Depot Bay

DNA

Recently an organization I love seems to have lost some of it's DNA. What do I mean by DNA? Well, I mean people basically. The organization I'm referring to has lost some very important people that form the foundation, or backbone of what makes this organization what it is. Or what it was.

In this day and age people come and go - We are a fluid society - We need to embrace change, blah, blah, blah...I'm not bitter, I'm just tired. Tired of losing good people, watching my heritage walk away. Or be sent away in some cases.

But we must not loose our basic DNA. If we do, we just might become a really strange mutation. Ever see The Fly?

From what I read, the purpose of DNA has to do with long-term storage of information. It's been compared to a blue print or a recipe. In this case I'm referring to people that have been there all along, through thick and thin, they help form the genetic blue print of who we are as an organization.

It reminds me of when Dave used to run summer camp, every evening would end with a fun and inspiring campfire. Tired kids, parents and staff would gather around a roaring fire and laugh at great skits and sing together. (Hey Dave, remember when you would sing 'Forever Young' and the parents would all cry?!) Those old skits were part of the DNA of a good camp.

Some of the same skits were used year after year, but even so Dave and his staff would start out the summer by training the new leaders the old skits, the way they were meant to be. I asked Dave why he had to teach the same old skits over again, and he replied, "Because if we don't, they have a strange way of mutating."

It will be interesting to see what this organization does. In the mean time I watch, pray, support and hang on to my fly swatter!

Big Christmas Gift

My friend at work helped me see one of those Christmas traditions I never realized I had. I gave all my work friends a little something and on many of them I wrote something sappy like, "my big Christmas gift this year is working with you!"

So immediately one of my co-workers jokingly complained, "Hey, what do you mean by 'big' Christmas gift? Is that a crack about my weight?!" (no, K.E., it wasn't meant to be a cheap shot!)

Then I realized it is a tradition in my family to talk about the 'big gift.' It's not that we were spoiled or demanding. In fact I think it was my Mom's way of breaking it to us that Santa might only bring one thing that year (even though we were on the nice list.) Mom would approach us with the question, "If you could only get one present this year, what would it be?"

For us, the big gift is the one that if you got nothing else, you would still be excited. So, when I say working with you is my big gift this year, what I mean is that I'm really thankful and excited about it. And content.

I got to hang out with a bunch of friends the other evening who's beliefs are very different than mine. For them, Christmas is only about what Santa brings. But for me, part of the reason I can have peace and contentment in this crazy life, is because for me Christmas is about the birth of Christ, Our Lord. Luke 2 shares it beautifully. He (Jesus) is the ultimate 'big gift.'

Another tradition in my family is that on Christmas Eve we could only open one gift. Somehow it always ended up being pajamas. Yet for several years we were genuinely surprised by this...so guess what my kids are getting on Christmas Eve? (Shhhh, it's a secret!)