Our semester at Rockhurst has almost wrapped up, so I thought I'd come back to the blog and post a whole bunch of stuff that's been bouncing around in my head.
We're in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so the first thing I'd like to do is extend holiday wishes to all of you.
Although Thanksgiving has past, I want to say that I am enormously thankful for all of the wonderful people that I've had the opportunity to meet, and talk to, and work with since I took on my role as a Commissioner about a year and a half ago.
Despite our many challenges, all of those wonderful people have given me renewed hope that we can and we will make Wyandotte County a better place in which to live, work and play.
Now, in true "little kid" fashion, I'd like to share my Christmas list with you and tell you that it would simply make my year if all my holiday wishes came true.
Don't worry, the gifts on my list don't require a big wallet... they don't require that you slide down my chimney... and they don't require that you know my size.
The gifts on my list are simple, but they have value beyond measure. Because, you see, the gifts on my list are all designed to help celebrate "good people doing great things" (which is the reason that I started this blog a few months back).
First gift
At least once in the coming year I'd like each of you to "do something good". Encourage someone. Lend a helping hand. Contribute to a charitable organization. Give your time and energy to a community service group. We all have more capacity for good inside of us we can imagine. Share it. Let it out.
Second gift
At least once in the coming year I'd like you to catch someone "doing good". And when you do, make it a point to say "thank you" or "well done" or "good job" to that person. We humans tend to keep doing the things that we get rewarded for. So, let's reward and acknowledge the people who are doing good so that they are encouraged to keep it up.
Third gift
At least once in the coming year I'd like you to find someone who is "doing good" and tell everyone you know about that person and what he or she is doing. Not in the spirit of bragging or boasting, but in the spirit of spreading the good news about "good people doing great things".
We know that good people are doing great things in all parts of the world. But there are days when the bad news seems to overwhelm the good. Let's turn the tide. We can't hide from the bad, but we can slowly overwhelm it with good.
I don't intend to minimize the many challenges that lie ahead of us, but I want us to always remember that, working together, we are the most powerful force on the planet.
