Something I've been wanting to do for ages.

 I had the most unexpected holiday excitement on Friday afternoon during a casual visit to the supermarket. I stopped a guy from stealing this very same pie. 

I was having a look at the new Harmons City Creek store downtown when I saw the thief take this pumpkin pie off the counter and start walking out the door with it. The pies were on display only about 12 feet from the door which is probably why he thought it would be an easy swipe. His only possible obstacle was me who was standing right there watching him do it.

I wasn’t sure if I should do anything about it at first. The thief wasn’t alone. He was with two friends. I was bigger than they were but they were all a lot younger and it would be three against one if things didn’t go well – not good odds. But I decided to act anyway because of two things that set me off.

First, the thief had a big cheesy grin on his face that really bothered me. He wasn’t stealing because he was hungry. He was stealing to be cute and show off to his friends. And there was something oddly familiar about that grin….

Secondly, it wasn’t just any pie but pumpkin pie - my favorite pie to eat at Christmas time. I can’t imagine Christmas without some good pumpkin pie. And if Christmas must have pumpkin pie to be Christmas then he wasn’t just stealing pumpkin pie. He was trying to steal Christmas all together. And if he was trying to steal Christmas, then that could only mean one thing. He was the Grinch! I knew I recognized that grin - except this Grinch hadn’t stolen Christmas yet. He was only trying to steal it. Now I could do what I’ve always wanted to do – stop the Grinch dead in his tracks.

I grabbed him by the sleeve of his coat and in a calm but authoritative voice said, “Don’t even think about, pal.”

He didn’t put up much of a fight. He wasn’t dealing with “Little Cindy Lou Who who was no more than two” so he knew he couldn’t think up a lie and think it up quick to get out of it.  Thus,  he immediately surrendered his shanghaied pie over to me. It’s funny that his Grinchy grin stayed sewn right onto his face, even as he was handing over the pie. I think that’s a very strange Grinch who is still amused even after he’s caught being a Grinch.

One thing he did do quickly was scoot out of the store with his friends before they got into any more trouble. So no arrests were made but it was still the most satisfying feeling to finally stop the Grinch.

This has been an enjoyable Christmas season for me.  We don’t really need pumpkin pie to have Christmas. We just need each other. The Savior’s gift to us wasn’t material. It was spiritual. One of his greatest desires is for us to understand how much greater spiritual and eternal blessings are to material ones. Material things can be lost, worn out, broken and even stolen but what we have to offer each other spiritually is something that no Grinch can ever take from us. That was the point Dr. Seuss was trying to make with the Grinch and the Whos in Whoville and I am in full agreement. I want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas.  And good luck with any Grinches you may run into yourself. :)

This may sound dumb but....what is your name?

You know those awkward situations when you have gotten to know someone pretty well but for some silly reason you never got around to asking their name? And now you’re going to feel even sillier when you do ask them for it. You’ll probably look silly, too.

My pal Phil has never known my name even though I’ve known him for four years. Phil is a server at Village Inn. That’s how I know him. When I come in, I usually request Phil because he’s a darn good server. Yesterday, I was in for lunch and I guess he couldn’t take it anymore. He just came out and asked me what in the world my name is. I was surprised at first but after I thought about it, it rang true. I couldn’t remember a time when I’ve ever heard Phil use the letters E-V-A-N in a sentence.

It’s taken four long years but Phil and I are finally on a first name basis. Better late than never, I suppose. Granted, it was easier for me to learn Phil’s name because he’s the one wearing the name tag. But I did give him a suggestion that I hope will help him resolve any future customer name resolution problems.

“Phil, did you ever think of just taking a quick peak at the name on my credit card while you were ringing up my bill?”

It’s all about resourcefulness. I still think that Phil is the best server in town.

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