Make the list

December 27th, 2011 by Regina Brett

I once made a list of 75 things I was grateful for about my mom and gave it to her on her 75th birthday.

 

It helped me to train my magnifying glass on everything she did right and loving and good. It also created an opening in my heart for more gratitude.

 

Many have read about that list in God Never Blinks and done the same.

 

I just got this email from a woman in Colombia:

 

"My intention is to say thank you. Sometimes we think we are doing well but God has some weird ways to let us know we are wrong and your book was one of those things. He used this time to help me getting back on His track. Each one of your lessons applies to a specific part of my life. However I would like to concentrate in lesson 45. 'The best is yet to come.'

 

"Reading about your relationship with your mom made me think about my dad. We use to have a good relationship but after years passed by things changed. I read your book before Christmas this year and I took into account things I could acknowledge to my dad beginning since my birth day and even I motivated my two younger brothers to do it.

 

"We also decide to make another list to my mom and we read it during the Christmas dinner. I have to say that it was a whole success and the first step to start a new stage with my dad. Now I am 25 and many good things are waiting for me and my family. I only want to have God's blessing and the company of my family. Thank you a lot for that idea you really helped me."

 

It's also a good way to end the old year and start the new. When you list everything you love about someone, you open the door to more love.

 

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The Christmas Spirit

December 23rd, 2011 by Regina Brett

The phenomenon of paying it forward by paying off other people's lay-away items is spreading.

 

The Secret Santa layaway gifts started at a KMart and spread across the country.  One person spent $3,000 to pay off the layaway items for 15 people. At one store, anonymous donors took care of 75 accounts.

 

The spirit of goodwill is spreading to other stores. Liz Murphy, from the Learned Owl book store in Hudson, wrote to share that a customer put down a deposit to order a large set of hard-back books as a gift. When the store called to tell him they had arrived, he came in to tell them he didn't have the money yet. 

 

A customer overheard the conversation and came in the next day and paid for all of the books, all $150 worth.

 

Wouldn't it be great if this kind of Christmas spirit spread, not just to other stores, but into the new year? 

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Another tip on tipping

December 20th, 2011 by Regina Brett

If you’re thinking about re-gifting an old candle as a holiday tip, think again.

 

Thoughtfulness is the key to thanking those people who enhance our lives all year long by delivering the mail and the newspaper, styling our hair, cleaning our homes, walking our dogs, babysitting our children.

 

I just got this email from a hairdresser who read my column on tips:

 

“I depend on my tips and I am amazed at the ignorance people show, especially at this time of year.

 

“I enjoy what I do, and my clients. I'm happy to stay late, come in early, squeeze them in when they need it. Through the years I have learned that the good tippers get the service and the bad tippers have to wait. In the past I've come in on my day off for no tip, saved someone's home dye job for a small tip, or worked in a stranger for no tip.

 

“The holidays have become a mystery to me. I get plants, used candles, stale candy, and empty cards. Truly, I'm grateful for their business and kindness. But, business is business. I listen to more sins than their priest, and I get a used candle?

 

“I'm not your friend. I work for you. I wish I could post your column over my station. Thanks for letting me vent. Have a wonderful holiday. I can't say my name. I need my job.”

 

And we need all those people to continue to bless our lives, so be as thoughtful as you can when tipping them.

 

 

 

 

 

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Every day is a good one

December 16th, 2011 by Regina Brett

I love hearing from readers from around the world.

 

In England, my book is called, "Life's Little Detours: 50 Lessons to Find and Hold onto Happiness." A reader there recently sent this email:

 

"I bought your book - Life's Little Detours - in a superb bookshop in England. I couldn't put your book down and I will buy a second copy for Christmas for a dear friend of mine.

 

"My marriage broke down in 2010 and I had to leave behind a woman I thought I'd grow old with, and most importantly, three wonderful kids; albeit they are all adults. I can't say that the challenges I've faced in my life have been as personally traumatic as yours....I've generally enjoyed good physical health and that, together with a fairly positive outlook has kept me going.

 

"That said, I've sometimes visited that dark place in the mind when I felt alone, defeated, unwanted and spent. My (ex) wife and I lost a baby son 25 years ago; I lost a job I loved 3 years ago and then lost the woman I had loved for over 30 years.

 

"However, I found a strength in myself and received wonderful support from family and those close friends who mostly reveal themselves and their true nature when you're struggling with life's occasional hardships. I also belatedly realised that actually I'm a good guy and have a lot going for me.

 

"Despite countless 'knockbacks' and a few false starts I decided that if I couldn’t land the job I wanted and needed, I'd create it. So I now run my own small business. It's a struggle but I'm still fighting. My self-esteem and confidence are growing but I've come to understand that these aspects are largely in my hands.

 

"In recent years I've read a select number of 'Self-Help' and popular psychology books and in truth I've taken something from just about all of them. Your 'little gem' of a book is right up there with the best of them. You're right of course, Life isn't tied with a bow, but it IS a GIFT.

 

"A long time ago a friend gave me a little card containing the following observation; "Every day is a good day; if you don't believe that, just try missing one." Thank you for being you and sharing the stories. Best Wishes, Chris."

 

Thank you, Chris, for sharing that gem of a lesson. Every day is a good one.

 

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Tipping

December 14th, 2011 by Regina Brett

It's that time of year to tip the stylist who colors your hair, the barber who cuts your hair, the postal worker who delivers the mail, the kid who tosses the newspaper on the porch.

 

How do you decide what to tip?

What do you tip if you're broke?

 

Tonight on The Regina Brett Show, we're talking about holiday tips and tipping waiters, waitresses all year long. Steve Dublanica, author of Waiter Rant and Keep the Change, joins us. We also have Connie Schultz, columnist for Creators Syndicate and Parade magazine.

 

Connie won a Pulitzer Prize, based in part on her columns about tipping.

 

We'd love to hear from you, especially if you're a service worker whose livelihood depends on tips.

 

Call us at 888-957-8897 or email during the show: regina@wksu.org

 

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Take the crazy out of Christmas

December 7th, 2011 by Regina Brett

Baking? Check.

 

Decorating? Check.

 

Cards mailed? Check.

 

Shopping? Check. Check. Check. Check. Check....

 

Feeling overwhelmed by it all?

 

Tune in tonight at 7 on "The Regina Brett Show" on WKSU 89.7 FM.

We'll help take some of the crazy out of Christmas.

 

Jean Staeheli, co-author of "Unplugging the Christmas Machine," will talk about how to simplify the holiday. She advises people to get to the heart of your values and do only what brings you the most meaning.

 

Andrew Shaffer, a contributor to the book, "The Atheist's Guide to Christmas" will talk about how to find meaning in the season no matter what you believe or don't believe.

 

Call in with questions or comments: 888-957-8897 or email regina@wksu.org

 

 

 

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Saint Nick

December 6th, 2011 by Regina Brett

Every year, I still remember that little bit of magic.

Every year, I try to pass it on.

 

My earliest memory of St. Nicholas Day comes from Immaculate Conception School in Ravenna. The nuns back then were tough, which made their sweet act stand out even more. I've sometimes referred to those 8 years of Catholic school as boot camp. The nuns who taught us had classrooms packed with 40 children. They must have been at their wits end many days, and like us, weren't always at their best.

 

But one day of the year, they made a true blessing for us.

 

I remember walking into the classroom every December 6 and finding a surprise on my desk. A candy cane. A little bag of treats. A sack of cookies.

 

At home, we'd get a little treat stuck in the shoes we placed outside our bedroom door before bed on Dec. 5. Usually a pack of gum or a roll of Lifesavers.

 

The nuns always remembered to give us a treat, too.

 

Some part of me knew they loved surprising us even more than my parents did. Some part of me knew it was because those women would never have children of their own to surprise on Christmas Day. They must have felt happy as elves passing out all those goodies to make us feel special.

 

It's a sweet tradition that I still pass on. Last night I was babysitting my grandbabies and left a present outside their doors. A little fingerpainting kit for Asher, a teething ring for Ainsley. Their parents got candy in their shoes next to their bed.

 

I love that it doesn't get lost in the mix of Christmas, the shopping, baking, wrapping, decorating.

 

It's just a moment, but sometimes something as small as a moment leaves an imprint that becomes a memory that lasts forever.

 

 

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