It's A Wonderful Life!

It's Christmas Eve Morning. It just snowed. As I sit here waiting for noon to come when banks call it a day and all bankers head off to their various Christmas Eve family gatherings I realize time passes whether you recognize it or not. I've spent most of this year focusing on all that's bad in the world. But now I take time to reflect on all that's good. 

I'm going to watch my favorite Christmas Eve story tonight, as my tradition goes; the movie "It's A Wonderful Life". If you haven't seen it you should, in all its black and white glory. Jimmy Stewart said for years the movie was a flop and it was his worst performance. But really it's a timeless classic.  It tells the story that we all so desperately need to hear in these troubling times. A few times I've said, "Hey, I feel like George Bailey".  In fact I was getting lost just as he was at his Bailey Building & Loan.

America is still the greatest place on Earth to live. Americans are by far the world's most giving and generous nation. We are the Great Equalizer of the World. We add comfort and stability in every corner of the globe. We respond to every disaster, no matter where it is. We help those in need, even if they care not for us. It is truly the way God intended a loving and giving society to be. I feel good about all that we give back to humanity. You may debate how we go about it, but nevertheless our intentions are good and just.

As many know, a kitten fell into my world recently, at only 2 weeks old. He fell out from the underbelly of our bulldozer in 40 degree weather, supposedly born there. He was less his mother, completely healthy and unharmed. No siblings. No Mom. No sign or trace of family. Just little Lucky, as we call him now. After several weeks of sleep shortened nights due to bottle feeding, and eating cookies and milk at 3 am, Lucky has grown to a flash of black and white as he zooms from room to room. Bottle feeding? Yes. Sound familiar? Yes. It took me back to those days when I did the same with my wife for our two boys, who are now 16 and 21. I loved it all.

Lucky has fallen again. This time into my heart. I'm glad I took the time to stop the day my gift was delivered to accept something so precious. Lucky has made me stop many times recently, right in the middle of a bad day, and realize just how lucky I am as well.

Merry Christmas to you all. Give yourself a gift. Stop for a brief moment. Take it all in. If possible, gaze through the eyes of a child. A view of Christmas full of awe, wonder and overflowing joy as they focus on the bounty of gifts and the reality that Santa didn't pass them over this year.  That view illustrates the reality of what we all have, and have been given. It's that first gift of Christmas, that we all need to open every year.

As Tiny Tim said, "God Bless us All, Everyone."

D