think that someone just HAS to know every detail of what might be wrong, I can remember.... "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". Maybe it will keep someone's day from being as yucky as mine was yesterday.