Hellidays or Holidays?

Here it is, the Sunday before "the holidays" officially start.  Or rather, as those of us in retail think of them, "the hellidays".   Getting organized is one of the things I do the weekend before it all starts.  Things I'm not using, things I don't need, things that need to be cleaned - it all gets done so that the heavy duty stuff doesn't need to be done when I'm tired, overworked or yes, even cranky.

I've done all the laundry, even the bathroom rugs; I've vacuumed, dusted and wiped down every flat surface.  Yesterday, I finished off some painting on the outside of the house - only because it was an 80 degree day, perfect for getting things done.   After lunch I'm going to go outside and get things battened down, they are predicting rain during the week.

With a pork roast and some hamburgs all cooked up for the week, the only thing I need to do is cook up my beef stew on Wednesday.  That'll be a perfect thing to come home to after a long night of working the Thanksgiving Day 6pm sale.

Despite all the complaining among retail workers, we all are thankful for our jobs, our families, all the things in our lives that make living easier.  Losing Dad over the past year, I feel the loss of him even more in the holidays.  It's been almost a year, and I still want to pick up the phone and call him, asking advice for how to fix this or that -- and I can't.  All I can do is ask myself "What would Dad do?"  And more often than not, the thing that comes to mind is something he's already taught me, and I can get the job done.

This holiday season, be grateful for your own situation.
Even among bad things that happen, good things are happening too.
May you be blessed during your own holiday celebrations!