A Job at Macy's

    It started as a retiree's attempt to do someting different ... and a goal of accomplishing a buck-list item: marching in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

   I have watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade every year for my whole life. In addition I have watched "Miracle on 34th Street" ... I do not know how many times. From these two habits (which I blame on my parents), I developed the idea of marching in the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

   I went on-line to find out what it would take. The website said, "Parade participants are primarily employees or associates of Macy’s or its affiliated companies." I applied (note: seasonal positions open in September). Because the labor market is so tight, Macy's responded (they probably would have anyway), and hired me for a seasonal positon (November - January) in Holiday Sales. That requires I live in New York City ... because I wanted to work at Herald Square. (a person could work at a Macy's closer to home ... I just wanted the "real" experience).

   The job has been rewarding. Although I did not get in the parade this year, I did find a path to participate next year. (I will probably write a blog on that when it happens). In the Macy's Holiday Decorations Department, the amazing thing (I should not have been surprised) is that I have met people from all over the world.

   I should mention (because I would like to sell some copies of my book Advent Journeys) that I gave a copy to my manager to read. Did you know the R.H. Macy's father ran a bookstore on Nantucket?? This was his first retail experience.

   While working in the job, I found I am not the only one with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on my bucket-list. I talked to one customer from South Dakota who told me it was one of his dreams. Please look for me in the Parade next year.

Prepare the Turkey

      Preparing the Turkey, I used to be charged with this task when I worked in a church. I needed to make all the arrangements to feed 150-200 people (and later more). For me, this was less a task about cooking than about organization. And because I was good about organization, it was done on time and without worries.

     The first year I was charged with this task, I was told to enlist six people who would each cook one turkey. YES, I signed myself up as one of them, and I cooked and sliced the turkey. The turkey I prepared and the other five came ready for table service. It was great, and I could enjoy my time with people ... yes, a part of the season is about people.

Turkey Float in the Macys Parade

     I discovered over the years, as the congregation grew, when I plan to purchase turkeys, I need a pound for every person I expected. For Turkey that gives a half pound serving of meat and a half pound of waste (bone and skin). That is about what people serve themselves. If the crowd is older or eats lighter, cut the amount in half (or adjust)

     I came to the point where I could bypass reservations by using the previous year's attendance as a basis and factor in growth of the church. This worked well, and eliminated the hastle of people not making reservations.

     The other part of the church plan was covered dish ... in the first church. In some later churches, a standard fare was prepared ... sometimes with hired cooks, sometimes with volunteers.  

     Finally, I prepare soemthing else ... entertainment for the people. This can be a devotion, a conversation prompt, or something else, like pictures.

     If you want to do something extra special, order this book, and give one to each family. This keeps the holiday spirit continuing through Christmas.

A Christmas Journey

      Christmas is a time of travel: physically, mentally, spiritually and spiritually. Because of this fact, I have seen great personal anxiety occur in people who do not prepare a plan ahead of this highly charged season.

     What is your Christmas like? Do you look forward to these days with active anticipation, or do you dread what is coming and just hope to hang on and survive. Is the season enjoyable or fearsome? Do you enjoy getting out, or would you prefer all the hubub go away so you can relax, drink a cup of hot choclate, and escape the reindeer race?

     Christmas occurs when the sun is the lowest in the sky and days are shorter than any time of the year. Because of this people put out lights, wich bring a spark of energy to neighborhoods. Also, because of the early sunset, gettin out can be dangerous or avoided due to depresion. This should not happen.

     Christmas is meant to be a time of contact and interactions, starting at the Thanksgiving season. It is a time when life should slow down, and energy should be spent on strengthening family and friendship relationships. Therfore, travel is a necessity. Sometimes the travel is across country (plan this in advance for less stress and cost savings). Travel can be on an airplane, by car, or on a train (have you tried that one?) Planning ahead is of great help.

     December is also a time of functions, work parties, and social gatherings. These should be planned and calendared well in advance also. Are you throwing a party? Buy the goods early, perhaps at Thanksgiving food sales. Then the event becomes more hastle free, one thing off the list.

     And also automate invitations and house cleaning. If a day is set, and a plan made, all things become easier. And The easier an event is to host, the more enjoyable it becomes for you. If everything is done in advance, there will be no last minute rush to do the things that should have occurred earlier.

     Travel, functions (which we journey to attend - even if it is across town) take time and draw energy. That is why I put "mentally' on the list. We need to make mental preparation ... physically for the events is good mentally for us, because there is less worry. Also we can place the plan on the calendar, so we can know where we should be in advance.

     And finally, we should prepare spiritually. Christmas should be a time to draw closer to God, to become more spiritual ... that is what the holiday (holy day) is about. How do you prepare for that? I would recomment the book: Advent Journeys. You can order it on Amazon.com. It has short daily readings guaranteed to put spiritual meaning in the holiday.

     With correct preparation, the season can be wonderful, and full of enjoyment. Are you prepared?

 

The Christmas Hikes

   Have you ever thought deeply about what life must have been like for the people we read about in the Bible? I mean, what was it really: like when Joseph found out Mary was pregnant ... and then when he was told he must pay his taxes in Bethlehem. Have you ever thought about how difficult the trip must have been as Joseph traveled with Mary, who was nearing her time of delivery? How did they traverse the mountains, what did they eat, and where did they sleep? These real people, who were forced into a difficult situation. Would you travel with them if you could? 

   You can! Through a guide entitled Advent Journeys, available on Amazon.com. 

   You can also meet and travel with the Magi, on their way from Parthia to Bethlehem. (And you will be in the room when they meet King Herod!)

Sheep eating leaves of an Olive Tree in Israel

   This guide will allow you to listen in on the voices of the Shepherds as they watched their sheep in the fields near Bethlehem.

   The book  Advent Journeys is designed to lead you into Christmas through short daily readings, beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Please order the book today, so you can read it this season and begin to experience the journeys described in the Bible.

Time for Thanksgiving

    Rush, rush, rush ... that is all some people do! Life is lived by going from place to place, from one task to another, and always on the job ... or eating, or sleeping. These rushing people are the ones that make us curse on the road (because they cut us off), are impatient, and issue rude comments and complaints. (Ephesians 4:32)

   God's antedote to all this wild activity is "Thanksgiving." The giving of Thanks is encouraged throughout the Bible. Thanksgiving is an activitiy that requires us to sloooow doooownnn and to observe the world around us. 

Turkeys spotted on the side of the road in Sleepy Hollow, NY

   What can you give thanks for?  

   At this time of year, the color in the trees! And you can also give thanks for the variety of trees, and plants, and turf to walk on. Give thanks for Gardeners ... and if it is a natural area, to the God of Creation who placed each object in its place: which means giving thanks for the terrain, including the rocks and streams. And don't forget the animals.  ... take time to smell the roses!

Take time to smell the roses!

     And now that you have taken time to enjoy the things the eye beholds, take time to Thank God (Yes, we do this one often ... although sometimes not in the detail that we should) for the tastes provided in the foods we eat. And not just the obvious (What meats, vegetables and fruits did you eat today ... that includes pies, and the dairy product known as Ice Cream), but also the small. Have you ever noticed how a touch of this spice or that enhances the flavor. And, while you are at it, remember the cook, the server, the grocer, and the farmer.  And God who provides the rain.

A Jazz Musician playing his tune

   And we need to thank God for the things we hear, like music, other people (and that other people can hear us), the leaves rustling, animals and activities nearby, and even our own breating (life is a miracle), heart beat,and noises made when we move. Pray for people who are losing their hearing (and be patient with them ... because most people, including you, will have hearing loss in old age). 

Israel's largest waterfall at Banias, which flows into the Jordan

   And we should give thanks for the things we can feel, like the water trickling under our feet in a cool mountain streem, over our heads from a waterfall or the rain, or on our bodies like the waves of the ocean, water from our morning shower, or the stream from the faucet over our hands. we can give thanks for different textures and surfaces. And we can also give thanks for the love we recieve and can give. Let us always recognize the feelings that come not just from our surroundings and other people, but the feelings that come from reieving God's care.

   Make sure to give thanks every day this season.

The Journey

   "The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7) 

   The beginning of life ... and the beginning of the Journey. We don't think much about the journey at the beginning: everything is new! Bright lights, a new room, new faces, and what is that thing that just passed by my face .... there it is again ... oh, its my hand! What else do I have? 

   The journey begins with freshness, exploration and discovery. We meet our family, discover our spaces, and meet new friends. In the first five years, learning increases and our journey is enriched. Then comes school. How good are our teachers ... and our parents: do they encourage learning, or are they stand-offish? 

   At this point, is our life placed into a routine and are our parent's expectations input into us, or are we allowed to explore and discover ourselves and our world. God endows each person with special gifts and abilities. Our young lives and teenage years are to be times of discovery with encouragement to explore ... that is an important part of the journey!

The world has many places to explore

   As we age, there are more and more places to explore. I have watched some families cling so tight to children that they never sightsee, but stay close to home their entire lives. (I know people who have never traveled more than 50 miles from the place where they were born! Sad ... they have missed so much!)
   This world is a beautiful place. Ever year when visiting family, I traveled from the eastern seaboard, to the planes of Kansas, and also to the Rocky Mountains. Each place is so different, and each has unique beauty. God created these places to explore.

Tall Mountains have a unique beauty

   "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." (Ecclesiastes 3:1) In life there is a time when we are young and full of vitality. Journeys from childhood to youth to young adulthood give us experiences with which to build life. Of course there are work years (There is a time for everything), and vacations. And then retirement. If we have our health (Yes, proper diet and exercise, as well as fresh experiences help), we can extend the journey.

   Personally, I have traveled, and taken on a variety of bucketlist jobs in my early retirement. I have dug at archaelogical sites, served as tour guide, led classes as a specialist, worked as a gardener, helped in disaster relief, explored national parks, written books, participated as an election worker, driven limos as a chaffuer, and even worked the Christmas season at Macys. All are fulfilling in their own way and add variety to life.

   The journey from birth to old age ... there is but one life to live ... and so much to fit in. 

Rembering the Other Side

 In the immediate past, I feel like i have been forced into a tunnel. This tunnel is a dark, isolated, insulated, cut off zone that can be navigated with a lantern (headlights or a flashlight) if you have one. But all too often individuals are forced into the tunnel with few resources and must grope their way ahead through the dark, hoping there is a way out ... and life will become like normal on the other side.

Autumn colors accent a tunnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway

 So, what has forced us into the tunnel? The three things that come to mind immediately are Covid, Politics, and the economy. Take a minute to honestly think: How has your personal life changed since 1) the political upheavel which has become more and more pronounced during the approach to 2016, 2) during and after the Covid lockdown, 3) during this time of high inflation?

Crop protecting Scarecrow at the Cradle of Forestry

 In the past, I remember a time when political officials of both parties spoke to each other, and to us as the people sensibly. Now that only happens behind the scenes. Our officals have allowed themselves to become a seethig mess of protective platforming to stay in the good graces of their political party ... Can you remember the time when our elected officials used their brains to think through issues, along with their ears (we have 2 of them) and mouth (our one mouth should be used less, and only when the opposition has been heard and the brain has been shifted into gear) in order to come to the best solution to each problem.

 Do you remember when politicians spoke to real issues (instead of side issues or smoke screens)? Ads and articles brought out ideas and dwelt on solutions 'if elected,' rather than blatent attacks based on lies or myths about the other candadate. Members of congress are supposed to work together, which cannot happen if there is political baggage. We need to get away from attacking the dummy scarecrow (or effigy), and treat people like souls created in the image of God. (Mt 22:37-40)

A deer resting in the quietness at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

 Over the past three years, the Covid Pandemic has greatly impacted our lives. can you remember life before the lockdown? Attendance at public events has plumited, and we have yet to find normalcy again. 

 Our society was infused with lies and misinformation during the pandemic, which many believed was fake ... and the stricken will testify is truth. With a bit of masking, a time of distancing, and total vaccination, much harm could have been avoided. But it was not. And the consequences continue.

 In the time of our greatest need leadership (public and private) chose to fight ... rather than find solutions. It was almost as if our nation was forced to take on the character of Rip Van Winkle ... is it safe to wake up? (Psalm 28)

Like the Washington Irving's character, many have lost their heads

 Over the past 10 years, it seems, many people have lost their heads. Deep fissues have developed between individuals who were formerly friends. Our society lives in anger and fear. A veil of darkness has descended upon us stirred by an explosion of inflation. Can we ever be normal?

 God thinks so ... in the Bible there are many words of comfort, strength, direction and peace. (When is the last time you really read the Bible ... for the Bible itself, rather than a manipulative sermon ... and prayed for God's truth?) The Bible uses history to display God's presence in the most horific of times, and the Almighty's desire for true believers to find stability amidst society's seismic jolts. 

 Jesus, in the days leading up to his death and as a prelude to the time period that led up to the devistation of Jerusalem and the loss of the Temple itself said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (Jn 14:27) Take these words to heart ... and find your footing.

The view from above teaches that after every valley there is a beautiful mountaintop!

 It will be ok ... life will continue ... what will your life be like on this side of the tunnel?