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NEW BOOKSTORE UP AND RUNNING!
Thank you
to everyone who let me know the book links in last month's Random
Thoughts did not work! We have switched over to a brand new
bookstore format and I am so excited about all of the goodies we will
be stocking on the shelves! You no longer have to leave your cozy
little chair to order any of these items. PLEASE SEND ME AN
E-MAIL IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PURCHASE BOOKS, ETC. for the next couple of
days, I want to make sure we are getting the info. Please e-mail Gina@AchieveWithPinnacle.com
We have LOTS of CHANGES
this month with a brand new website launching, new programs, a new book
and more. Check out our website and let us know your thoughts--we
mean it--send me a quick message to let me know how we can continue to
improve! We still have more work to do, but let us know what you
think! www.AchieveWithPinnacle.com is the new business site and you can enter the bookstore from there or you can go directly to www.AchieveWithPinnacle.com/oscommerce to check out books and other resources.
Look for some brand new (FUN) products next month!
Life on Auto Pilot
I was in the grocery store the other day standing in line for my
daily Caramel Macchiato, and I kept trying to swipe my
Albertson's card in the card reader (you get a free coffee drink after
buying seven if you track them through your card). After several
attempts, I complained to my favorite barista, Rosemary, that her
machine was not working. She walked over, smiled at me and
pointed to the sign that was attached to the machine that read, "DO NOT SCAN ALBERTSON'S CARD." Okay how did I not see that?
We meet someone and forget their name in 15 seconds. We walk right
past someone we know, but do not acknowledge them. We drive to
and from work and then wonder how we got there since we don't
remember actually driving. When we are running at break-neck
speeds, we tend to put our lives
on auto-pilot.
So before the
holiday crowds overwhelm you and you completely zone out, take your
life off of auto pilot and really connect with the people you come in
contact with this month. Pay attention to the color of their
eyes, or what they are wearing. Be all there as people are
speaking to you--this alone is a wonderful gift this Christmas season.
TRIVIA
1. Which of the following names does NOT belong to one of the 3 kings (3 wise men)?
A. Caspar B. Balthazar C. Teleost D. Melchoir
2. After Scrooge has reformed his life at the
end of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, he invites Bob Cratchet to
join him for some "smoking bishop." What did he mean?
A. A
fast variation of chess, played in London
B. Premium pipe tobacco C. Hot spiced
drink D. A Christmas pudding soaked in
brandy and set alight
3. In Victorian England, turkeys were popular
for Christmas dinners. Some of the birds were raised in Norfolk, and
taken to market in London. To get them to London, the turkeys:
A.
were herded by sheepdogs B. Flew C.
were transported in wagons called "turkey vans" D. were
supplied with boots made of leather and walked
4. What year was the real Saint Nicholas born?
A.
1936 AD B. 280
AD C. 150
BC D. 1890 AD
5. Dave has the unlucky task of managing the
three Chipmunks that sing many Christmas favorites. Can you name
the three Chipmunks?
A. Matthew Mark & Luke
B. Simon, Theodore & Alvin
C. Dale, Chip & Alvin
D. Bubba, Zeek & Jazzy
The Man and the Birds ~ as told by Paul Harvey
(This is my favorite Christmas Story)
Unable to trace its proper parentage, I have designated this as
my Christmas Story of the Man and the Birds. You know, THE Christmas
Story, the God born a man in a manger and all that escapes some
moderns, mostly, I think, because they seek complex answers to their
questions and this one is so utterly simple. So for the cynics and the
skeptics and the unconvinced I submit a modern parable.
**********
Now the man to whom I'm going to introduce you was not a
scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his
family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn't
believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at
Christmas Time. It just didn't make sense and he was too honest to
pretend otherwise. He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God
coming to Earth as a man.
"I'm truly sorry to distress you,"
he told his wife, "but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas
Eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he'd much rather just
stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and
they went to the midnight service. Shortly after the family drove away
in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the
flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside
chair and began to read his newspaper.
Minutes later he was
startled by a thudding sound. Then another, and then another. Sort of a
thump or a thud. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs
against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to
investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow.
They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter,
had tried to fly through his large landscape window. Well, he couldn't
let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn
where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm
shelter, if he could direct the birds to it.
Quickly he put on
a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He
opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come
in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the
house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail
to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his
dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap
around helplessly in the snow.
He tried catching them. He
tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his
arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm,
lighted barn. And then, he realized, that they were afraid of him. To
them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I
could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me. That I
am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move
he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not
follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him.
"If
only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them
and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then
I could show them the way to safe, warm ...to the safe warm barn. But I
would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and
understand."
At that moment the church bells began to ring.
The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood
there listening to the bells - Adeste Fidelis - listening to the bells
pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the
snow.
Say Merry Christmas in Any Language...well almost!
Mandarin Chinese- Kung His Itsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
French- Joyeux Noel
Greek - Kala Christouyenna!
Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha Cheva tova
Hindi - Shub Naya Baras
Japanese - Shinnen Omedeto
Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha
American Merry Christmas (in case you have forgotten!)
NEW NEW NEW
If life is driving you crazy...
learn to enjoy the ride!
This time you can really purchase,
"Perfectly Imbalanced" , an interactive, stress-management tool and workbook! Packed with humor and exercises to help you manage the madness! A great Christmas gift!
Click Here to Order:
ORDER THIS BOOKhttp://www.Achievewithpinnacle.com/oscommerce
Get your "Imbalanced" T-shirt here as well. For only $20.00 you can tell the world that You are Perfectly Imbalanced! E-mail Gina@AchieveWithPinnacle.com
Other Gift Ideas:
Tony the Toenail, Hot Air Balloons & Other Stories to Lift Your Spirits
A
collection of favorite stories like Tony the Toenail, "Beauty in
your own backyard" along with plenty of new stories like Unc and Tale
with Two Sides. If you are tired of chicken soup but love a good
story, this will hit the spot!
Marriage Mechanics: A Tune Up for the Highway of LOVE! 
Does your relationship need a "Tune Up?"Get ready for
Sparks with Marriage Mechanics Marriage Mechanics: A Tune Up for the
Highway of Love
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ASK BOB 
A Regular Column on Relationships
by Man's Best Friend
Q: In
our office, we always do a "Secret Santa" gift exchange. I think the
whole concept is silly and I don't feel I should have to buy a gift for
someone that I really don't know or like that well. This week I drew
the name of a coworker that I really don't like. She is rude to
me, brisk with everyone and never has a kind word to say when
she comes in the door. I asked if I could draw again to see if I could
get someone else, but I was the last person and hers was the last name
in the hat. I am sure everyone else threw this woman's name back too.
Would it be totally inappropriate to just blow the whole thing off?
A: Someone
once told me that there isn't a person you couldn't love, once you knew
their story! I think what they meant was there are people that have a
very hard crust around them, like a cocoon they have tightly woven to
protect themselves from the hurts of this world. It causes others to
stay away. When you try and understand their story, you sometimes start
to see the hurt and pain that has made them the crankster they are.
This doesn't mean you have to ask them about their past, but perhaps
you can try and understand what might make a person so angry or
negative.
Perhaps this woman has no one in her life
that shows kindness to her, or maybe being nasty brings at least some
attention to a lonely soul. People often misunderstand me. Someone that
works here (and I WILL mention names...Lilly) is always calling me
"Angry Dog" or "Cranky Boy"and it makes me behave angrier around her
and all of her friends!
Sometimes we become who others think
we are. Look past her cocoon and try stuffing her Secret Santa stocking
with kindness this month--it may be all she receives this Christmas.
Q. Hey Bob! Everyone talks about "regifting." What are your thoughts on this issue?
A. I
usually receive great treats as gifts from everyone here at
the office and would never think of "regifting," as you called it,
but last year I received a goofy Santa costume that everyone expected
me to wear for their entertainment. It was humiliating! I
couldn't take it back and didn't know any other dogs that are my size,
so I decided to play my own version of "Secret Santa." I
secretly went through several of the gifts here at the office and at
home tearing into cookies, wonderful chocolates and topped it off with
a whole box of chocolate covered espresso beans! Let's just say, I
"regifted" those items the next day! The bonus...No one is buying
me stupid reindeer or Santa costumes this year!
COMING SOON...BOB is coming out with some EXCITING video clips! Stay Tuned to www.AchieveWithPinnacle.com !
Bob "Barker" is the faithful companion to
the Schreck family and resides in Littleton, Colorado. Like most dogs,
Bob is a relationship expert and would love to answer your questions.
Just send mail to Bob@schrecktalk.com
DID YOU KNOW?
When you stop believing in Santa Clause, is when you start getting clothes for Christmas!
Would You Rather...
(A new mental game to challenge your thinking each month and spark conversations at work and home!)
- Would you rather...be able to walk on water forever or fly for three hours on three different occasions?
- Would you rather...always lose, or never play?
- Would you rather...have to kill a wild rattlesnake while you
are armed with only a bowling ball, or sit still while thousands of
honeybees form a beard on your face?
- Would you rather... only be able to spend a total of three
months a year with your significant other, or be handcuffed together
for life?
- Would you rather...sleep in a human-size nest in a tree, or a burrow underground?
P O W
(Pearls of Wisdom)
When we were children we were grateful to
those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not
grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?
~G.K. Chesterton
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.
~Norman Vincent Peale
I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
~Charles Dickens
Monthly Challenge!
Give the gift of listening intently for 5 minutes to people in your life!
Write a
letter to an old teacher or someone who made a positive impact in
your life and tell them how much you appreciate them and Merry
Christmas!
WISE CRACKS!
In a small Southern town there was a "Nativity Scene" that showed
great skill and talent had gone into creating it. One small feature
bothered me. The three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets. Totally
unable to come up with a reason or explanation, I left. At a "Quick
Stop" on the edge of town, I asked the lady behind the counter about
the helmets. She exploded into a rage, yelling at me, "You damn Yankees
never do read the Bible!" I assured her that I did, but simply couldn't
recall anything about firemen in the Bible. She jerked her Bible from
behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, and finally jabbed
her finger at a passage. Sticking it in my face she said "See, it says
right here, 'The three wise man came from afar.'"
-------------------------------------------------------
In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the
Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it
'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and
drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry
Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the
wall!'
~Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide"
Answers to Trivia
1. C. Teleost. A teleost is a type of fish, belonging to the same family as the eel.
2. C.
Mulled wines were popular festive drinks in 19th-century London. They
were undoubtedly much safer to drink than the untreated water. To make
Smoking Bishop, take 6 bitter oranges and stick them with 6 cloves
each. Put them in a bowl, cover with (cheap) red wine, and set in a
warm place for a day. Squeeze the oranges into the wine and strain. Add
port. Heat, and serve with a cinnamon stick.
3. D The
turkeys were walked to market. The boots protected their feet from the
frozen mud on the road. Boots were not used for geese; instead tar was
painted on the bottoms of their feet.
4. B A
real man born in AD280 in Asia Minor, became bishop of Myna, (now
Demre, Turkey). It’s said he was born in a wealthy family and upon
inheriting his father’s fortune he gave it all away to the poor. Saint
Nicholas was imprisoned by Emperor Diocletian for being a Christian. He
died in AD343, with Dec. 6th being the date observed for his death. He
was noted for his begging money for the needy and also disguising
himself from being recognized, (since he was a very popular Bishop of
the church), then going around villages and giving to the poor
children. Many stories and legends have sprung up about him. Since
after his death it has always been quite popular to dress like him and
give out gifts to children at Christmas time.
5. B Simon, Theodore and ALVIN!!!
© 2005
Feel free to forward this to all of your friends, family members and even those you don’t particularly
care for!
It may not be sung in a high school
play, written in sand on beaches west of Belize or photocopied without
our permission though, so for reprint permission, please call
303-978-0887.
"Random Thoughts" is a monthly email distributed by The Pinnacle Group & SchreckTalk Keynotes. www.Schrecktalk.com |