Hope for the Holidays

Ho-Ho-Ho-Humbug! That's what I use to believe, in what started out as my family's worst holiday ever!

In October, my oldest sister called me to let me know my younger brother had passed away in a foreign country from an apparent heart attack. He was eating with his girlfriend in a restaurant when, all of sudden, he clutched his chest and died instantly. He left behind three beautiful, grown children.

My wife became the "go-to" person when it came to doing the extensive phone calling and paper pushing necessary to bring his body back to the United States for proper burial. I don't know if you've ever called overseas, but the language barrier and time diferential--not to mention governmental involvement from both countries which, sadly, slows down the entire process--pose obstacles for effective communication. Even with our calling plan--which allows for unlimited calls to the U.S., Canada, and some foreign countries, the phone bill was unbelievably high!

All this is happening while, on the homefront, I am looking for a job in a city Forbes magazine calls one of the worst places in America to find employment. (You see, I had lost my job as manager for a well-known, full service restaurant chain after my regional manager--a scowling, hunchbacked man I'll call "Mr. Sunshine"--physically assaulted me and, later, fired me for refusing to fight back. Sure, I contacted the corporate HQ which never returned my calls--something quite common with this company. Since my state is an "at will" state when it comes to employment, my only course of action was to file a complaint with the magistrate's office in the town where the assault occured. The judge, who believed my claims but couldn't arrest Mr. Sunshine as their were no witnesses, gave Sunshine a stern warning that she would personally throw him under the jailhouse if he ever touched another employee again.)

While the outcome was a minor victory, it didn't help my family's finances which were dwindling fast. I needed a job in a hurry! I had four other mouths to feed besides my own big one!

I had been applying for jobs everywhere I could, including online, when I received a call from a headhunting agency needing a personable, assertive type to recruit from home. With a nice, guaranteed base and the potential to earn a six-figure income within a year, I was interested, but skeptical. I needed this information in writing. After all, when something sounds too-good to be true, it probably is! Well...the contract, information, and guarantee finally arrived, so I signed up for this unique opportunity and began what I hoped would be an incredible adventure. It was incredible, all right! After plowing through call after call, I had some questions for my boss, the owner. I only got his voice mail, so I called his cell phone. Again...I got his voice mail, so I tried his e-mail. He hastily wrote he had an "out of town" emergency, but would "get back" with me the following week, so keep plowing away. I did but, sadly, got the run around. This man was nowhere to be found. Complaints had been filed against him, some mentioning they were never paid for their efforts! Who needs Charmin when you have a worthless contract?

By Thanksgiving, more money was gone! My creative sister-in-law had an excellent idea: sell homemade ham biscuits and sodas to those waiting for stores to open on Black Friday. My wife, an excellent cook, would make the biscuits and my son, sister-in-law, and self would sell them. The weather report claimed a warming trend in area weather. However, come Black Friday, with the weather near freezing, ice cold soda was the furthest thing from most minds. We sold one canned Coke and two ham biscuits, nothing else! Well...at least we had ham to eat for awhile!

After the ham and biscuits were gone, my family's finances were in dire straits. I looked into the eyes of my children and wife and could see the hurt, feel the pain. I was still continuing to look for work--something, anything. But not a bite. (Sometimes having too much education is worse than not having enough! People believe we're not willing to do physical work which, at least in my case, is untrue!) I had to do something--fast.

I briefly thought about holding up a sign saying "Will Work for Food...Rent...and Money". But, in a dying town known for high employment, I'm sure I'd get few offers. No, I needed to do something fast and quick.

I'm not a small man. I have broad shoulders, am barrell chested, and have a rich barritone voice. Also, I can grow facial hair faster than anyone I know. Besides, I have the suit from my days of doing charitable work. So, without hesitation--and faster than you can say Jingle Bells, I became Santa Claus on the phone and at our local flea market.

You'd think both mini businesses would have taken off faster than Blitzen, considering the time of year. After all, I advertised on every free site I could find: free classified ads, free FFA pages, bulletin boards (online and off), etc. I even promoted on e-Bay! (Sadly, I even violated TOS on a blog site--a big No-No, I've since learned.) Sure, I should be making money--at least enough to pay the rent, pay the utilities, or, at the very least, feed my family.

But, no...Neither of my ideas made much money--not even enough to buy groceries for a few days! (If it wasn't for the kindness of my sister-in-law--providing us with groceries, my family would have starved!) The calls from Santa, which I lowered down to only $5, didn't earn enough to pay the e-Bay bill! Frankly, I thought if people heard my voice, we'd have enough money to pay all of our deals. Was I dreaming? (I use to be a radio announcer and numerous strangers have recently told me I should do voice overs which, sadly, is not a career choice in our area.)

Well, I was confident that photos with Santa would be major money-maker. At only $5 per child, in spite of the dismal economy in my area, you'd think hundreds of parents would jump at the idea of having their little one's photographed with a real-looking Santa with a full white (dyed) beardm and an outgoing, not creepy personality! Right?

Wrong! Either these parents (A) were so broke they couldn't even pay attention; (B) preferred a short-tempered mall Santa smelling of rotten cheese, cheap alcohol, or body odor; or (C) feared dipping into their precious cigarette money just to get a photo of their little one talking with the Jolly Ol' Elf himself! Let's see: Memories that last a lifetime or a pack of smokes that may lead to emphysema or various types of cancer? Hmmm...Tough call!

Am I concerned? You bet? Am I worried? Of course! Am I disappointed? Sure! Am I giving up? Heck Noooooooo!

In spite of all these setbacks, Santa is NOT dead yet! Things can change in a positive way, as long as you have hope, determination, and a plan. Without hope, you might as well surrender, pull down the shades, and lie in bed in a fetal position.

Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic, sums up my feelings best:

I am not an optimist, because I am not sure that everything ends well.
Nor am I a pessimist, because I am not sure that everything ends badly.
I just carry hope in my heart.
Hope is the feeling that life and work have a meaning.
You either have it or you don't, regardless of the state of the world that surrounds you.
Life without hope is an empty, boring, and useless life.
I cannot imagine that I could strive for something if I did not carry hope in me.
I am thankful to God for this gift.
It is as big as life itself.--Vaclav Havel

Things can get better.