Jack’s Winning Words  1/14/15
“Many are called, but few get up.”  (Oliver Herford)  Is there anyone in your household who needs more than a few calls to get out of bed?  Irving Berlin’s song might fit them:  “O, how I hate to get up in the morning; O, how I hate to roll out of bed.”  Many adages speak of the value of being an early riser…You’ll be healthy, wealthy and wise; you’ll see the sunrise and have more time for exercise; better grades for students.  What benefits might you add?    ;-)  Jack 

FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  I'm so glad there is benefit to this!====JACK:  Some habits (like getting up for school) are hard to break.  The early hours are the best part of the day for me.  Other hours aren't so bad, either.====PAUL:  The problem  is when I can get my business done by 8:30 AM, I begin to generate new business!!!!! This senecio seems counterproductive for a retired person!  Haha  BTW... I just sent the following email to some friends of mine and I'd like to share it with you...Have you ever read something relatively simple and then you say to yourself.."I don't even know how to start a conversation about this!" We are getting a little crazy as parents and as a society!  A Florida man called police to observe him spanking his daughter to make sure he didn’t violate any law. Dale Garcia wanted to discipline his 12-year-old after she got into “a heated argument” with her sister, so he called police. “I stood by as he spanked [her] four times on her buttocks,” the officer wrote in his report. “No crime has been committed.”====JACK:  Why is it that we so often feel that we have to be doing something?  Can't we just loll?  A lot of people don't even know what that word means.  They might think that it's a misspelling of LOL.

FROM JE IN MICHIGAN:  I just read Paul’s response to your WW today. It is funny and true. The word “loll” is great and has a similar word in Italian, “passeggiata,” pronounced “pasa – jata.” It is what the Italians do in the evening -- they stroll, visit, and watch time go by in the piazza. It is common for everyone, not just retirees. We have become a 24-7 world with access to information via text messages, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, news feeds, email and the expectation is that you have read all of these every waking moment so you can converse and act, re-act and be pro-active on whatever needs immediate attention.  Paul – I know it’s a little cold to “loll” or “passeggiata” but you can “loll” around the kitchen table with a cup of coffee or something stronger with your friends in the evening. Americans should “loll” and/or “passeggiata” more and put down the electronic devices. ====JACK:  Thanks for teaching me a NEW word.  Now I know why some of my Italian friends are so "laid back."

FROM LP IN PLYMOUTH:  I am responding to this email as i procrastinate getting out of bed.====JACK:  Somehow, I can't picture your grandma (at your age) lying in bed and looking at her I-Phone.

 FROM CPA BOB:  My favorite is "the early bird  gets the worm", partly because it is more immediate.  I've been trying to explain this to my grandson, who is now nine and has always been an early riser.  It's time to explain it again.====JACK:  While you're at it, explain to him the importance of beginning to save early...and the value of compound interest.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Well, I have stopped taking morning OLLI classes because I like to sleep late. Most of my neighbors are early birds.  I say-to each his own.====JACK:  We all make choices in life.  I suppose you attend Saturday evening Mass, too.

FROM BS IN ENGLAND:  I would say singing and laughing more!====JACK:  It used to be the custom for American students and their teacher to sing this song at the beginning of the school day...
Students:  Good Morning to you,
Good morning to you.
We're all in our places
With sunshiny faces,
And this is the way
To start a new day!
Teacher:  Good morning to you
Good morning to you
Our day is beginning
There's so much to do.
So good morning, good morning,
Good morning to you!

FROM CHESTER THE GOOD:  Leaves you more time for a nap in the afternoon.====JACK:  Yes, people like you seem to doze off in your Lazy-Boy while watching TV

FROM WATERFORD JAN:  If I got up really early, I could read Winning Words right after you post them instead of hours and hours later!====JACK:  One of my readers uses Winning Words as an alarm clock.  When he hears his I-Phone beep, he says..."Time to get up.  It's Jack's Winning Words."
 ====JAN:  I have great respect for you and I love the Winning Words, but I will never be using your beeps to awaken me!!!

FROM TRIHARDER:  what I get from that is that the few do the work of many --  I tell my kids "You must do more than your share to make up for the people who do nothing."  I think they've learned. ====JACK:  The lesson that I'm currently trying to teach to those who have much is, REMEMBER THE POOR!

FROM BB IN ILLINOIS:  What do you think about “owls” and “larks”?  My mother was an owl, my father a lark.  I was married to a lark.  I am not one.  That said, when I rise early during lent and advent to read and reflect, I am always rewarded.  When I take an exercise class at six, my day is always filled with energy.  Hmmm.====JACK:  As far back as I can remember, I've always been a lark.  When I was in Jr Hi I used to get up in the dark and walk several miles to the dairy where the milkman was loading his truck.  I'd ride with him and help deliver milk until we reached our house.  Then, I'd hop off, eat a quick breakfast and go off to school.====BB:  What a great story.  The early bird catches the worm….which I hear is also an argument for “knowing who you are”.  i.e., if you’re a worm, best sleep in.

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  If you choose, quiet time alone - perhaps for prayer or meditation - before the hustle and bustle of the day gets revved up.====JACK:  A friend of mine begins each morning by saying, "This is the day the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it."====RS:  That's how we start our worship service each Sunday -  The Pastor says, "This is the day the Lord has made"...........and the congregation responds with..."Let us rejoice and be glad in it."   And there are some days I would like to add........"and a little warmer weather would make me rejoice even more." ====JACK:  But...not too hot!

FROM PC IN MICHIGAN:  Time to spend with God before the hectic ness of the day. Time to give thanks, seek wisdom and reflect on all our blessings.....====JACK:  A friend of mine used to say, when he thought something was a good idea..."Now, that's a plan!"  Re: your response..."Now, that's a plan!"

FROM DP IN MINNESOTA:  Getting up early gives you time to enjoy winning words, play scrabble with your kids and friends and enjoy a healthy, leisurely breakfast!====JACK:  You forgot...time to read the newspaper.  We get two each morning (delivered about 5:30).  I even know the carriers by name, because sometimes I meet them at the garage door.

FROM MY LAWYER:  Less traffic on both the roads and the golf course!!!===JACK:  You must bbe in Florida.  Don't forget to turn off your turn signal as you speed along to the golf course.


FROM HONEST JOHN: I love the peacefulness of the morning hours. ====JACK:  I like this song, sung by George Beverly Shea...
Early in the morning, while the world is still
Before the daylight streaks the sky, I would know His will.
I commune with Christ my Saviour and listen carefully
To gain the strength I need to day
While praying quietly
Chorus
Thank you Lord, for seeing me
Thank you Lord for knowing who I am
Thank you Lord hearing me,
It's so easy to get lost these days
In the shuffle and the noise.
Why not try to do this when you wake up in the night
Troubles race into your mind and sleep becomes a fight
Try this simple method and you soon will gain control
Sleep will quickly come again and a calm come oer your soul.
Chorus
Thank you Lord, for seeing me
Thank you Lord for knowing who I am
Thank you Lord hearing me,
It's so easy to get lost these days
In the shuffle and the noise.