Autumn in the North Cemetery.

Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?



These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.


Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...

...seems to be working so far

Friday, December 16, 2011

A Season For Head And Heart

During this time of year, the holiday season, a spell is cast.  The thoughts each religion, and group, has regarding their celebrations has a way of steering them, molding their behavior, changing their outlook, and even the words they speak, for the better.  More sincere smiles, longer, and firmer handshakes, more conviction in wishes for a happy holiday, and a better new year, all are part of the wonderful spell that the darkest of months brings to us all.

For most, the seasons spell melts away into the January thaw, but each year, there are those of us that are captured by the spirit of well wishing, brotherhood, unity, and salvation that we decide to stay, and be that person throughout the year.  Sure beats the heck out being seasonally schizophrenic, and keeping our family guessing as to which person we'll be depending upon the solstice.

Believe me.

Yesterday I met a salesperson in one of the shops at Blackstone Valley that was not only helpful because she is a salesperson, she was also happy, and sincere about her helping because it is who she is.  At first I thought that she was just affected by the "spell", but the more I lingered as the sale was completed, the more I saw that it was her true person showing through, not the corporate "HoHoHo".  It nice to meet someone with this natural ability to make me feel good as I spent my money.  It was also good to know that there will be someone else that she will interact that may not be in the best of moods, or maybe in a bit of a holiday funk, and they will be in a better place after being with her for just a few minutes.

Their wallet may not be in a better place, but the head, and heart will be, and that is one of the many side effects of the season.

So, on that note, may your head and heart be touched this season enough to share that touch with another.

And, that is the spirit of all who celebrate this season, the giving.  It sneaks up on you, and before you know it, you are giving, and sharing, without really knowing it.

Keep it up; it's what keeps us going for the rest of the year.









3 comments:

  1. Wally, thanks for another great posting. You just naturally get it - the key to it all. It's that "smile on your face for the whole human race," the caring, the unpretentious easiness with people that makes good old friends out of total strangers.

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  2. Thank you for sharing. You just put a smile on my face. See, it really does work.

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  3. I always thought that about you too Wally. You always had that gift of making people feel good & still do! Thank you for being you & for another wonderful post! I can't wait till there's another Class of '72 get together so I can see you all!

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