Monday, December 22, 2008

A LITLE MEANS A LOT

I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY. MY HEALTH IS GOOD, MY FAMILY IS FINE, AND, FOR THE MOMENT I STILL HAVE A JOB. NOT EVERYBODY CAN SAY THAT. THINGS ARE TOUGH, AND DURING THE HOLIDAYS FOR MANY FAMILIES THEIR SITUATION BECOMES LIKE AN OPEN WOUND. YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK AND ASK YOU, OUR LISTENERS,TO GIVE WHATEVER YOU CAN, WHETHER ITS MONEY, A GIFT, FOOD, WHATEVER TO A CHARITY. IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE A BIG THING. BUT IT ISN'T. EVEN AFTER CHRISTMAS,FAMILIES CONTINUE TO SUFFER. IF EVERY ONE US DONATES JUST 1 FROZEN TURKEY, OR JUST 5 DOLLARS (WHICH IS ONE FAST FOOD LUNCH), OR PICKS UP A SIMPLE 10 DOLLAR ITEM AT A STORE, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. PLEASE SLOW DOWN FOR 1 MINUTE IN THE NEXT 9 DAYS-LOOK AROUND, APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE. YOU'LL FIND ONCE YOU DO THAT, ITS A LOT EASIER TO GET SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE YOU WILL PROBABLY NEVER MEET. MERRY CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 1, 2008

IT'S TOUGH OUT THERE

My good friend lost his job in July because of cutbacks. Recently my company decided to change our vacation policy. For me it meant losing 2 weeks of vacation a year. My boss asked me how I felt about that. I said, "Well, I still have a job and I am thankful for that. It's happening everywhere, and it doesn't surprise me." Some people are really upset about the change in policy. I get that-but we all have to slow down and look around. Our country's unemployment rate is skyrocketing, and you know what-nobody is hiring people. In the big picture, those 2 weeks of vacation mean nothing. We have all had to make sacrifices of one kind or another with our job. A radio talk host in Minneapolis was asked to take a 10% cut in pay to limit the number of layoffs the station would have to make. He said yes to that in a heartbeat. So if your company is asking you to do more with less, or forgo a bonus, or take a small cut-it could be a lot worse.
Think of my good friend. And I bet you have a good friend who has been affected as well.