A Lesson from Mrs. Wally Bronner
I am grateful for a fun visit to Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland.
As Ray and I walked through aisle after aisle, we saw many of the 250 styles of Nativity scenes, . . .
. . . a sampling of the 8,000 styles of Christmas ornaments, and other beautiful items and displays.
When we went to the counter with a few purchases, the clerk was friendly and not busy. We had a short chat. She told us that she was very glad that she was not scheduled to be working on the upcoming Friday before Thanksgiving because in 2017, they had 27,000 customers — that day!! The yearly total is about 2 million, by the way.
I asked the clerk if Bronner’s was a good place to work. She glowed as she told us how nice the family is to the employees. She said that Wally Bronner’s widow Irene is 91 years old and continues to work every Monday and Friday. I said, “Can I meet her?” She said I could and told me where to find her.
Ray and I walked into a reception area in front of some offices. I told the lady behind the counter that I would like to meet Mrs. Bronner. She told me that I had missed her by twenty minutes. She said that the family has a two-hour meeting every Monday. She suggested that I leave her a note. I did that and included my email address.
To my shock and joy on the following Friday, sweet, little, white-haired Irene Bronner replied to my note by email. She said, “God has certainly blessed our business for which we are very thankful.” She said that God had been good to them and that she is so thankful for all the visitors. She ended with:
Hope you have a Happy Blessed Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Irene Bronner
I had one of those big birthdays last Sunday — you know, the kind with a five or a zero as the last number. I am thankful for the example of 91-year-old Irene Bronner for this encouragement to keep doing one of the many things I love to do — work in a family business that strives to honor God and make a difference for good in the world.
For many of you, I know there are many days when it is hard to keep on keeping on. I encourage you to do just that. Worthy goals are worth the sacrifices it takes to reach them. That is one thing I learned again in Michigan from Wally and Irene Bronner.
Let us not lose heart in doing good,
for in due time we will reap
if we do not grow weary.
Galatians 6:9