Winning Words 8/30/11
“Life isn’t all beer and skittles.” (Thomas Hughes) Skittles is an easy game played in English pubs, while the players drink beer. Young Americans have developed a kissing game using candy Skittles, instead of the wooden pins used in the pubs. Famous jurist Hughes wasn’t writing about games. There are times when life is serious business, and hard decisions have to be made. God give you wisdom, today. ;-) Jack

FROM PEPPERMINT MARY: when our son thom was little his favorite candy was skittles. he received a large bag as a present from a friend and exclaimed, "we are smooth with skittles"! it's become one of our favorite family sayings when things are going well. life is smooth with skittles! ////FROM JACK: I think that I'll go and buy some Skittles today and see if thom's comment works in Michigan like it does in Illinois.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: I once attended a Chaldean wedding of a friend of ours. The whole wedding was in Aramaic (I think) until there was a part where the priest broke into English to tell the bride and groom and all of us gathered that the party, the reception, the celebrating we would all be doing, wasn't the main thing we were to be about, he was saying very effectively that "Life isn't all beer and skittles" or in this case champagne and skittles. That memory is tatooed on my mind and it instructed me I think as much as the young bride and groom he was marrying. We all would be the support and encouragers of each other's relationships.////FROM JACK: There's a time when advice needs to be given in "plain English," whether it's at a wedding, at work, in the home...but with love, caring and the use of common sense.

FROM s&s IN ILLINOIS: How come you know about this kissing game and I don't? :) Suppose it's a Michigan thing or are my kids just keeping me in the dark?////FROM JACK: I haven't played the game, but here's how it works...Do you really want to know?

FROM BLAZING OAKS: ...And if life WAS all beer and skittles, we would soon tire of it! Actually life is serious business most of the time: (It's our church's night to prepare and serve the homeless dinner, again!) but the games are a precious respite, ( and nepenthe, as Poe would opine). Fortunately, when the going gets tough, "The Great Physician still makes house calls", as the bumper sticker proclaims! ////FROM JACK: You caused me to look up an unfamiliar word...nepenthe. "Medicine for sorrow. An ancient drug causing forgetfulness." A stint at serving the homeless has a way of causing forgetfulness (or putting aside) of one's own problems.

FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Thanks for the smile and the explanation…here I thought it was about those brightly colored candies!////FROM JACK: Ohhhhh, you must have played the game using the candy Skittles.

FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Beer and candy? Comon!////FROM JACK: You drink your beer, and I'll eat my candy. In fact, I went to the store this afternoon and bought a package of Skittles.