Holidays—Let the Stress Blessing Begin!

By Joe Herron
November 29, 2018

This time of year, we often get overrun with holiday preparations and family gatherings. It is no different in my family. If you have ever seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you have an idea of the difference between my wife’s family and mine. We celebrated Thanksgiving and as is normal, I ate my share of the food and laughed so hard it was not easy to breathe (I’m not always serious). Obviously, this was with my wife’s family. It was fun and great to see everyone. The stories that we shared are always enlightening.

My wife and I hosted this year’s Thanksgiving gathering. There was a whole lot of preparation. I’m sure you can imagine the cleaning (this was my part), cooking, and organizing with other family members involved. Did everything go smoothly? Of course not. That would not be realistic. And, if I had expected everything to run perfectly, I would have been disappointed. Over the years, I have learned that regardless of the best plans, something unexpected will occur. This year, we had repeated issues with a breaker being tripped on the kitchen circuit (too many cooks in the kitchen) and a car getting stuck in the front yard. These were minor issues. In the few weeks leading up to our celebration, we definitely dealt with much bigger, life-impacting issues. My father-in-law had a stroke, my wife’s nephew (mid-20s) got sick and spent several days in the ICU on a ventilator, and my brother had a major, multi-hour surgery. (Everyone is fine.)

How did these major events affect our family celebration? Much as you would expect, we gathered together with great joy and experienced TRUE thankfulness. Unfortunately, so many times we gloss over the heart and meaning of the holidays for the festive side of the events. This year, we not only celebrated thanksgiving commemorating the harvest festival the Pilgrims had in the 1600s, but we also celebrated FAMILY and being together in 2018. It was not just another distraction in the multi-holiday time of year. It was a welcomed gathering of family to celebrate and offer a prayer of thanksgiving. We are a rich society when we look at our monetary wealth; however, this past holiday showed me I am beyond rich with family and heritage. The most disappointing element to me was it required experience of pain to remind me of the joy and wealth I have.

Thankfully, I have another family—the Equinox family. Much like my blood and by-marriage family, it is comprised of many different personalities. We also plan for events and celebrate together at Equinox. There are distractions at times, unexpected glitches, and redirections as we strive for our one primary goal—to be a great place to work. It’s a goal we have printed on the back of our business cards, as many of you have seen:

I have been part of this extended family for over 20 years. I have for the most part raised my two children and experienced the death of both parents while working at Equinox. I can testify that the back of our business cards contains more than words, it represents the heart of Equinox. Being part of Equinox is something for which I am thankful. I try not to take this family lightly and recognize the importance it plays in my family away from work.

In just a few short weeks, my family will be celebrating Christmas. Somehow, it appears my wife and I will be hosting again. Preparations are beginning. Yes, I’m cleaning. Presents are being purchased. For some, outfits are being decided. Do I view all this activity as a distraction? At times, yes, but I am choosing to do additional preparation by not waiting for some unexpected event to wake me up and realize what and why we celebrate Christmas. I will be spending time each day preparing my mind and heart for a joyful celebration. Will the actual event of family getting together go smoothly? It might; but that would exceed my expectations. Will I be prepared for why we are getting together? I most certainly will be this time!

About the Author

In his role as Vice President of Support for Equinox, Joe Herron oversees all of customer support, including quality assurance, product documentation, installation, upgrades, and the customer support help desk. His team’s primary task is working with customers on the day-to-day issues, for example scheduling product updates, turning up a new switch, fine-tuning a configuration setting, or helping troubleshoot a technical issue. When he’s not putting the processes and standards in place that ensure Equinox customers uniformly rave about the service they receive, he enjoys reading and spending time behind the wheel of his convertible.
To learn more about Equinox, its products, and staff, visit www.equinoxis.com or call (615) 612-1200.