“When Wally Jansen told me about my new company’s Christmas ‘trip to the island’ tradition,” says Phillip Kelly,  “I was intrigued.  Ten days before Christmas the two hundred Puerto Rican families in this particular parish would gather and each family would place five dollars in the ‘pot,’ which was about a day’s pay for a fruit picker back then.  Each family would write its name on a slip of paper.  Then they would blindfold someone to draw the name of the family that would get to go home for Christmas – two glorious weeks on the island, and enough money to buy Christmas presents for everyone.  I went to the drawing that year, my first Christmas with the community, but it was going to be Wally Jansen’s last.  Wally was retiring after working forty years with the company, and for the last 25 he had been the canning factory foreman.


“By three o’clock everyone had parted with their five dollars and the announcer called the committee on stage to witness the drawing.  Then they called me up to draw the name of the lucky family.  On went the blindfold and I was led to the drum.  I reached in, sorted out a handful, and finally settled on one.  I opened the slip of paper and read, ‘Wally Jansen.’  The cheers were deafening.  Everyone surrounded him, hugging him, crying, congratulating him, wishing him a Merry Christmas and a joyous trip.  While the commotion continued I casually reached back into the drum and drew out a handful of slips and opened a couple.  Each one, in different writing, carried the same name – Wally Jansen.”
I imagine that the Wally Jansen family was thrilled beyond words, but I believe the joy that each person felt, thinking that maybe they had written the name “Wally Jansen” which was drawn, was greater still.   Think about that.  Become a giver, and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar was known as America’s Motivator.  He authored 32 books and produced numerous training programs.  He will be remembered as a man who lived out his faith daily.