How to avoid mourning the empty chair at Christmas 12-19-24 YMS HR1

How to avoid mourning the empty chair at Christmas 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Michael. I'd love to have you listen to
your morning show live. Every day. We're heard on great
stations like News Talk five point fifty k f YI
and Phoenix News Radio eleven ninety k EX in Portland
and ten ninety The Patriot in Seattle. Make us a
part of your morning routine. We'd love to have you
listen live. But in the meantime, enjoy the podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Two three starting your morning off right. A new way
of talk, a new way of understanding, because we're in
this together. This is your Morning Show with Michael O'Dell.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Jordan on the air on your iHeartRadio app everywhere. This
is your Morning show on Michael del Journal. Jeffrey Lyons
as the audio controls.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Hi.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
Red's here keeping an eye on the content. What about
you all? Are you already tune up? Get ready? You know? Yeah, already,
it's on. It's on. It's on if you are just
picking up The Amazon workers are going on strike now.
We talked with Jack Crumley about this yesterday. This should

(01:05):
mostly be a regional impact. Maybe that's what all the
drones were preparing for deliveries for Amazon Jersey, Who I suck?
The end of the year. I'm out of ideas. The
Fed is lowering rates for a third time this year.
That could bring some relief. And again it's not directly

(01:25):
tied to home mortgages, but it tends to affect it.
It's certainly tied to your credit card interest rates. The
White House is criticizing President elect Trump for sinking a
bipartisan funding bill. You know what's interesting we often talk about,
do presidents have the first one hundred days and they
have to make it count in that honeymoon of the
first hundred days, and then in a second term you

(01:46):
really don't even get one hundred days because you're kind
of a lame duck. Right after the speech, this presidency
being separated by four years, this time, the media dead
America behind him, it looks like a completely different first
one hundred days. And then it really kind of was
like a firste hundred and fifty days. They seem to

(02:08):
already be running the country. The heads of doge Elon
Musk and vivig Ramaswami. Vike Ramaswami a presidential contender against
Donald Trump. Now it's closest ally Elon Musk, a former Democrat,
richest man in the World, along with r FK Junior

(02:31):
and Kelsea Gabbard and others put this group together. They
highlighted one I have to shamelessly confess my weakness to you.
Yesterday I spoke very directly and against continuing resolutions. I
am a firm believer that we have a spending problem

(02:53):
in America, not a revenue problem. We have to control
this out of control growth of government and spending. Why
did I leave the Republican Party? Not because I don't
believe in their platform. I do. I was never a
Democrat because I have nothing in common with their platform.

(03:16):
My disgust with Republicans is failure to live with they believe.
Members of Congress and Senate hailed as Republican heroes at home,
when they are signing off on these continuing resolutions crippling
me today and destroying my children's future. They're frauds democrats.

(03:38):
I don't resent what they This is what they believe in.
They want to take from those with means and give
to those with needs and be the heroes in between
and create a slavery. They're just playing out their mission.
But who are these Republicans? Do they get what happened

(04:02):
in their own election because they didn't win. This was
not an our landslide. It was a t landslide. This
is trump Ism, not Republicanism, and I don't think they
get it. So you have two sides of the coin today.
Do these Democrat leaders not get America? Behind Doge? And
what Doge plans to do? Obviously not with this continuing resolution?

(04:27):
And for the Republicans that planned to support it, obviously not.
Trump had words for them as well. But Elon and
Viveik they highlighted one and forty seven pages in the
continuing Resolution, which gives a forty percent pay increase to congressmen.

(04:47):
No wonder Elon musk on x message, this bill should
not pass. That's where we're at in America. There is
an awakening among the people. There's a new direction afoot,

(05:09):
and establishment politicians think its status quo business as usual. Now.
I have often said I can fix this country in
four moves. In fact, not only can I fix it
and be the jolly good fellow, It'll be on autopilot
and you won't have to worry about it ever. Again.

(05:29):
One a zero based Every year you do a new budget,
based on reality, based on the changing economic environment. I
remember when I used to be in management and I
would talk to my staff, and I would do this
with complete love. I'd say, here's where we are, here's

(05:51):
where we're going, here's how we're going to get there.
Love to get there with all of you probably won't happen.
And the bottom line for you person, do your job
one hundred percent as expected, and guess what your reward is.
You get to keep your job. That's what I hired
and paid you to do. Now you go over and
above that, you can expect a raise. You don't go

(06:14):
over and above that, you can expect not to get
a raise. You perform below this standard, you can expect
to be replaced. Somewhere. There's somebody praying for this job,
with the gifting, with the abilities, and they'd love to
come in here and do a great work. But that's

(06:37):
the expectation. Do your job, keep your job, don't do
your job, lose your job. Who has failed the American
people more, whether it's the economy, the budget, COVID investigations
than Congress and they slipped in, did you get one
hundred and seventy four thousand, two hundred and forty three

(06:58):
thousand pay raise? The American people are struggling to pay
for their failures, and they were trying to slip in
a race. They don't get the power of Doge, and
they really don't get the American people behind Doge and
Republicans who have been talking a good game at home
but then signing these continuing resolutions in Washington, DC, they

(07:20):
got a surprise from Elan Vevey and President elect Trump.
You should be primaried out. And so why do I
shame you myself? Yesterday I made my comments against it,
and I did not, in my mind, expect anything other
than this to roll through and pass, because this is
what Washington does, the insanity of suggesting you can deet

(07:43):
your way out of a debt problem, spend your way
out of a spending problem. But they do it, and
I assume they do it again. Boy, maybe I don't
get Doge. Maybe I don't get Donald Trump two point zero,
but he sent a strong message yesterday, like anybody cares
what the White House thinks this assisted living center, I mean,

(08:08):
White House is criticizing President Elect Trump for sinking a
bipartisan funding bill that would have prevented a government shutdown.
Do you know what my vision zero based prioritized budget,
A budget that lasts for two years, the length of
that member that Congress term limits. Everybody gets skin in

(08:36):
the game of taxation, fair flat tax, and you'd be
done with this. You could follow sports and your country
will run like a well oiled machine. What is a
government shutdown? All non essential government spending is cutting Guess
what all non essential government never should have happened. Every

(08:58):
year I root for a government shutdown. No they'll cutoffs,
No they won't touch those security Look at how despicably
they slip tried to slip in that kind of a raise.
Anybody else getting an eighty thousand thirty percent raise back

(09:22):
my last job, I didn't get a raise for sixteen years.
To God, thank you that I don't work there anymore.
Thank you for where I do work. God bless iHeart.
God blessed premiere and all the work for it. To
get into the Christmas spirit. And I've been doing this

(09:45):
now for like fifteen years. Locally, we kind of highlight
my top ten Christmas stories and songs. Yesterday we got
started at number ten was Johnny Mathis. We need a
little Christmas our ode to the holiday decorating season. Number
nine are ode to Christmas movies, the Beach Boys and

(10:05):
God only knows from love. Actually, for all of you
that will dare to travel this holiday season, and there's
a record number of you. We had our ode to
Christmas travelers at number eight Kenny Loggins and celebrate me home.
And then we did it at number seven, our ode
to a Nolan's Christmas, Harry Connick Junior and please come
home for Christmas. That brings us bright early this morning

(10:26):
at number six. It's a Jewish custom to mourn the
empty chair, perfected later, I might add, by Italian mothers.
You can have your parents, five of your children, twelve
of your grandchildren all around you, but your attention, your heart,

(10:46):
your mind is focused on in mourning the single person
that's missing. And I saw this firsthand my entire childhood.
Now I've mentioned many times a choice that Andrew and
I consciously made when my twin daughters were born twenty
years ago. Christmas would be in my home with my family,
the family we made, not chasing Christmases past with childhood

(11:12):
home visits. One. We did so to spare them from
the dysfunction of our childhood Christmases, yes, but mostly to
give them a chance to have their own and one
that they would then in turn pass on to their families.
Whether it's candlelight service, Christmas Eve, whether it's seafood and

(11:35):
the feast, whether it's the making cookies, our traditions, our memories.
So whether it was Tulsa or whether it was Tennessee,
over the course of about thirty years, that meant I
had an empty chair my mom, and I guess this
song was kind of my way of addressing it head on,

(11:59):
so that I could focus wholeheartedly on the chairs that
were filled and not the one that was empty. After
twenty years, it along with Neil Diamonds Hello Again, Hello Again, Hello,
I guess, are our songs the trade off of throat cancer,

(12:22):
lung cancer and seven years of sharing that battle with
cancer and caring for her. This song's kind of gotten
lost over the last seven years. But for you, perhaps
this year right now, tempted to have a less than Christmas,
tempted to mourn the empty chair, maybe it'll work for

(12:44):
you the way it worked for me for so many years.
Getting back to the countdown at number six on our
Top ten Christmas Stories and Songs, here's the Carpenters and
Merry Christmas Darling were listening live. This is where the
song would play after such an emotional story. But we

(13:04):
don't have licensing for the podcast, but feel free to
look it up and listen to it online. And you
have a list without Karen Carpenter on it on a
voice or I wish I wish you could have seen
herself the way we all saw her. Merry Christmas Darling
number six on our top ten list of Christmas Stories

(13:27):
and songs, and we will get I feel like Kazycasion
and just like that, we're halfway through the gowndown. We'll
make our way from five to number one between today
and tomorrow. I'm Lenny McGill of the McGill's world famous
Glock Store, and my morning show is Your Morning Show
with Michael dell Jorno. Hi, I'm Michael. We've loved to

(13:56):
have you listen every weekday morning to your Morning show live,
even take us a with you on the drive to work.
We can be heard on great radio stations like one
oh four nine The Patriot in Saint Louis, or Talk
Radio ninety eight point three and fifteen ten WLAC in
Nashville and News Talk five fifty k f YI in Phoenix, Arizona,
love to be a part of your morning routine. But
we're always grateful you're here now enjoyed the podcast? How

(14:18):
different am I from what you listen to?

Speaker 3 (14:21):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (14:21):
There is no difference. You are the same whack job
off the air that you are on. All right, because
let me tell you why?

Speaker 1 (14:27):
All right? So, and and I want to defend myself.
I don't think I'm weird. So I'm on Facebook, you know,
just checking some things out, and it says, hey, would
you would you like to see Dean Martin's last picture
before he died? Well, of course I would. Who wouldn't.
I'm morbid. I'm fascinated with death. Who didn't love Dino?
What in the moon that hits your eye like a bit? Yeah? Hey,

(14:50):
you want to see Dino's last picture before his death?
I'm like, yes, Clay, you know bait, click me for
an hour. I want to see that. So then I
say to you, guys, hey you want to see Dino
before he died.

Speaker 4 (15:02):
If you want to see the effects of smoking on
the body, look at the picture, the last photo of
Dean Martin before he died.

Speaker 1 (15:10):
But why do you make fun of me. I'm not
making you enjoyed looking at it? Didn't you? I enjoy it?
As a matter of fact, I was sharing with you
on YouTube.

Speaker 4 (15:17):
There is a classical photos videos collection and I cannot
stop watching them.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
Who said, oh my gosh, she looks like my grandmother.
I did. He looked like my grandmother. He doesn't look
like the like you know on stage, that's for sure.
But I don't know. Does that make me weird? Non,
I'm weird if you're just waking up. Amazon did go
on strike, that did lower the rates the third time,
and the White House is criticizing President like Trump for

(15:44):
sinking a bipartisan funding bill. Listen, this is a message
to me. It's a message to you certainly, just sitting
Republicans in Congress and to Democrats and whatever is going
on in the assisted living of the White House. Elon
Musk and vivek Rama Swami Doge. They mean business. And
it was not holiday business as usual with this continuing resolution.

(16:07):
And my favorite was just trying to slip in a raise,
and I mean a significant raise. Yeah, not a tiny one.
They were shooting shooting big. It's going from one hundred
and seventy four grand to two hundred and forty three
thousand a year for all congressmen. We're all struggling. I'm
dying over here trying to cover car, insurance, groceries, gas.

(16:29):
They were gonna slip in a rate, those failures that
created this cost of living, We're gonna bump themselves up
one hundred and seventy four thousand to two hundred and
forty three thousand. And they thought nobody was gonna notice,
and Republicans thought they were just gonna pass this. I
got news for Elon Veveig Trump. They mean business and
they're not even in office yet. Gotta love that story.

(16:54):
Israel says it carried out deadly air strikes against Suthie
targets and Yemen, and uh we. I tried. All I
can do is be transparent and honest. I got him
better on six and I popped on Western Kentucky and
James Madison and I just couldn't even trick myself into

(17:14):
believing I cared. I mean, it was this. It was
a d game with c minters, announcers. They didn't even
have nice outfits. I just couldn't. But I tickled myself there.
Did you catch that? Two crummy games, Boca Ratan Ball,
James Madison beat Western Come Oh those hiphtoppers. They came

(17:35):
out barefoot, but they got the two stepped on twenty
seven to seventeen. James Madison a winner over w WKU UNLV.
They you know, they finished for really even took out
Cal twenty four to thirteen in the LA Bowl. I
think we have a bowl game tonight too, and oh,
redefining a stinker the New Orleans Bowl, Georgia's Southern and

(17:58):
Sam Houston. I think I'm gonna watch the Feast of
Seven Fishes again? When does that start?

Speaker 4 (18:05):
All?

Speaker 1 (18:05):
Make sure we were talking off the air, and you know,
normally when you're on the radio this time, right before
the holidays, even the news cycle starts to die, and
of course our attention span thank you starts to die.
I don't know what you were feeding me, but I
didn't want to hear it. But Red made the comment.

(18:28):
I'm telling you, I could do an entire issue oriented
news talk morning show. The news cycle is there. I, however,
am getting more into holiday mood and I think it's
it's good that we get this way. It's time to
get our hearts and our minds and our focus, right,
But it was really out of necessity. I'd be working

(18:51):
Christmas Eve morning. Nobody wants to talk about politics Christmas
Eve morning. So in what was a natural conversation? What
are the top ten? Because I love Christmas music. I'm
one of the few people listening to Christmas music during
the year. I do, and it's very healing for me.
It's a north star, if you will, for me of

(19:12):
feelings and reality. So I wanted to celebrate my top
ten Christmas songs, and then I started telling stories just
naturally along with all of them, because that's what music is, right,
It takes you to a place a time I don't know.
Fifteen years went by and it became a tradition, my
top ten Christmas Stories and songs Holiday Spectacular, and so
now we bring it to the nation and our nationwide show.

(19:35):
We started at number ten with Johnny matthis we need
a little Christmas our ode to holiday decorators. The Beach
Boys were at number nine with God only Knows Our
ode to Christmas Movies. That one love actually number five
on my list, and number eight was Kenny Logan celebrating
all of you that will go through the nightmare of
travel this holiday season going who knows where our ode

(19:57):
to Christmas Travelers was celebrat rate me home. Harry Connick
Junior brought us please come home for Christmas at number
seven or ode to a Nolln's Christmas, because there's a
lot of things. You think New Orleans does food, well,
they do Christmas great. And we just add at number
six are ode to the empty chair, the carpenters, and
Merry Christmas, Darling. That brings us all the way to

(20:18):
number five. I think in America we're getting a little
bit better about staying married statistically anyway, driven mostly by
more who are never getting married. The divorce rate is
kind of down. Hey, you take these victories where you
can find them. Maybe we need a doge for marriage.

(20:39):
We live in a time where life is certainly less sacred.
Marriage is certainly not a sacrament. So where does that
leave engagement a little more than going steady? Maybe, But
in the time of Christ, to be engaged, to be betrothed,

(21:05):
that was serious business. It was as legally binding as marriage,
and to breach it could cost you your life. Nobody
understands the Christmas story. If they don't understand betrothal, and
that's where Mary and Joseph find themselves. Angels visit both

(21:29):
and both are faced with a choice, faith or culture,
the angels or the law. Now add Herod into the mix,
into the equation. Now their lives are in danger, and
their baby's life is in danger. And they both have

(21:49):
their place in the Christmas story, and certainly their figurines
are there in the Nativity scene. But we're so focused
on the child. I wonder if we missed their extraordinary
example of faith, courage, chosen status, especially Joseph. Can you

(22:12):
imagine how many times they must have said, why me?
Why me? How many times have we said to God?
Why me? Now?

Speaker 3 (22:22):
What?

Speaker 1 (22:22):
Why mean? Now?

Speaker 3 (22:24):
What?

Speaker 1 (22:24):
And our lives weren't even endangered, well, they were endangered
by anything. Of was our poor decisions and choices that
brought us to that wieme moment. I do notice that
the angels appeared at conception, not birth, noteworthy and lost
in our debates over choice today, because I find these
two household names, little studied household names, but very little studied,

(22:49):
and honored less and less as time goes by. And
I guess, because I grew up Catholic, you can gather
that by my last name, maybe lifted up beyond just
honored and then growing old as a Protestant, or she's
not honored enough. I guess for those reasons, this song

(23:13):
has always been a cherished one for me. A song
written by a very thoughtful comedian that explores what the
angels told them, that's what they knew, versus what they
would come to know and see with their very own eyes.

(23:36):
A song of questions, A song of questions that probably
best chronicles this child who challenges all of us even
today to choose him over self, him over culture. At
number five in our top ten Christmas Stories and Songs,

(23:56):
I choose the Clay a conversion. But here is Mary.
Did you know? If you were listening live? This is
where the song would play after such an emotional story.
But we don't have licensing for the podcast, but feel
free to look it up and listen to it online.
Pretty amazing song written by a comedian. Huh, Mary, did
you know? Number five on our list of top ten

(24:18):
Christmas Stories and songs. A Christmas radio spectacular.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
It's your morning show with Michael del Chino.

Speaker 1 (24:27):
Here's this talkback. Have you watched any of these music
Christmas specials. Lately, all the women are in bikinis singing
when it's snowing. I got to cover my grandkid's eyes.
Look a lot like Christmas. Scott listening to WLAC in Nashville. Michael,

(24:48):
you said, New Orleans does Christmas well. They also do
robbery's murders and crime very well, and drunkenness and flooding. Yeah,
they do a lot right, all right. In the wake
of the recent drone sightings, the White House won't tell
you specifically. A classified meeting leaves Congress not telling you specifically,

(25:12):
but the FAA says you can figure it out for
yourself if you'd like. Here's Tammy Trihilo.

Speaker 3 (25:17):
The agency released a video explaining how all aircraft, including drones,
are required to have certain lights. The FAA says drones
must have a strobe light visible for at least three miles.
Several federal agencies said in a joint statement that there's
no national security threat at this time regarding the recent
drone sightings, but did confirm that some drones have been
seen flying near or over military installations. Many lawmakers and

(25:41):
others one answer is concerning who's operating those drones drone
pilots must generally obey certain flying rules, such as staying
below four hundred feet, keeping the drone in sight, and
avoiding any restricted airspace. The agency also emphasized that it's
illegal to shoot down a drone. I'm Tammy TRICHEO, we
tell you something. Doge is not political gesture Elon faveg.

(26:02):
Donald They mean business, Mark Mayfield reports.

Speaker 5 (26:06):
The tech billionaire posted on x more than one hundred
times Wednesday to reel against the bill, repeatedly calling it criminal.
Musk also posted a warning saying that any member of
the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending
bill deserves to be voted out in two years. Muska
and Vivic Ramaswami were picked by President elect Trump to
have the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. Trump also

(26:28):
voiced his opposition to the bill that would have funded
the government until March fourteenth.

Speaker 1 (26:32):
I'm Mark Mayfield, and they mean business when it comes
to the border as well.

Speaker 6 (26:35):
Texas Congressman Brian Babbin is confident that the policies of
the last administration will be rolled back to ensure.

Speaker 4 (26:42):
That the American people are protected from those who seek
to destroy our way of life and to right the.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
Wrongs of this previous administration.

Speaker 6 (26:50):
The Republican House Border Security Caucus is gearing up for
another push at passing to Secure the Border Act. It
passed the House last year, but died in the Senate.
It includes funding to complete the border wall, changes in
asylum standards, and an expansion of family detention centers. I'm
Brian Shook.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
A bill to keep AM radios and dashboards of American
automobiles may have to wait until next year.

Speaker 7 (27:14):
The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will not make
it to the floor for a vote before the one
hundred eighteenth Legislative session concludes on Thursday. That means it
must be reintroduced in committee when Congress reconvenes. This comes
after months of advocacy from broadcasters, lawmakers, and the public.
The act had been waiting for a floor vote since September.

(27:35):
Supporters say AM is an essential source of information and
a lifeline during emergencies and natural disasters. I'm Phil Schultz.

Speaker 1 (27:43):
Today we celebrate Buddy the Elf from the Christmas film
Auf pre Tennis with Everything you don't know but should.

Speaker 8 (27:51):
If you're a fan Buddy d Elf, what's your favorite
color Today is ant to the phone like Buddy the
Elf day, and there's so much you don't know about him. First,
he wasn't supposed to be played by Will Ferrell at all.
Jim Carrey was first pick, followed by Chris Farley and
no sequel. Farrell turned down twenty nine million dollars to
be in Elf two. As for your personal celebration, honor

(28:11):
Buddy the Elf, Answer the phone like him and enjoy
some Elf pasta. That's spaghetti with candy top with maple syrup.
I'm Bree Tennis.

Speaker 1 (28:18):
That's your top five stories the day. We're all in
this together. This is your Morning Show with Michael Entheld
Joano