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President's Message

Sheila Wilson, TCRA President

As the holidays approach, I suspect you’re like me and are beginning to feel the stress of trying to balance the challenges of our career and the daily demands of our families.  My godmother is prone to say, “Sheila, you just need to back off and regroup.”   Although I love her dearly, sometimes those words have the same effect as raking your fingernails on a chalkboard, and I tend to want to scream “I don’t have time to regroup.”    After all, we can do it all with a mere blink of an eye, right?   We simply press a button, out pops a transcript, and the rest of the day is spent eating Bon-Bons at the spa.   Oh, wait, that was just last night’s dream.    

But seriously, how in fact do we count our blessings in this chaotic time of the year?

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.  ~Eric Hoffer

Admittedly, I do not have the answers, my friends.   What I do know is we have witnessed our fellow reporters overcome tremendous adversity this year.   Some lost their homes in natural disasters, some battled physical ailments, and others have lost loved ones.  But we have stood side by side in offering prayers, cards, words of encouragement, or even a hammer and nails to help rebuild.  Indeed what a blessing – knowing we can count on each other to be there to help, even without being asked.  

As we are always reminded, the holidays are not about the amount of gifts we get.  For me, the holidays start with spending Thanksgiving at home with friends.  The only requirement at my house is that all drama must be left at the door.  The Wilson Theater is not open for performances.  Works pretty well most years!

Here’s what my year-end holidays are like:  Christmas Eve day is spent at T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital volunteering as Santa’s helper and assistant to the child life director.  Every child in the hospital that day gets gifts and personal one-on-one time with Santa.   There’s a man here locally who spends his entire year making hand-carved wooden trucks for the boys and jewelry boxes for the girls.  We call him the Truck Man.  I don’t even know his name.  He wants nothing in return.  He’s embarrassed sometimes by even a humble Thank you.  His kindness lifts my heart each year and brings a smile to my face.  I’m confident he would never consider himself a blessing, but he is to me.

Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day are spent having dinner with friends.  Christmas morning is breakfast with another family.   These are families who for years have opened their doors and hearts to me and treat me like one of their own.   What an amazing blessing to be surrounded by friends who “choose” you as family. 

Then finally it’s time to drag all the furniture back to its original spot, organize the calendar, reflect once again on the happenings of the past year, and try once again to “regroup.”

So, when I add up my blessings, even using old “fuzzy” math, I am way in the positive.  My wish is the same holds true for you.

Here’s hoping you make the time to pause, focus on the important things in your life, and rejoice in this splendid time of year.   It surely puts life back in perspective!