Cristmas

We have a sign at the church.  You can put messages on it the old fashioned way-- we have a box of letters and a key.  We also have a volunteer who was regularly putting inspirational sayings on it.  With an emphasis on communication the last few years, we've recognized the sign as a way to communicate with the general public.  So, we've been asking the volunteer to advertise certain events. 

He was asked to advertise the bazaar, and didn't.  After he put a new saying up, he was again asked to advertise the bazaar.  He did.  Recently the sign was empty.  I wondered if he was frustrated that we were now telling him what to put on, and it was a from of protest or something.  Last week he was asked to advertise the Blue Christmas service tonight and the Christmas concert this coming Sunday.  He dutifully came in to post those last week.  Both Administrative Assistant and I were in the office.  He was worried about how he'd fit it all on the sign.  "I suppose you won't let me use Xmas?"  We all had a good laugh over that. 

Sunday I thought something was off about the sign.  I looked again.  He'd left the H out of Christmas.  AA and I talked about it, but didn't do anything.  It wasn't high on the priority list.  Someone called the church Sunday to tell us about the mistake.  Today the property guys were meeting.  One stopped by, then left.  Then he came back.  He'd had a phone call from his wife.  "How do you spell Blue Christmas?" he asked, grinning.  "With an H."  I replied.  He looked amazed.  "You know about the mistake?"  "Yup."  "Are you going to fix it?"  "There's a box of letters and the key in the next room.  You are welcome to go grab 4 H's and fix it."  "Four?"  "Yes, 4.  It is misspelled two times on each side of the sign.  That makes 4."  After a brief protest and trying to convince me I should never trust an engineer to spell, he and one of the other men went in search of the box.  It is now fixed. 

I am still pondering how I ask our volunteer if he'd like someone else to take over the sign responsibilities.  He is a very intelligent man-- a medical professional in private practice.  I suspect there is a bit of the passive-aggressive coming out the last couple of weeks.  I suspect he may not like being told what to put on the sign.  Of course, if he says he'd like to give it up, we'd then have to find someone who would be willing to do it.  If I wait long enough, maybe someone else will fix the problem.  For now, I choose to find the humor in it and wait....