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When Beth wanted to run for Town Council, she simply didn’t know how to get started. While she wanted to help her town, she hadn’t thought very much about the process of getting her name recognized in her community. Beth was known well in her local schools because she was active helping with her three kids’ class activities and various projects.

Beth really decided she wanted to run for Town Council because she wanted to make changes in the schools. The expenses for class trips were exorbitant and parents didn’t really have much of a say. While there were several tutors available at school, it was very hard to get an appointment. In some ways, she could see that her school was working hard to help her kids get a good education and then other times the things they did just didn’t make sense. That’s when she threw her hat in the ring for Town Council.

Her husband Tom came up with the bumper stickers. Tom owns the town hardware store and thought if they created a bumper sticker saying “Back Beth Smythe, Town Council ‘09”, it would get some attention. He was right. Tom kept the bumper stickers right by the register and before long they were flying out the doors, right along with the hammers and the nails. Then people were coming in just to get a Beth bumper sticker! That’s when Beth knew things were getting successful.

Beth is a lot like you and me, she isn’t the type of person who likes to attract a lot of attention. But she really wanted to make a difference. And the best way to make a difference was to get out there and meet people – and to pass out her great bumper stickers! She went to the town senior center and shook hands and passed out bumper stickers. She went to the library for a coffee meeting and answered questions about her positions and passed out bumper stickers. Soon Beth had to order more bumper stickers to keep up with all of her appointments.

It turned out Beth wasn’t the only one who wanted change in the schools. Others were tired of paying so much for class trips. They were frustrated by the tutoring situation. There were other things they wanted to see changes. People liked Beth, they liked her ideas. Beth passed out bumper stickers and shook hands as fast as she could. Her picture was in the newspaper all the time. She was running against a popular woman who had been successful as a Town Council member. Beth thought she had a chance….but she really didn’t know how good a chance she had.

The election day came and Beth gathered with her supporters. They’d worked hard to get her there. More than five hundred bumper stickers had been passed out in all. Beth had gone earlier that day to shake hands at the local supermarket to remind people to vote. Many said they were voting for her. She smiled and hoped for the best. Beth noticed lots of cars in the parking lot had her Beth bumper stickers on them.

The results came in…..and Beth won by a landslide! By more than 200 votes Beth was the new Town Council member. She’s making changes for her town and the schools. It all started with one little bumper sticker.

Let me tell you a story. Some family members are simply harder to shop for than others. Is it like that for you too? In my family, my Grandma is very difficult to shop for. To be fair, my Grandma is not a difficult person by nature or personality. She simply knows what she likes and what she doesn’t like. So when Grandma’s birthday comes every year it can be a challenge to find that terrific gift.

We all want to find that perfect gift. You know the one. The one that makes someone smile so wide you see the tops of their gums and they look like a little kid. It makes you realize you’ve found something they would have thought of if only they knew it existed. That gift. That’s the one we all dream of buying for our loved ones in a perfect world. Well for once I’d actually found it!

I found something I knew my Grandma would love. You see she is an enthusiastic needlepoint artist. I found some patterns inspired by stained glass windows. The patterns were exquisite. Grandma had often complained she simply can’t find “interesting” needlepoint anymore. So the very moment I saw these unique stained glass window needlepoint patterns – the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

I gave the little shop my Grandma’s address to send them and thought all was taken care of. Until I called Grandma for her birthday. Then the floor fell out of my plans:

“Happy Birthday Grandma!” I said

“Thank you dear,” Grandma replied

“Did you like your birthday present?” I asked

“No dear? I haven’t received a present,” Grandma said. There was silence on the end of the telephone.

I ended our conversation and called the little needlepoint shop. They had to track the package and it turned out it was on the other side of town! Grandma had moved to a very large town and the zip code number had been transposed. I was both relieved and frustrated, but at least the package would be on its way. Grandma would get her birthday gift on her birthday. And yes, she did smile one of those big kid gum smiles.

That tracking number really saved the day. I don’t want to think about what would have happened if I didn’t have one. There was only one set of those special stained glass patterns at the shop – I don’t think I could have gotten another one had I hoped for it. Without the tracking number, I would have needed to come up with a super idea for Grandma’s birthday in a jiffy.

But it makes me wonder what happens to packages without tracking numbers. I think we’ve just gotten so used to packages having them today that we don’t think about them. That tracking number truly can save the day – I know it saved Grandma’s birthday. It could save a special day in the future for you too.