Blessing Our Invisible Angels

We're getting ready to send out our annual company Christmas card again, and as I make the list (and check it twice) it strikes me how much of the year I spend heads down in day-to-day work without noticing the people who surround MarketGarden. Clients, vendors, partners, friends, advisors, suppliers...some folks on the list I only talk to once or twice a year. I have no idea what their hobbies are, if they have families, where they went to school, what their favorite dessert is, if they own a pet. I just hand off the work and move on to the next job as though I were some blind rat on an assembly line. In fact, I am chagrined to say, there are many names on the list I usually only think about when it comes time to send out Christmas cards. I know I'm not alone in this regard. You probably have a pretty good list of invisible angels yourself. Having come to this realization (as I write these names on envelopes and stack them up for delivery), I am resolved to remember them with greater regard in the year ahead. I am resolved to pause for a moment (as I write their names) and offer up a little prayer for each one, that they would be safe and sound with a warm meal awaiting them for the holidays and a dear heart nearby to share a bit of cheer. And, the next time I run into the person, I pray that I would actually stop for a moment to appreciate them personally, and learn even a little detail about them, the angels surrounding my business, and bless them, right then, not only at Christmas.