Winning Words 11/14/12
“I’d rather know a square guy than own a square mile.”  (Wilson Mizner)  Wilson was a raconteur, someone always ready with a story or an anecdote.  “Let me tell you about the time I met Wyatt Earp.”  He was a playwright and once part owner of Hollywood’s Brown Derby.  In his day, a square guy was someone you could count on, who was fair and honest.  Possessions really don’t compare to a good friend.    ;-)  Jack

 FROM PPM:  I'm so happy to see this this morning. I've missed Winning Words. Thank you for taking the time to change my email address.////FROM JACK:  From time to time e-mail addresses change.  I'm glad that there are moms who keep track of things like that.  Glad to have you back.

 FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  How true that is.  Most people our age are downsizing and have lots of stuff to get rid of.  We have just returned from Washington and Virginia, and you definitely need more stuff up north.  Good friends are great.  It is hard for me to believe that Shirley Briere Parker is so close.  We still have many of the same interests and have gotten to know each other's families. Through the years we have kept in touch with all of our moves.  ////FROM JACK:  Didn't you grow up in the same neighborhood, too?

 FROM ILLINOIS LIZ:  I had lunch @ the brown derby many years ago... nothing special....////FROM JACK:  I've only seen pictures of the Brown Derby.  I can't remember the last time I saw someone wear a derby.  It might have been Churchill, and his was black.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I agree! Friends and family before possessions!  Johnny Cash put it pretty bluntly when he said, "Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world, except money." Possessions apparently  didn't make for a charmed life for him.  I know we were happier in the pastorate, making a modest salary (by U.S. standards) than we were when Bill was CEO of his construction company and we were living "high"...but we didn't know that until we made a "leap of faith"...Still, it IS nice to have "enough" to enjoy life...there is a difference....////FROM JACK:  Even though reforms that came out of the Great Depression have made for a less worrisome life for older people, there are still people who are poor.

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Mizner is right about this. Sometimes, and in some situations, I believe I accumulate possessions when what I really want is a good friend. Possessions don't really fill the void of not having a trusting and warm accepting relationship. I think we especially find this out at Christmas time.
Very wise WW, as usual with your selections.////FROM JACK:  In the "olden" days, the annual Christmas card was a way to keep in touch with friends.  I still send them out, but the computer has changed things... including how I address the cards.

 FROM "SAINT" JUDY:  Absolutely, a square person is a true blessing.  I have one with me now.  She is my best friend and is down with me for the week.  She has been my friend since childhood at church.  She's worth more than any amount of money...well I guess I would sell her for a million dollars (she's watching me type this).  ////FROM JACK: I have a friend in Arizona who I call a couple of times a year.  It's almost as though we have never parted.  The conversation just flows.  It's that way with friends.////SJ:  So very true.  I have a friend, Jesten, an American Indian, who I worked with in the 60's.   She's a pastor now.  I have seen her 2 times in the last 30 years yet we remain steadfast friends.  They are God's blessings to us.