Winning Words 6/15/11
“The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you figure out why you were born.” (Tom Walsh) Tom vacations in Los Cobos, Mexico, and is raising funds to provide world class medical care for the poor children there. You and I were put on this earth for a purpose. Maybe it would be interesting if we would share the “why” of our lives. ;-) Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Sounds simple. Do you think some people figure out the latter part and are unwilling to engage?////FROM JACK: Maybe it's like when some people do their taxes. They figure it out, add it up, and don't like the answer they see. There are some who smile, because the answer is better than they expected. Either way, life is pretty much what we put into it, with a few breaks along the way.

FROM BB IN MICHIGAN: I was in a car accident when I was 15 and landed in the street. My dad said to me, you have a reason WHY. Do you know your WHY?////FROM JACK: My "WHY moment was at age 16. Robert Frost wrote about such a moment in his poem, "The Road Not Taken." I'm putting it on the blog.
TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

FROM JE IN MICHIGAN: I think I was born to serve others....I love cooking, baking, entertaining, decorating and gardening and sharing the fruits of those labors with others. God bless you and have a nice day!//// FROM JACK: Even more important that the things listed...Your pleasant personality which makes others enjoy being around you.

FROM RI IN BOSTON: I wonder how many people have taken the time to consider what the purpose of their life is. And if they did, how many find an answer. So many drift about without knowing what to do with their lives. I know there are some persons who believe their purpose in life is to nag others around them.//// FROM JACK: I wonder what the "drifters" think about the "others"...if they give it a thought? I guess we have our hands full trying to keep from drifting. Each day presents new challenges.

FROM SH ON MICHIGAN: Seems like I was born to ask questions, particularly when injustices are evident, especially in the church-- my little job is to work tirelessly on hospitality, Bible studies, prayer evenings where I am always seeking to go deeper, to have more understanding, to be more accepting and welcoming of all. And the more I do this, the more of it remains still to be done. But it makes me happy and in some strange way contented.////FROM JACK: It seems like you're a combination of Mary and Martha.

FROM JL IN MICHIGAN: Love this post! I am here to help others find their best life and purpose. Also to teach a new way to understand sensitives and those with ADHD, aspergers, autism and anxiety so we can recognize and develop THEIR gifts.////FROM JACK: The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren has become a best-seller, because so many people are searching for a personal purpose. Those with acute problems that affect the lives of their loved ones (and themselves), especially are looking for answers and help. Thanks for being a caring helper.

FROM PEPPERMINT MARY: my why certainly has to do with using my voice to promote peaceful intention. spreading words and example of peace, love, and kindness each day gives me purpose. the stumbling block for me has been to overcome my fear and find my courage to do so. luckily my courage always seems to find the way to prevail. i get braver with age. ////FROM JACK: Where there's a will, there's a way...as the saying goes. Your will has found a way. We pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done." If we mean that petition, God will show us the way. ////MORE FROM PM: That's been proven to me many times. I have often been led to an alternate path by "intuition".

FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH: I would probably say that my most important day was the day I got married. The second most important day for me will probably be if and when son Todd moves to California with his family, which could be as early as this September. Not sure either explains The Why.////FROM JACK: How about the days of your confirmation instruction?

FROM CL IN CALIFORNIA: OK, since you asked . . .I have often said that finding God's direction can be frustrating because he never promised us total clarity. However if we had total clarity we wouldn't need faith, right? Nonetheless we can sometimes look back, connect the dots, and with a open palm to the forehead realize that there was a plan in place all along.////FROM JACK: What you wrote is certainly true for all of us. I came across this sentence in my reading. "God was there all the time, unnoticed in the shadows, perhaps, but never absent." (Don Kimrey) Thanks for sharing your story. "Getting to know you, getting to know "more) about you....