May You Give and Get the Perfect Gift this Season

Is there really a perfect gift? And, after all, what exactly is the perfect gift?

I can answer those questions much more clearly this week after receiving not one, but two perfect gifts from members of my work team. Both presents touched my heart and moved me to tears.

Let me explain.

A while back I wrote a blog that presented parallels between the story of the Wizard of Oz and communities.  In that blog I suggested that just as Dorothy was looking to find the ruby slippers, so too do many of our… More Posted on 12-18-11

On Being a Rudolph

I’ve been called a lot of names over the years but it was the first time I had been referred to as a Rudolph. Yes, Rudolph.  As in Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer.

It happened as I was recently whining to a friend of mine about some of my workplace challenges. He shook his head, smiled, and said, “It’s because you are a Rudolph!”

Somewhat perplexed because I definitely knew I wasn’t guiding Santa’s sleigh nor was my nose especially red, I asked what he meant. He went on to explain that he had just finished reading a book called The Rudolph Factor.

The… More Posted on 12-11-11

A Gift That Keeps on Giving

Today I received yet another request for a donation to a good cause from a well respected charitable organization.
 
I am not proud of the fact that my initial response was one of annoyance. To my credit though, I was quick to give myself a shake and think about how stressful it must be, and how hard these organizations must work, to ensure funding is in place so they can continue making their vital contributions. 

With that acknowledgement, I sat down at my computer, went online, and made a donation.

I hope more of us… More Posted on 12-04-11