Weekend Update | PPE Deals Continue | USB-C Multi-Function Hub | Grace and Truth | News to Start Your Day
Happy Monday! It’s a new week and a fresh start!
Happy Monday, you guys. I hope you all had a good weekend. I am appreciative of Jason and Chris for stepping in to connect with you all at the end of last week. A couple of days away was definitely needed for me. We went on our second trip in our RV, and I have to say North Georgia is beautiful this time of year! The kids spent a ton of time outside playing with friends, riding bikes and playing basketball mostly. I love seeing them outside, connecting with others (that’s not an everyday thing when you’re a homeschool kid) and learning to navigate the world.
On the way home we stopped at a cute little toy store and let the girls each pick something. I love giving gifts, so it is a treat for me to see them so happy about a new toy. We walked around the entire store, touching and trying things, considering this and that, and when we let them know it was time to go, both girls knew exactly which item they wanted. Our no frills, adventure seeking, very literal oldest child picked a bow and arrow set. She even came home and made herself a holder for her arrows. (The kid will make anything out of cardboard.) Our more sensitive, playful, and inquisitive youngest child picked a bag full of baby gear for her baby doll. Within minutes of being home, arrows were being launched across the green grass while little sister sat by watching and rocking her baby. It was a picture of childhood for sure, fleeting and beautiful.
We ended our weekend by playing a new game I picked up at another store. It is a butterfly memory game … with a twist. You have to match the open butterfly picture to a picture of the same one closed. Eek, maybe I should’ve read a little closer. We admittedly struggled at first (“are there any matches in these cards!?”), then our little rule follower noted that no one had read the instructions (oops), and we finally figured out what we were supposed to be matching. Nothing says family memories like losing by a landslide to your 4 year old.
Needless to say, I’m starting the week with a grateful heart. Did you make any special memories this weekend?
Is there any project we can help you with right now? Any questions we can answer about the products we carry? We are here and ready to serve.
Here’s to a great week,
Christin
Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:
Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! You probably guessed it, but our PPE deals continue! We are still offering phenomenal deals on Goggles! We have both Vented Goggles as well as Non-Vented Goggles so we are sure to have something to suit your needs!
We’ve also got Shoe Covers available for purchase! These shoe covers are Blue Polypropylene and are Non-Skid and Anti-Static! We have them in Packs of 10 or Boxes of 300! These have been a hot seller so grab them now! In stock and ready to ship!
Reminder: Get free shipping on your PPE orders by using coupon code PPESHIP at checkout!
Main Safety Supplies Landing Page: https://www.cablesandkits.com/c/safety-supplies
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Today we’re featuring our USB-C Multi-Function HUB + SD/Micro SD Card! This handy little device solves several challenges faced by today’s Type-A and Type-B cables and connectors! It can expand your computer’s connectivity and functionality with the USB 3 hub for ultimate flexibility! Widely used for external storage devices, SD/Micro SD card reader, Gigabit Ethernet Adapter USB 3.0 Hub, and so on!
Grace and Truth – By Gary, Our Chief Administrative Officer:
Life is full of things that reside in perpetual tension. Sometimes that tension is constructive. Other times it undermines and destroys. Persistence and flexibility are two such attributes. Sometimes I must persevere, but other times pivoting is the best course. Both attributes are good things. Yet taken to either extreme creates a destructive imbalance. Continued persistence in the face of contrary facts is just plain stubbornness. Excessive flexibility lacks any sense of grounding and projects a weather vane of instability overly responsive to the last opinion or piece of information.
Another such dynamic duo involves the principles of Grace and Truth. Those may sound like metaphysical concepts with no application in the workplace, but hang in there with me. For those of the Christian faith, the Bible describes Jesus as a man “full of grace and truth.” If you read about the life of Jesus, you will see numerous occasions where he extended grace and truth in challenging situations. So, if it was good enough for Jesus, that suggests it’s good for you and me, too.
What is grace? When I extend grace to another individual, I grant them favor or just plain old kindness that reaches beyond common courtesy. Grace confers esteem upon and respect for the other person; sometimes before it’s earned. Grace is not performance-based. Rather, grace is often extended irrespective of how the other individual behaves.
What is truth? Truth can be as simple as the facts or data which describes a particular situation. Truth can also be grounded in principles distilled from observing the repeated consequences or outcomes of certain types of behavior, whether in humans or the world around us. In my own worldview there also exist certain universal truths that link the physical, mental/emotional, and spiritual worlds. Even if that last point is a bridge too far for you, I encourage you to keep reading.
When we practice grace it feels like a good thing. We are loving on others. We are accepting them with their foibles and failures. We are not judging or otherwise giving offense. However, grace without truth can be harmful. When we avoid the truth, are we truly loving the other person or merely sidestepping the pain that sometimes accompanies honesty? Practicing grace alone invites a world where every person gets to define their own reality, and we risk losing the “common” in community. Unless we are lovingly authentic with others, we constrain effectiveness in their personal and professional lives and indirectly bring harm to the extended community affected by their life. When we extend grace without truth then accountability dissipates and individuals and teams experience needless chaos and frustration.
We all know people who boast of their willingness to “tell it like it is.” These self-proclaimed realists often make bold assertions with little or no regard for how their declarative statements impact others. They see themselves as some ultimate arbiter of truth. Through their own lens they attempt to counterbalance perceived wishy-washiness or pollyannaish outlooks in others around them. However, their graceless approach destroys relationships and eventually causes others to tune them out or just plain avoid them. At times truthsayers make penetrating observations but these helpful insights go for naught if no one is listening. When our truth is not accompanied by grace our visage takes on a harshness that makes us seem unapproachable, and people who could benefit from our insights struggle needlessly in continued ignorance.
The key to speaking truth is the objective of your expression. Are you speaking truth to tear down the other person or sharing truth to build them up? Our hearts are sensitive antennas, and we can tell the difference. The Biblical admonishment to “speak the truth in love” perfectly encapsulates this principle. When we speak truth we must do so with the other person’s best interests as our aim.
Speaking for myself, striking the proper balance of grace and truth is HARD. We all have a natural bent toward speaking grace or truth and struggle to appropriately practice the complementary trait.
How do I practice grace AND truth in the workplace?
- First, identify which trait comes more naturally for you, and recognize that you have to consciously practice its complementary cousin.
- The next time you’re facing a challenging situation stop and ask yourself, “What is the proper blend of grace and truth in this situation?”
- As leaders pay attention to the mix of peacemakers and truthsayers when forming teams since their effectiveness needs a blend of both attributes
- This next point may seem antithetical to the theme of this post, but I find it most effective not to mix messages. While we should practice grace AND truth. There are times and places for each alone. If the honey of your extended grace is usually followed by the more bitter medicine of truth, then your grace loses its impact.
News to Start Your Day With:
- Right at 50,866,200 cases worldwide, with 35,862,800 people who have recovered, with 1,263,973 deaths AND 10,292,500 cases in the US with over 6,483,700 people have recovered, with 243,771 deaths.
- Stocks are set to surge more than 5% to a record as Pfizer says their Covid-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective, which is better than the market expected. It means that protection from Covid-19 is achieved 28 days after the initial vaccination, which consists of a two-dose schedule.
- Alex Trebek, the genial “Jeopardy!” host with all the answers and a reassuring presence in the TV game-show landscape for five decades, has died. He was 80 years old. “Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” said a statement shared on the show’s Twitter account Sunday. “Thank you, Alex.”
- President-elect Joe Biden announced the members of his Covid task force, set to advise the transition team and next administration on how to try and push down the virus in the U.S.
- Amazon is in the early stages of launching a rewards program for its legions of contracted Flex delivery drivers. Among the long list of perks, the program will allow drivers to reserve shifts based on their preferred delivery station, day of the week and time of day.
- A strengthening Tropical Storm Eta made landfall on Florida’s Lower Matecumbe Key on Sunday night, days after leaving scores of dead and over 100 missing in Mexico and Central America.