My wife Sandy is a sample lady at Costco.
When I was summarily dismissed two days after Christmas last year her first reaction was "Well, I need to get a job." She has always wanted to do the sample lady thing at Costco. Its food and serving people - just her thing. She went in, after the season was over and they didn't need people, and sweet talked herself into a job. She started, and of course, she loves it because she gets to meet everyone in town and all of our neighbors now go there to see her and talk to her.
She keeps with her a number of my MMC business cards and in the course of conversations she talks up the website, Santa Update, etc.
She also has long been our best connector for local needs through Santa's sleigh. She regularly finds folks with needs and hooks us up.
This week she found another, the son of a man who works for Costco. He's another little boy fighting some sort of cancer. He's also something of a Santa fanatic. He too will be another on the Operation Christmas Cheer list.
I'm so very grateful for my dear companion, whose goodness always helps us to help others. She understands our mission, even if she isn't active here. She makes many, many silent contributions and for 35 years has supported the time, money, and effort I put in here. I could not do it without her.
She will never read this because she never comes to the forums. She knows many of you vicariously because I will tell her but she's a person who has to press the flesh - she's not active on social media and just can't connect with people online. Her strengths are in person and I've decide she's vital for us here, even if she cannot see it.
She's making friends -- MMC friends -- one Costco custmer at a time. She's old school.
When started courting we were both working for the same company in retail. We both had worked for them for many years, although we had never met because we lived a good 75 miles away from each other. Just one of those coincidental things. But the culture of that company - and those times - influenced us greatly and our thoughts and feelings about customer service are very much the same. She's just outstanding with people and goes the extra mile everytime.
I cannot think of a better Ambassador for us out there meeting people and representing us. So many things have happened over the years because Sandy has just said "My husband has this website...."
Like so many things I have my fingers in Santa's Sleigh doesn't get enough of my personal attention - mostly at the last minute. For her though, it's top of mind all the time. When it's April or May and she's telling me, "Santa's Sleigh needs to help with this family..." - I listen. I appreciate that. You have no idea how many times Santa's Sleigh has done little things when it's not Christmas simply because Sandy was eyes up and insistent.
Why am I sharing all this?
I guess because I see a few miracles happening this year - happy, quiet things that we're doing - and they happen quite frequently because of her. Sandy is the embodiment of what I've always wanted Santa's Sleigh to be - quiet, direct, giving, heartfelt.
That's her. She lives that. And always with excellence. She represents us SO WELL. She gets us.
I'm very, very grateful for her.
When I was summarily dismissed two days after Christmas last year her first reaction was "Well, I need to get a job." She has always wanted to do the sample lady thing at Costco. Its food and serving people - just her thing. She went in, after the season was over and they didn't need people, and sweet talked herself into a job. She started, and of course, she loves it because she gets to meet everyone in town and all of our neighbors now go there to see her and talk to her.
She keeps with her a number of my MMC business cards and in the course of conversations she talks up the website, Santa Update, etc.
She also has long been our best connector for local needs through Santa's sleigh. She regularly finds folks with needs and hooks us up.
This week she found another, the son of a man who works for Costco. He's another little boy fighting some sort of cancer. He's also something of a Santa fanatic. He too will be another on the Operation Christmas Cheer list.
I'm so very grateful for my dear companion, whose goodness always helps us to help others. She understands our mission, even if she isn't active here. She makes many, many silent contributions and for 35 years has supported the time, money, and effort I put in here. I could not do it without her.
She will never read this because she never comes to the forums. She knows many of you vicariously because I will tell her but she's a person who has to press the flesh - she's not active on social media and just can't connect with people online. Her strengths are in person and I've decide she's vital for us here, even if she cannot see it.
She's making friends -- MMC friends -- one Costco custmer at a time. She's old school.
When started courting we were both working for the same company in retail. We both had worked for them for many years, although we had never met because we lived a good 75 miles away from each other. Just one of those coincidental things. But the culture of that company - and those times - influenced us greatly and our thoughts and feelings about customer service are very much the same. She's just outstanding with people and goes the extra mile everytime.
I cannot think of a better Ambassador for us out there meeting people and representing us. So many things have happened over the years because Sandy has just said "My husband has this website...."
Like so many things I have my fingers in Santa's Sleigh doesn't get enough of my personal attention - mostly at the last minute. For her though, it's top of mind all the time. When it's April or May and she's telling me, "Santa's Sleigh needs to help with this family..." - I listen. I appreciate that. You have no idea how many times Santa's Sleigh has done little things when it's not Christmas simply because Sandy was eyes up and insistent.
Why am I sharing all this?
I guess because I see a few miracles happening this year - happy, quiet things that we're doing - and they happen quite frequently because of her. Sandy is the embodiment of what I've always wanted Santa's Sleigh to be - quiet, direct, giving, heartfelt.
That's her. She lives that. And always with excellence. She represents us SO WELL. She gets us.
I'm very, very grateful for her.
