Winning Words 11/27/09
“You’re not only wrong, you’re wrong at the top of your voice.” (John Macreedy) I was intrigued when I read JM’s words. So much seems to be said “loudly” these day: Black Friday, for example. When I first heard of Black Friday, it was another term for Good Friday, that day when a crowd shouted at the top of their voice, “Crucify him.” Just because something is shouted, doesn’t mean that it’s right. ;-) Jack

Winning Words 11/27/09
“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” (Eric Hoffer) Another saying that fits: “You never miss the water ‘til the well runs dry.” The Thanksgiving season is time for us to take inventory of the good things we seem to take for granted. “…name them, one by one, and it will surprise you…” ;-) Jack

FROM TS VISITING IN OHIO: How is it we are treated to two Winning Words today? Special Treat! FROM JACK: I couldn't decide which of the messages to send, so I sent both. Two different thoughts.

FROM PRFM IN WISCONSIN: I received a call from a pastor yesterday, long since retired, thanking me for my assistance to him and the parish he was serving over 20 years ago - and an e-mail this morning from a pastor now serving a four point parish in North Dakota thanking me for being a mentor to him back in the 80's when he served as a P/D in Maple Lake, MN. Yesterday I counted many blessings . . . including the blessing of meeting you back in the 80's. FROM JACK: Correction: It was in 1969, 40 years ago...even a longer blessing for both of us.

FROM MOLINER CF: Sometimes you have to shout to the hearing impaired. Doesn't mean you are angry or lying. Count your blessing that you can hear. FROM JACK: The descriptive phrase is...WHEN YOU ARE WRONG.

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: I had never heard the Friday after Thanksgiving called "Black Friday" until just recently. I wonder why that term? Wild Friday might seem more appropriate/....or "Meet the Nuts Friday" FROM JACK: Black Friday is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States, which is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season. The term dates back to at least 1966, although its usage was primarily on the East coast. The term has become more common in other parts of the country since 2000. According to Reuters, in 2007 135 million people participated in the Black Friday shopping rush, more than turned out to vote in the 2008 United States presidential election, which recorded the largest voter turn out in history. The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers go from being in the red (i.e., posting a loss on the books) to being in the black (i.e., turning a profit).

FROM L IN ILLINOIS: Thank you for Winning Words. I read WW first thing each morning. You're better than coffee (or, in my case, a Coke) at getting me going.