WHERE’S THE REAL ONE?

“We know what we are, but no not what we may be.”

 William Shakespeare, playwright

 

“Let me hear you say, Ho Ho Ho.”

I went along with the request from my friend, Gary. Then on my own added, “Merry Christmas.”

I had with me a church bulletin which carried an appeal for someone to be Santa Claus in the Christmas program. The interesting thing about the ad was that they wanted as many Santas as they could recruit.

“Go for it!” Gary said.

In the middle of bumping into shoppers and stringing decorations, my friend and I were sharing holiday memories.

“You won’t believe the feeling. It’s magic when you put on a Santa suit,” Gary said.

His eyes were twinkling. I could see the transformation in him as he relived the role of Santa Claus.

He spared no detail in describing the process of getting into costume, that first look in the mirror and the excitement that filled the faces of the children he met. By the time he finished talking, he had completely sold me on the idea that my next acting role had to be Jolly Ole Santa.

Finding the costume was no problem and the magic began to work as soon as I took it out of the bag. For the church program, we ended up with a total of three Santas. The children were assembled on stage. They had a few lines of dialogue between the songs they were singing. The kids were talking about where they had spotted Santa that day.

“How could he be here and how could he be there at the same time?” they wondered.

While they were bouncing this question back and forth, we three Santas were passing out candy in the audience. Our backs were turned to each other until we collided in the middle of the room. At that point, we turned and jumped in surprise as the children began singing, “Where’s the real one?”

It was fun – a lot of fun. Gary was right.

I highly recommend that everyone put on a Santa suit at least once in their lifetime. If there are any psychiatrists or other mental health workers reading this who are currently treating someone for depression, take note. To your list of treatments, add dressing up like Santa Claus. You can’t but feel good. If you do nothing more than look at yourself in the mirror and Ho Ho Ho around the house all day, it’s worth your time and energy.

Merry Christmas!

 

Visit me at www.buddybloomwildflower.com

 

 

 

 

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SNOWMAN

“Don’t tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is.”

Joel Osteen, author and minister

Delilah is my neighbor. And she preaches a powerful sermon for a first grader. Last winter she informed me that with help from her friends they built a snowman, bigger than a grown up and bigger than God. I’ve been thinking about that snowman ever since – especially when the going gets tough. Sometimes my problems seem bigger than God. But one thing I noticed, worry never melted a snowman or solved a problem.

 “Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.”

 Erma Bombeck, writer

No matter how big that snowman was, it was just a matter of time before it would be gone and God would still be here. So I guess that would be rule number one for problem solving – give God some time to work things out.

If you think God needs your help, take some action. If that problem is really in the way, what can you do to move it. In the case of the snowman, we can go for a shovel and relocate the snow a little at a time. That might be a little easier than moving our snowman all at once. The same goes for your problem. Maybe it’s too big to handle all at once but just maybe there is a little piece of it you could shovel away. Then when you catch your breath, shovel another piece, then another. Soon, no more snowman – no more problem.

And don’t be afraid to make a mistake with that shovel.

Maybe you don’t get that chunk of snow out-of-the-way on the first try. Maybe you dump it in the wrong place and it creates a new set of problems. This could be a good time to ask yourself a few more questions. Here is a good one to start with. What is funny about this? I’m not sure who said it first but all wise people agree:

“Every survival kit should include a sense of humor.”

and

“Life is better when you’re laughing.”

Now what?

How about some more questions.

What does this snowman have to teach me?

And

“How can I use this experience to help others?”

Remember, you don’t have to shovel alone.

“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but look what they can do when they stick together.”

 Vista M. Kelly, author

Coaches, counselors, pastors, the triple A and AA are all waiting to help you solve your problems.

Snow can be a wonderful thing when it’s handled right; skiing, skating, sledding, snow forts and snowballs all have their place in a winter wonderland. And problems like that big snowman can be a good thing if they stretch our imagination and expand our skills. Look up, don’t give up.

And my final advice, make friends with a first grader.

Thank you, Delilah.

Let it snow.