Winning Words 9/15/09
“Never insult an alligator until you’ve crossed the river.” (Oriental Proverb) This may be an old one, but it serves as a reminder to wait and reconsider before you send off that “hot” letter or say something that you might later regret. Maybe it should have been posted in the US Open locker room a few days ago. ;-) Jack

FROM KB IN MICHIGAN: I love this--timely for me as I find myself very impatient with folks. FROM JACK: You?

FROM L IN ILLINOIS: Just plain don't insult the alligator. You never know when you might have to go back across the river again! FROM JACK: But, once in awhile, it just feels good to let it out.

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: I have some real sympathy with Serena....as does John McEnroe. Some of these officials can be incredibly arrogant and ill mannered....you'd think that they were ELCA synodical folks. It's too bad that she lost it but I think we can look at the calls that brought that on. Those officials need some scrutiny, too. But they just sit back and smirk at Serena after bringing it all on by their incompetence and
arrogance. FROM JACK: I thought you were taught good manners at home....And you were probably told Jesus' words about forgiveness when you were in Sunday School. "It's how you play the game. Life isn't always fair. MORE FROM PRJS: When a kid did something to me in school, I usually found a way to get "even." I have not taken a lot of junk in the wider church either. The liberals are wimps who usually try to stab you in the back. When they tried that, I climbed all over them. I had real forbearance in the parish but even then I didn't let people go all over other people. I am a great believer in Original Sin and that we can't just ignore it....my favorite political scientist was Reinhold Niebuhr. He would have thrown up over the return to naive liberalism that has occurred in the mainline Protestant church.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: I've pondered this one quite a few minutes this morning wondering if the alligator could be transformed. Maybe the operative word is "do not insult". This proverb is interesting and it's interesting to try to let it make sense in my mind even though don't ever have any contact with alligators like the Orientals do. Thanks for sharing it. Where do you find all of these WWs?!!!!!!!!! I appreciate reading them and also your comments. FROM JACK: Maybe God will someday become an alligator in order to show that species a better way of life. But then he'd have to provide a different food source

FROM MOLINER CF: I'll give you an official response to this tomorrow.

FROM CA IN MICHIGAN: Oh, do I love this one!! I enjoy reading your winning words.