What will our legacy be?
What will your legacy be?
My great grandmother Mary Lalor left Ireland at age 14. She was one of nine children in Ireland to seek opportunity in America because her family was starving. She went to work for Cornelius Vanderbilt in Newport, Rhode Island at the Breakers Mansion and became an Irish slave or indentured servant for nine years. Many year later, one of her children became the President of the New York Telephone Company.
The world is in disarray and on fire, but a tender blossom still survives in the deepest part of the human soul and kindness of the heart still thrives. Every night I pray for means to be a better person and hold on to my highest convictions as I want to continue to bring hope and comfort to those who are suffering on many different levels. I still believe with all my heart in the magic of Christmas and Santa and the propensity of humans to do good deeds. I feel one’s belief system equates to the hope for the future of all humanity.
I want to express my deepest gratitude for all the brave members of our Board of Directors and the countless hours trying to find the special place for the next convention, work all the logistics for the hotel accommodations, to craft new and innovative ideas to attract new members, but to also manage the expectations of our long-standing members and exude traditional values. Many hours have been spent over the years by the Board getting The GLOW Magazine to its current level of design and sophistication. Our wonderful members who agree to head up a committee, actually make trips to find or assimilate new locations, construct a beautiful piece of Christmas art, pour over a Golden Glow budget that does not balance in the middle of the night, or fret about how to reach more people and retain the members that we already have.
I will use the term “brave” and courageous for our Chair and Board of Directors. We are considered a volunteer organization. I feel that is an oxymoron, but the Board is held to a standard like they were in charge of General Motors, and we respond as aggravated shareholders. I want to reiterate that this is an impossible job. It takes great insight to be the leader as that person is in the forefront of every member’s thought process on how they perceive our organization.
I am so grateful that our group is made up of dreamers, artists, visionaries, salespeople, collectors, historians, entrepreneurs, and family traditionalists. Many, like myself, remember the joy of their family as they experienced Christmas in their youth and want to capture some of that in our current society. The Golden Glow is made up of lovers of Christmas and the celebration of Christmas provides a rich and diverse history. It has been an integral part of society over the last several hundred of years fashioning attitudes about philosophy, history, religion humanity, economics, morality, and politics.
For me, it is wonderful for those seeking knowledge and developing long lasting friendships. I consider myself very lucky to know several of you and am very blessed with your friendship. The dynamic of our group makes it so easy to find kindred spirits regardless of your category of collecting or celebrating Christmas.I have been in the Golden Glow for about 35 years. My goal has been to share my love of Christmas and the spirit of giving and how Santa has played a huge historical part. There are so many members who work hard to give us wonderful experiences of past Christmases.
Communication is the key and we have so many venues now to virtually share our every thought including our own special inside Golden Glow website where members can further their thoughts and delve into their love of collecting.
This should come with a warning caveat of social responsibility.Occasionally, individuals air their grievances with policies and other members with innuendos and actions that fan the fuel of discontent and distrust with no creative solution. This venue has absolutely no place for character assassination in our group or assault on our members. There are always differences of opinions.This is especially poignant for those who freely give their heart and souls on the Board and members of committees who work on the conventions and to develop the structure on which we operate as an organization.
I am so very grateful to all who share their love and passions for collecting and preserving tradition and history of Christmas in the Golden Glow.To those who have hosted a convention, worked in registration, dealt with hotels, the Museum Room, the Sales Room, the Auction, sold raffle tickets, baked cookies, decorated the halls, run for office in the Golden Glow, given a lecture, shared pictures, and written for The GLOW Magazine, and generally been enthusiastic about our beloved hobby, I thank you so very much!
Our organization is truly one of the “Last of the Mohicans” and must be preserved!
