Bah Humbug!!

Beloved, It is my favorite time of the week...Sunday Morning. I wake up when I feel like it and do what I feel like. I feel like talking to you. Everyone who ownes their own business at this moment in history share their worries quietly. We just look at each other and no words are needed. Just the look says it all, God be with you, I feel your pain, hang in there, I hope you make it, Be strong, etc., etc.

I have two weeks till January and x numer of dollars. We so desperately need cars these next two weeks. I know from history, January gets busy fast. It is hang in there until then. My guys, what a tough time to not be able to get 40 hour pay checks. I pray with the group most mornings and have been reading verses pertaining to the real meaning of Christmas. Lets all not forget what this Holy Season is about.

Being an OWNER of a business, (warning) is like being a mother to a large family. I worked for a very large business for many years, and was manager of a division of that company. I felt a lot of pressure and responsibility.......Nothing like being the owner. The weight and responsibility of being an owner is not compairable to anything I have ever experienced. I do love and care about the/my men. I took a young man who was doubled over with a tooth ache to my dentist. I took care of it out of my personal money. Soda is his what we all call him. I have never seen anyone in so much pain. In my mind, there was nothing else to do. He had no ins. or money or a dentist. I am sure many men owners would have thought it not their problem. For me, is that a fault or an attribute. If you look at it from a financial point of view, men would call me weak. From a human view, and I am human, a woman, mother and Christian. Soda hugs me good bye every day and says, "I love you Mom" before he leaves each day. I say I love you too. sometimes, when I am at the counter with a customer and he comes in to say Goodbye, I catch the look of awe on the customer's face. I act like it is business as usual and I know the customer is seeing a rare relatiohnship between boss and employee. They can tell by skin color that it IS boss and employee. sometimes, I wonder what they think, if they wonder what makes our business so special.

This week I did something I had never had to do before in my life, I bailed one of my employees out of jail. It was completely nuts that they locked John up. He had a fix-it ticket. When he went to court he was told the fine would be between 100-200 dollars. I fronted him $200. I got a phone call from him telling me they locked him up for an additional $105. He was near tears and so sorry to call me. After 15 minutes, (of which I had some hysteria, shhhhh) I got a policeman on the line. I had to speak my peace to the peace officer, "You mean to tell me you are locking up a man who has a full time job over 105 dollars! He gave you 200 of the fine. I happen to know you are requied to accept 10 percent and let them go to pay the fine later! This man works for me and I need him at 8 am tomorrow morning! I cannot believe you are locking him up for 10 days for$105!" I was told...."Mam, that is the way we do thing in Ohio" What was I, from outer space??? I could continue to comment on the Ohio thing, but I have many dear friends who are in law inforcement and I respect what they do everyday. I paid the fine with a credit card and John was let go and was at work the next morning. Another experience for me and my knowledge of the world continues to grow.

We had great customers this week, everyone was very happy. I had one gentleman pick up his vehicle and leave his other one for body work and paint. That is a great complement to the work my son and his crew does in the back and my daughter-in-law's customer service skills.

I gave out bonus monies on Friday. Since I cannot do anything small, I wrote a speech recapping the funny stuff and hard stuff of the last year 2009 to read. We all enjoyed remembering: The time a customer had left a rubber snake under the passenger seat of their car. John, a large man got into the car to move it into the shop and JUMPED OUT SCREAMING and ran through the shop. I could hear the laughter and fun in the front office. there was the time when the power went out and Hugh, the manager decided to plug in a light stand to help them keep working on a car. He actually plugged it in before the "oh yea" moment hit. They all laughed pretty hard, together. In the spring, I bought a new sign. It is huge, on a pole and lit at night. It is beautiful! part of it blew down in a wind storm recently. Waiting for the sign guy to put it back. Being prepared for anything and everything is the only way to stay sane. If you let it, it will take you to that famous farm that is know to be humerous. The first year was hard not to let each thing be a mountain. Now I know something will happen every day and look at it as a adventure. I am on the monkey train and jumping off would mean the end, so I am enjoying the ride and cannot wait to see what is around the next bend.

God Bless all druring this Holy Season. Lynnie