A Time to Pay Special Homage!

Like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve are wonderful holidays.

They are all so enjoyable and amazing with their focus on gratitude, family, giving, rebirth and rededication – noble virtues that we strive to nurture throughout the year, but pay special homage to during the holiday season.

As we slip into the embrace of our own families and private celebrations but before 2009 fades into history, I want to express my thanks and profound gratitude to the many people whom I have met over the last several months.

I’ve made dozens of new friends, reconnected with many of my peers and shared endless laughs with countless supporters of my bid to become the next president-elect of the California Association of REALTORS®.

Meeting each of you makes the campaign worthwhile and already far more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.

You’ve shared the troubles facing your clients, your business and your family and the hard work it has taken for some of you to stay afloat during this recession. I’ve listened intently whenever you’ve urged me to have C.A.R. and N.A.R. pursue programs that will speed recovery for all communities.  

Yet I’m always amazed how frequently REALTORSS® who have fallen on hard times almost always express their gratitude. Sooner or later, they put into words how truly blessed they feel, even in the face of loss and adversity.

It’s a special trait that seems to run deep in many REALTORS®. That’s why an amazing number of REALTORS® somehow always find time to help organize a toy drive so homeless kids get something on Christmas Day.

Or, they volunteer at a food pantry to offer a hot meal to those who would otherwise go hungry.

Or, they write letters and collect care packages to send to our young men and women in uniform who are fighting our battles in distant, foreign lands, far from hearth and home.

These are things REALTORS® do year round, although we often only take note of their efforts during the holidays. It’s another reason why I’m so proud to be a REALTOR®.

So thank you for all you do for your family, your community and for your steadfast dedication to our profession.

May God bless you and keep you. Have a joyful Hanukkah, a very Merry Christmas and let me be among the first to wish you a happy, prosperous New Year!

Tom Carnahan, GRI, CRS, CDRA

Candidate, C.A.R. 2011 President-Elect