It's Christmas Eve again, in case you didn't already know.
First and foremost, I personally believe I'm very blessed to be able to celebrate another year of the anniversary of the birth of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This blog isn't about my personal beliefs, but I'd feel remiss if I failed to mention that.
A second thing I can't overlook is the loss of a grandmother on Christmas Day 3 years ago. It's a special day for that reason as well, to be able to remember someone who loved the holiday season as much as Margaret Comstock. I was proud to be able to have her at some of my home games my freshman year of college, even as she was living in a center and fighting Alzheimer's in North Carolina. To be honest, going to school in NC as a freshman was to be closer to her and my aunt. There are a lot of memories for me there.
But this post is about more than that. It's hard to believe it's been a year since Christmas Eve, 2011. It was a weekend, and I was at work at CBS 6 News for another holiday, as was the custom. I don't ever complain though, it's part of being young and growing into your roll over the years. A year ago though, I ended up breaking one of the bigger stories of the year in the Richmond market and the Mid-Atlantic Region, a story that led a newscast that went on to win an Emmy Award. Lots of people had more than one hand on covering that huge, breaking story that night, but for me, it's an honor to have won that award, a true testament to teamwork, quality, and hard work paying off. You never know when opportunities are going to come, and you have to be ready for them when they pop up. No one expects something like that (double homicide followed by a kidnapping and Amber Alert in the heart of Richmond) to happen, especially not on a slow news holiday. But it did. And I had to react.
I can't even remember how many hours I worked that day, but I'd go back and do it again. That's what being a member of a team is all about. When your number is called, you have to be ready to step up, and deliver. Yeah, this is me once again creating a real life analogy with basketball, but it's once again true. Lessons you learn on the basketball court will serve you for the rest of your life. I'm thankful for that, and for those coaches and teammates who taught them to me.
So that's where I was last Christmas Eve. Eventually I got to spend the rest of the night the way I had originally planned, before returning to work at 6am on Christmas Day (a Sunday last year). Trust me after a long 12 hour shift, I was more than excited to get home and share presents and time with my parents and brother. But I wouldn't trade that experience, and the success that followed, so I will always remember Christmas Eve 2011.
Christmas Eve 2012 was far less eventful. I went to the gym for a couple hours, worked on scouting reports for the teams in the Clover Hill High School Holiday Tournament our team is playing in starting on Wednesday, and now I'm enjoying one of my favorite holiday traditions, Bad Santa on Comedy Central (gotta love Billy Bob Thornton). My work today won't lead to an Emmy Award, but hopefully it adds up to a win or two this week for our ladies.
Think back to where you were this time last year. Are you in a better place now? I hope so. I know I am. Or are you doing the exact same thing? Maybe that's a good thing, or maybe it's a wake up call. Holidays can be a benchmark for comparison in our lives. They give us a time to reflect on where we've been, and where we're going. We all have our memories associated with different holidays, and some are good, others are bad. But man am I thankful to have every single one of them!
The best gift you can give yourself this Christmas is confidence that when next Christmas comes around, if you are still here on this Earth, you can control where you end up, and that future is bright if you make it so. Never take for granted a holiday, or any day for that matter.
Move forward with one mindset, that 2013 is going to be your best year yet! As 2012 winds down,. reflect on the good and the bad, the ups and downs, and celebrate all that's yet to come. Live in your own reality, and stay ready for your opportunities when you make them, or even when they pop up out of nowhere.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
TP
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