Winning Words 1/24/12
“If a man knew where he would fall, he would spread straw there first.” (Finnish Proverb) This proverb reminds me of the Scout Motto: “Be Prepared!” The first Boy Scout troop was organized in England on this date, 1908, by Robert Baden-Powell. He wanted scouts to think ahead of time and practice how to act in an emergency. The EMS responders I work with are doing this all the time. ;-) Jack

FROM DM IN MICHIGAN: Cause you never know when you might get pinned down!!////FROM JACK: There are different kinds of straw...Friends...Faith...Courage.

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS: Oh yes--I went down in my driveway yesterday! I am beginning to feel it today! Ha! ////FROM JACK: Ouch! It's too bad there wasn't a Finn around to spread some straw.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Gary is an Eagle Scout and is working as a Troop Committee member, Neil is Assoc. Scout Master of Joshua's troop and Cub Scout Leader of Noah's. Kimberly is Co-Leader of Noah's troop. I was a Girl Scout Leader Trainer, had two Girl Scout Troops at the same time and was Troop Co-ordinator and First Aider and earned my 15 year pin. My dad was Boy Scout Commissioner of Harper Woods; my mom had 25 years in scouting as leader and various leadership positions. I sent this email to my family because of their love of Scouting. Thank you ////FROM JACK: You should certainly know what it means to Be Prepared. If you were on Jeopardy and the clue was: Founder of the Boy Scouts, you'd know the name.////MORE FROM THE OUTHOUSE: Yep Lord Batten Powell and Juliette Low////FROM JACK: Thanks for the Low-down. I didn't know that.

FROM TAMPA SHIRL: That is interesting. When Les was in North Africa during WWII, he wrote how his scouting experience had prepared him for that experience. Our son got up to Webelos when his bus fell down the mountain on a trip up there to hunt for gems. Our girls earned lots of badges and sold lots of Girl Scout cookies, going door to door in those days.////FROM JACK: I sold Girl Scout cookies for my sister. I went from office to office in the 5th Avenue Building and to all of the stores on my paper route. She "sold" the most in Moline that year. My scouting level reached, Tenderfoot.

FROM BS NEAR ORLANDO: I used to think in terms of practicality: Can those scouts hoe corn, Pick the slugs off the bean plants at night competing with mosquitoes with one hand and hold a trouble light with the other, eat rutabega straight instead of mixing it with equal parts of potatos as Grandma Hammer did it, or getup into a silo at 5 am and fork down 500 lbs of silage when the temp is below zero? Last time we supported the scouts we bought carmel corn from them and got very sick eating it. PEACE BE WITH THEE, lOTS OF lOVE ////FROM JACK: The farm boys, like you, really had an interesting life. I'm more like Lisa on Green Acres. "Give me the city life!" One of my favorite shows. Arnold was hilarious.

FROM MY FLORIST: “Prepare for the worst - but expect the best”////FROM JACK: I like what Dennis Waitley added: "and be ready to be surprised." Life does take some surprising turns.

FROM PH VACATIONUING ARIZONA: actually i think a mattress would be better to land on. but i do get the point.////FROM JACK: I read once that a parishioner offered this excuse to his pastor to missing church the previous week. "I was attending St. Mattress."

FROM SHARIN' SHARON: The Girl Scouts definitely have an angle on selling cookies--I feel practically unAmerican if I don't buy some and how can you not, knowing some of them won't be able to go on their camping trips or something without the selling. And especially I've heard they also talk about God too and have some badges that have to do with church life or something. I think if a person hasn't had the Scouting experience, I have trouble understanding how great it is. Doesn't seem to be too onerous to them as they sell cookies, probably because they've got the camping trip in their minds.////FROM JACK: Thin Mints are my favorite, but I like them all. I finished my last box last week.