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Grace Drops in Action

4/11/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
Motivated by a speaker at a grocery store chain on customer loyalty, a 19 year old bagger with Down’s Syndrome took the message to heart. He was told, “Every one of you can make a difference and create memories for your customers that will motivate them to come back. Put your signature on your job.” And so he did.

Johnny, the bagger, went home every night after work and found a “Thought for the Day.” If he couldn’t find a saying he liked, he would just make one up. When Johnny found a good Thought for the Day, his Dad helped him set it up on the computer and print multiple copies. Johnny would cut out each quote and sign the back and then take them to work the next day.

“When I finish bagging someone’s groceries, I put my Thought for the Day in their bag and say, ‘Thanks for shopping with us.’”

Here was a young man who, though with a job that most people would say is not important, had made it important by creating precious memories for all his customers. In just over a month the store manager reported incredible changes.

“When I was making my rounds today, I found Johnny’s checkout line was three times longer than anyone else’s! It went all the way down the frozen food aisle. So I quickly announced, ‘We need more cashiers; get more lanes open!’ as I tried to get people to change lanes. But no one wanted to move. They said ‘No, it’s okay—we want to be in Johnny’s lane—we want his Thought for the Day.’”

The store manager continued, “It was a joy to watch Johnny delight his customers.”

One woman said, “I used to shop at your store once a week, but now I come in every time I go by, because I want to get Johnny’s Thought for the Day.”

A few months later the store manager reported that the whole store had been transformed. Now when the floral department has a broken flower or an unused corsage, they find an elderly woman or a little girl and pin it on them. Everyone’s having a lot of fun creating memories—our customers are talking about us—they’re coming back and bringing their friends.

A wonderful spirit of service spread throughout the store . . . and all because Johnny chose to make a difference.

Told by Barbara Glanz.  Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).


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Lessons from Geese

2/22/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
Fact 1: As each goose flaps its wings it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.
Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

Fact 2: When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

Fact 3: When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position.
Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

Fact 4: The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Lesson: We need to make sure honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

Fact 5: When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.
Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).


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And After That?

1/14/2014

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

"Not very long," answered the Mexican.

"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you!  You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch.  With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And after that?" asked the Mexican.

"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City!  From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards?  Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing.  "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions?  Really?  And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings doing what you like and enjoying your friends."

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.

Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 5 (2007).


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The Danger of Drifting

6/17/2013

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
When I was a young boy my parents took few vacations since my father was a traveling salesman. He was on the road from Monday to Friday each week. Loading up the car and driving was hardly relaxing for him. So our few visits to the beach were much anticipated and appreciated.

What child does not enjoy playing in the waves, building sandcastles, and tasting the briny waters of the Gulf or the Atlantic Ocean? What mother does not fear her precious one being swept away by a cruel undercurrent or being knocked down and drowned by a sneaky wave? So my brother and I always heard the warning about staying within eyesight or earshot. "Remember to keep watching the lifeguard stand! Always stay in front of it so that I can keep an eye on you."

Of course, with aggravating consistency, within fifteen minutes we found ourselves about a quarter of a mile down the beach. It seems that if you don't constantly keep watching the point of reference, you will drift. We found ourselves being the object of the fervent shouts along the shore of an anxious mother who ordered us back up the beach to her watchful eye.

Drifting is a danger that plagues us as we journey through life. Marriages grow stale and die because couples slowly drift apart. Careers, children, and other obligations may cause us to lose focus on the reference point. The love that burned so brightly in the beginning may grow dim. Rather than a crisis event, it seems that the real danger was drifting.

At work we set goals to keep us focused on ever improving. The alternative may be to fall into a habit of settling for the good instead of the best. Goals keep us from drifting.

At times this happens in our walk of faith. We must pay attention to what is really important, lest we drift away. God may use people or circumstances like that anxious mother to jar us and remind us of his loving care.

© 2005, John C. Fitts, III.  All Rights Reserved.  Reprinted from Grace Drops, Volume 3 (2005).


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An Aim in Life

6/10/2013

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Picture© Patty Fitts. All Rights Reserved.
An army chaplain tells of the time he was asked to preach at a church some 20 miles from the base. He took his family along, but had neglected to tell his six-year-old daughter where they were going. 

After a few miles on the road, she asked, "Dad, when we get to where we're going, where will we be?"
 
A good question! And one all of us should try to answer for ourselves. Think of your life's journey. When you get to where you're going, where will you be? One year, five years, or even 20 years from now, if you keep heading in the same direction you are heading and keep doing what you are doing, what will your life look like? Not only vocationally and financially, but what kind of person will you have become? Do you have a pretty clear picture of the way you would like things to turn out, or will you be as surprised when it happens as everybody else? 

It has been my experience that most people do not spend much time with these questions. But as Henry David Thoreau once said, "In the long run, we only hit what we aim at." To live aimlessly is to waste this precious gift of life. But to live with direction is to live fully.


 


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    Author

    John Fitts is a retired hospital chaplain and a contributor & publisher of Grace Drops. John lives in Palm Harbor, Florida with his artist wife, Patty. 
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