Friday, November 11, 2011

You Will Change the World



Okay,
so it's apparent that this time of year begins to be stressful for a lot of people.

I heard that yesterday was a tough one for several friends
for a variety of reasons,
and I've had 9 requests for prayer 
for people I know
who have either fallen off ladders and broken bones,
or had their two year olds hospitalized,
or been diagnosed with cancer,
or lost their job,
or had something terrible and destructive happen
in their life,
or who are just plain stressed to the breaking point due to a series of little issues.

Friendships have teetered on the brink after a lifetime,
couples have separated,
and in general it's seemed like a really hard week for a lot of people!

I cannot hope to solve any of these problems of course,
but I can address the fact that many are hurting 
and in need of an extra dose 
of
TLC
and prayer.



Here's what I propose . . . 

Go out today with the intent to be a catalyst for change 
in your circle of influence.

Now, I know you can't solve any of these problems, either . . . 

But . . . 
If I know this many folks who are having a hard time, then you do as well.
Multiply that by several tens of millions of folks around the world,
 and it all might just seem a little hopeless . . .

Now
consider that you have a sphere of influence
which includes every person you see today.



Yes, YOU!

Your smile
your gentle word
your helpful hand
the cup of coffee
or the inclusion in conversation
or whatever kindness you can afford to extend
may be the effort that saves that person in some way.

Let someone merge into traffic,
give them a hand,
touch their life in some soft way
and
it may remove the one straw that would have
 'broken the camel's back'.

A touch on the arm or the shoulder is risky in our society
and I do it every day.
Human touch is healing to the spirit.


A well chosen kindness is theraputic.
You know what I'm talking about.
Someone once did that for you.
Pass it along.

Tip the waitress a little extra,
smile at someone,
say thanks, in a big way that lets someone know their job makes a difference.
Let the person with three items get in line in front of you at the checkout counter.

Sacrifice something, for someone else's joy.
A compliment will change someone's whole outlook on life.

You might never know how much.

I challenge you to do this for a day
and to see if
you might just like it so much you do it for another day.

I will suggest that if enough of us did this for a month,
it would change the world.


To the world you may only be one person,
but to one person, 
you may be the world!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

It Was Lovely!



The Christmas Open House at
 PATINA ANTIQUES
went off without a hitch
and 
for two glorious days
our precious customers streamed in and enjoyed the
holiday cheer!

They found vintage and antique Christmas treasures
as well as
fresh delights to adorn their trees

their mantles
and their packages!

Mercury glass, glitter, greenery, holly berries,
handmade stockings
garlands, lace, crystal,
 and 
pearly, wiry,
 rusty, peely paint,
leathery,
chippy,
silvery
little treats
were chosen,
wrapped,
and whisked away!

There was ironstone and silverplate
French feedsack and warm, mellow treen
chosen with care
to grace holiday tables
and fill boxes under the tree.



Galvanized tin pots
and
stone urns will hold fir trees.





There was champagne
and chocolates
and ginger snaps
and candy canes
and visions of sugar plums
dancing in our heads 







There were many hugs and smiles
 and the days were surely blessed
and I'm thankful
and content
and pleased!


Spending time with the folks
who truly appreciate and enjoy the beautiful things
that I love,
makes my heart happy!

There will be lots of pretties coming in each day,
carefully chosen to excite and deight,

so please come visit
and
enjoy the season!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

That Time of Year




In independent retail businesses, 
particularly the small business owned and operated by one person,
the Christmas season is the
 "make it, or break it" 
time of the year.

We work tremendously hard for 10 months, 
and then in the 2 months prior to Christmas, 
we can do the same amount of sales we did in the previous 10.

Knowing this to be true,
these two months become very significant to our well being.

Did I say, "very significant"?
Okay, truthfully, these two months are way too important.
They can be stressful and frustrating and difficult and back breaking.
They can make you lose sleep and work in your shop till midnight, only to drive 20 miles home in a blowing, blinding snow storm, sleep a few hours and go out and scrape the 7" of snow off your car, drive back to work, and do it all over again.

They can disrupt your sleep, your attitude, your appetite and your general ability to communicate with others without taking a bite out of them.
No one moves fast enough, cares enough, has the sense of your need to complete a task,
or apparently any idea of the urgency with which you seemingly must live through these weeks.
The world should be in "fast forward" with you

but

t h e y 
a r e 
i n
s   l   o   w
m    o    t    i    o    n




Okay . . .
I'm a crazy woman when it comes to my 
"one woman show"
of holiday retail.

The shop must be turned inside out
redecorated
holiday-ized
and
it should
(in my mind)
be found to be one of the very nicest and most loved shopping spots in
the front range.

Now,
appearing in 
Victoria Magazine 
last winter certainly raised the bar.
Winning
  5280 Magazine's
Editor's Choice Award as
Top of the Town
in
 Home Accessories category
two successive years,
added to my stress to impress.
Winning 
Esprit 'd Noel's 
Christmas House Tour
to benefit Children's Hospital,
and appearing in 
Colorado Homes and Lifestyle
this month
was another beautiful compliment for
 PATINA ANTIQUES.
It also adds the challenge of surpassing last year's grandeur
 when we decorate for the tour
THIS YEAR
and try to do everything with a fresh new eye
to captivate our customers' imagination.

When the magazine spread appears on the news stand
the week of your annual
CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE,
(to which you've invited several thousand of your best customers,
 friends, family, competiton and hottest critics),

you can begin to tremble and shake



with the need to keep
 "out doing"
 what you've done in the past.
Your dreams and conversation can be peppered with phrases like, 
"over the top" and "outside the box" and "killer"
 and well . . . 
you get my drift . . .


But,
this year
I'm taking it a little easy.

I'm trusting that what I can do will be accomplished,
and what I can't do - only I will know about.
That there really is no amount of stress and frustration that can improve
 who I am
or
what I do.

I'll say my prayers and do my best
 and count on my creativity and my blessings
 to spring from God.

I will plan my work
and
work my plan
and ask that it's blessed.

Perhaps this is a sign of age - (hopefully maturity)?

I will take time for my friends
have a cup of coffee
smile at strangers
return my shopping cart
have my grandchildren spend the night 
take donuts to the guys at Grease Monkey
leave a gift on my neighbors doorstep
bake cookies
have a Christmas party
and
 trust! 


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