I learned something a long time ago. I wish I could say that it’s a nugget of wisdom that I live by every day, but most of the time I don’t.

I’m very forgetful when it comes to grace, especially when it concerns other people. I always want grace for myself but I am not as good at giving it as I am in receiving it.

What I learned is that with every single person you meet, there is one single fact about that person that if you knew, it would completely change how you saw that person. It could be a secret health battle. It could be an addiction. It could be any number of anxieties or insecurities.

I’ve never been a big believer in first impressions. So often, we don’t always put our best foot forward. You may very well catch me on an off day or in an off moment. I might find you out of sorts for reasons that have nothing to do with me and if I were in your shoes, I’d act exactly the same way.

The simple solution is to be kind. Err toward grace instead of criticism or condemnation. Remember that it was God’s kindness that led you to repentance. The one who had the most right to cut you off and write you off instead loved you most and died for you so that you might have true life and peace and joy.

So be kind the way God was kind to you.

Since I got my turntable a couple of years ago, one of my new favorite Christmas traditions is playing Christmas vinyl. It’s one of the few things that can immediately connect me back to those childhood days on Fox Meadows Road in Memphis where Christmas music came to life by laying the needle down on the record groove.

My collection is a mix of old and new. I mean that I have the new remastered records that come in a variety of colors and patterns and the old records with the dusty jackets that basically only come in black, like the original Ford Model T cars.

I do think that music is one of the most powerful memory triggers there is. I can hear a random song at any point in my day and immediately remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard it. When I put on an old Christmas record, I can just about see the old den in my mind with the record player in the corner behind one of the La-z-boys we had back then.

I still have my immense collection of Christmas CDs and I will occasionally play a Classic Christmas station on Pandora, but best way to tangibly relive old memories is through vinyl, especially when it’s the old standards like Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby or Ella Fitzgerald or Frank Sinatra.

I hope you have traditions that will both reach out to the next generations and tie you back to your history all while reminding you of how blessed you are.

I believe that qualifies as a first world problem, but the struggle is real. When you get all comfy and get your blankets arranged just right, then you have to get up to search for the remote that you could have sworn was right next to you? That’s the worst.

Or maybe when you’re snuggled in bed and have finally found that perfect sleeping position with the covers and blankets perfectly situated, then you realize that you have to pee. Unfortunately, your bladder couldn’t have told you that bit of information five minutes earlier.

I’m beginning to understand that the older you get the more you will fall asleep when you don’t want to and then at night when you actually want to, you can’t. And not being able to sleep when you’re tired is annoying as anything.

Probably on everyone’s list is biting into a chocolate chip cookie only to find that it’s oatmeal raisin. I do like oatmeal raisin cookies, especially when they’re fresh from the oven, but not when my taste buds are expecting chocolate.

If you can think of more of these first world problems, feel free to share. Maybe one day I’ll revisit this topic and do a sequel.