Reflecting on 2015

December 2015

By Lynn Gravley CEO

About this time every year, I make a point to stop everything, reflect on the past year, and plan for the coming year. It seems as though each year I am more and more thankful for the great customers, great carriers, and great folks here at NT that allow us the privilege to serve each of them. Almost as though with age, my thankfulness increases, almost to the point of amazement at the value each, in concert with one another, brings to our lives. After all, our task is to serve and add value to not only our customers, but also to our carriers and our amazing NT Logistics team members.

As I look at how successful we were at adding value to these various areas that makeup our business this past year, I also look ahead for ways we can both continue and increase the value we add in the coming year. In the last few weeks, we celebrated three big holidays in just a few weeks, starting with Thanksgiving- a time to pause and give thanks.  This certainly fits into my current mindset. I often wonder if we are all thankful enough for all we have? As I write, the theme of thankfulness continues to come to the forefront of my thoughts. It is so easy, especially at this time of year, to get so busy and so wrapped up in our daily tasks that we fail to be thankful.

As Thanksgiving wraps up, the Christmas season is fast upon us. It is a time to spend with family and as Christians, to celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior. I remember as a kid watching A Charlie Brown Christmas and then later seeing my kids watching the same show. I really like the part where Charlie Brown is searching for the meaning of Christmas and his good friend Linus catches him up to speed. Linus van Pelt (Lucy’s brother) quotes the book of Luke saying “…for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'” [Luke 2:8-14 KJV]. At this point, Linus picks up his blanket and walks towards Charlie Brown saying “…That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Although I enjoy visiting the malls at Christmas, observing the many shoppers, and admiring the decorations, I often wonder if we many times forget the meaning of Christmas.  Maybe we get like Charlie Brown and need a Linus to remind us. The Christmas season seems to rush by and before we know it, the end of the year is upon us.

New Years – a fresh start, a do over, a new calendar.  Here at NT Logistics, our new wall calendars arrived a few weeks back. Immediately the dates are filled with trade shows to attend, vacations are scheduled, and all the things that we have planned for the coming year are added in.  An entirely new calendar that will replace or cover up the old one; a fresh start, a new set of days. How will they be different? How will they be better?  What will we do differently?  I am not talking about resolutions, those are hard. I am talking about 365 squares/days (except the ones already filled in with trade shows).  What, and who, you fill those days with, as well as the attitude you carry forward into each of them, will determine more of the successes of that year than anything. I will work on remembering to say thank you, appreciating my blessings, praising the Lord, and this year, trying to fill those days with a better attitude and maybe a few new resolutions. Maybe together we can resolve this new year to be kind to everyone we meet as we never know what challenges they may be facing and how we may be able to help them.

Oh, and from all of us a NT Logistics, thank you and Merry Christmas. We look forward to the coming year and adding more value to our great customers, our great carriers, and our great team members.