Newsletter December 2009

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"As you climb the ladder of success, check occasionally to see that it is leaning against the right wall”
What is success? How do we measure it?
The Editor is constantly amazed how everything in life today seems to be about the mighty $ - you are successful because of the mansion you live in and the flash car you drive and the size of your share portfolio – managers of businesses are deemed successful based on the rate of profit growth they have achieved in the business they manage (no matter who they harmed in getting there or the people they retrenched to improve the bottom line or the suppliers they screwed into the ground for a greater discount until they could survive no more or the opposition they bought out to increase the size of the bottom line without having to actually improve their level of service or quality of product) – the shareholders who insist on exorbitant returns on their investments so that this same manager is under increasing pressure to satisfy their greed – no matter how it is achieved.
Where is our conscience? How much is enough?
How many cars can you drive?
How many rooms do you need in your house?
What is a fair return on your investments? Why can't greed for profit be put on hold in bad times so that the employees who made the business great can keep their jobs so that they will make the business prosper again using their knowledge and experience when things get better – what about their families who have to wonder where the next meal is coming from because the breadwinner lost his or her job?

Who really deserves the bonus?

We have even got to the point of putting a dollar value on pollution and disguising it as “Climate Change” so that we can go back to the wheeling and dealing in things that have no real value again – just like we did to cause the second worst economic crisis ever – ETS – Emissions Trading Scheme – WOW – that's going to reduce pollution - surely!

Christmas shopping – what a hassle!!

On Christmas eve, a lady hurried to go to the toy shop to buy the remaining of the gifts she didn't manage to buy earlier. When she saw the crowd there, she started to complain to herself, 'It is going to take forever here and I still have so many other places to go.
Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year. How I wish I could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up after it.'
She started to curse the prices, wondering if kids really play withsuch expensive toys. While looking around, she noticed a small boyof about 5 years old, pressing a doll against his chest. He kept on touchingthe hair of the doll and looked so sad.
She wondered who this doll was for.
Then the little boyturned to the old woman next to him, ‘Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?' The old lady replied: 'You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.' Then she asked him to stay there while she went to do some family shopping. The little boy was still holding the dollin his hand.
Finally, the lady walked toward him and asked whodid he want to give this doll to. 'It is the doll that my sister wanted somuch for this Christmas. She was so sure Santa Claus would bring it toher.'
The lady replied to him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to her, afterall, and not to worry. But he replied to her sadly. 'No, Santa Claus cannotbring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mother sothat she can give it to her when she goes there. My sister hasgone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy will also go to see God verysoon, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to mysister.'
The lady's heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at herand said: 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I asked him to waituntil I came back from the store.' Then he showed her a very nice photo of himself, where he was laughing. He then told her, 'I also want mommy to takethis photo with herso that she will not forget me. I love my mommy and I wish she didn't haveto leave me but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.'
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Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. The lady quicklyreached for her wallet and took out a few notes and said to the boy,'What if we checked again, just in case you have enough money?'

'Ok' he said. 'I hope that I have enough.'

The lady added some of her money to his without him seeing and they started to count it. There was enough for the doll, and even some spare money.

The little boy said: ‘Thank you God for giving me enough money.' Then he looked at her and added, 'I asked yesterday before I slept for God to make sure I have enough money to buy this doll so that mommy can give it to my sister. He must have heard me. I also wanted to have enough moneyto buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. Buthe gave me enough to buy the doll and the white rose. You know, my mommy loves white roses.'

Soon the granny came back again and the lady left. She finished her shopping with a totally different attitude from when she started. Shecouldn't get the little boy out of her mind. Then She remembered a local newspaper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck who hit a car in which there was one young lady and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady would not be able to come out of the coma that shewas in. Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, the lady read in the newspaper that the young lady had passed away. She couldn't stop herself and went to buy a bunch of white roses and went to the mortuarywhere the body of the young woman was displayed for people to see and make alast wish before burial. She was there, in her coffin,holding a beautifulwhite rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. She left the place crying, feeling that her life had been changed forever. The love that this little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunken man had taken all this away from him.

Who will you buy presents for this Christmas?.

December 2009 Quiz
1. “Jingle Bells was not originally written for as a Christmas song – in fact the word Christmas is not in it. What was it written for and by whom? ________________________________
2. If you received all of the gifts in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” – how many gifts would you receive in total? _________________________________
3. We sometimes call Christmas “Xmas” – often to the annoyance of many. It is actually correct – what is the origin of the word “Xmas”? ___________________________________
Fax answers to (02)95534077 or email editor@focusofficesupplies.com.au
This month's prize – $150 voucher to use on your next purchase from Focus Office Supplies

Your details:-

Name: …………………………………………………………………

Organisation: …………………………………………………..

Phone or Email: ……………………………………………….

October 2009 Quiz Answers. 1. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts
Group
2. Bill Gates was referred to as “The Master Of
The Universe” when he appeared on the cover
of Time magazine in 1995
3. You know your computer is suffering from old
age because it suffers from memory loss.
Congratulations to Carolyn Heaney of Aspen Commercial Interiors the October 2009 Quiz winner. She wins a Canon A480 Digital Camera.

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