Yesterday I shared an article with you from my friend Roger
Allen from the Human Development Institute, on the gifts of
giving. Today I wish to share with you a story to warm your
heart!

I love this time of year! It is Christmas time all around the world! I love this season because it causes people to be nicer, more giving and focused on others. Just as gifts were brought and given to the Christ child so we, in similitude, give gifts to those we love. There are two parts to this letter.

Alan Axler, Vice President of Springfield Smoked Fish, had a problem. His Springfield, Mass company had been providing New Englanders lox, gefilte fish and other traditional kosher fish products since 1934. But in recent years, the company has barely been staying afloat. Axler attempted to boost sales in 2007 by investing thousands of dollars into his new product: Brekfish, a smoked salmon – healthier — substitute for bacon. It was well-received by samplers, but to Axler’s discouragement, supermarkets didn’t put it on their shelves. In 2008, sales were a full 20% down from where they’d been in 2000.

This is where I had to disagree with Brandy. It’s true that there are people in the world who are truly living hand to mouth – living under a corrugated tin roof and counting on strangers to bring them bowls of rice to fill their bellies. There’s an old saying, “Of whom much is given, much is expected.” Brandy, believe it or not, is one of those people. As you are. As I am.

Venture capitalists risk a certain amount of money in order to make more money. Women risk the complications and exhaustion of pregnancy in order to have the benefit of a baby. Firefighters risk their own lives to save the lives of others. Students risk tuition money and years of studies for the potential benefit of a lucrative career. Entrepreneurs risk the hours, money and dedication needed to start a new business for the potential benefit of a successful business. Publishers risk the cost of printing and marketing a novel for the potential benefit of a best seller.

“I’ve had some bad experiences with trust at work,” Jim wrote. “At my last job, my boss didn’t trust anyone, and it showed. He was completely disorganized, but he blamed me when he lost his paperwork. He tried to micromanage everything, and he was always spying on me and the other employees. I’d turn around from my computer and he’d be reading over my shoulder. He actually went through people’s desks a couple of time. He was always talking about honesty – how it was dishonest to get paid for a full day’s work without giving it – but he made all kinds of promises he never kept.”

A top tier celebrity is in the news right now. It’s a pretty unsavory story, so I won’t go into the details, but in short, he made some really serious mistakes. That was bad enough, but then someone got hold of the details and began to blackmail him.

Imagine you live in an oppressed nation. Your oppressor overtaxes you, reaps the benefits of your hard work, and periodically brings you and your fellow citizens in line with outbreaks of violence. Must you fight for your freedom? Are you thinking, “I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

Maybe you’ve seen the video. A heavy storm in the Netherlands stranded over one hundred horses on a small island of raised land, where they suffered from food and exposure for three days as concerned people frantically tried to find a way to rescue them. Even as the waters slowly receded, the traumatized animals didn’t risk putting a hoof in the waters that had so terrified them.

Change – it happens all the time. But we don’t like it. It’s uncomfortable and scary and a lot of work. But if you’re stuck in an unhappy place – unhappy in your home, marriage, job, or even yourself – you need to change. Yourself. Not them. Not it. But you.