From the Publisher: Count your Christmas blessings, say a prayer for the less fortunate

Posted by Tommy Arviso Jr. | Dec 23, 2020 | From the Publisher |

Good morning to all readers and friends of the Navajo Times. I am writing to you this chilly morning from my home in Gallup. I am sitting at our kitchen table, typing on my laptop and sipping a hot cup of coffee. Our newspaper is being published on Wednesday instead of Thursday this week so that our staff and carriers can be home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

There is much to be thankful for this Christmas holiday, and there is also a lot to be concerned about. I want to be as positive as possible this morning and make my Christmas message to you short and sweet.

Tom Arviso, Jr., is the CEO and Publisher of Navajo Times Publishing Co., Inc.

First, please take some good quality time during this Christmas holiday to take inventory of all the blessings that you have in your life. It could be family and friends, or your dog and cat. It could be your health, a special relationship, an old pair of worn but comfortable boots, or learning how to make a big warm pot of tasty blue corn mush.

Just like a few of our employees and carriers, perhaps you celebrated the birth of a new child or grandchild this past year. That is truly a beautiful blessing. These items I have listed are just a few of the many, many blessings that we each have and share in our own special way. So, let’s take time to acknowledge and enjoy them.

During the Christmas holiday also remember to humble yourself and give sincere thanks and offering to the Almighty Creator for all of the loving human beings and animals that you have in your life. In your prayers, please include all of the people who are struggling and having a tough time right now. Whether these folks seek it or not, they need our support and understanding.

Take a few minutes from your busy day to say a prayer for our family and friends in need. This is one special gift and blessing that you can share in a hogan, a teepee, a church or just driving down the road. The Almighty Creator will listen to you wherever you are.

I am grateful for my wife and family, the roof over our heads, and our physical, mental and spiritual health. I also cherish the sweet memories of family and friends who are no longer with us on Mother Earth.

Many of you have also lost loved ones and good friends this past year and I sympathize with your loss or losses. Just know in your heart, that they are now in a much better place and are only a memory or prayer away. Smile and laugh about all of the good and happy times that you shared together, and carry on their legacies the best way you can.

I am also thankful for the job I have and the wonderful, caring people that I work with. We are all blessed and fortunate to be able to work on behalf of our family, friends and our Navajo people, through our employment at the Navajo Times. This is a good place to work because we provide a valuable and important service to people, places and things all over the world.

For all of you who are not working right now and are looking for a job so that you can support yourself and provide for your families, I pray that you find what you are looking for real soon. Have confidence in your talents, education and experience, and most importantly, have faith in yourself.

Just like I’ve done many years in the past when I write this column, I respectfully ask you to remember all of our elders, our sick and disabled, our brothers and sisters, and our children who cannot be here with us for the Christmas holiday. They may be off far away at school or college, or they may be serving our country in the military and are stationed overseas. They may be fighting for their lives in a hospital or healing in a care facility. Or, they may be locked up behind bars in a jail or prison.

These are all family and friends to us here at home within the Four Sacred Mountains. Let’s pray together for their successes and achievements, their protection and safe return, for the complete healing of their sickness and wounds, and for caring support and loving forgiveness.

To all of our Navajo Times readers, advertisers, business associates and their families, please enjoy your Christmas holiday the best way you can and know. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, we still have a lot of protections and restrictions that we need to adhere to but that should not prevent you from having a nice Christmas.

There will be plenty of time ahead for family gatherings and celebrations and that’s something we can all look forward to.

On behalf of all of us here at the Navajo Times Publishing Company and the Navajo Times newspaper, I wish all of you and your loved ones, a blessed, safe and glorious Merry Christmas!