Winning Words 9/5/12
“You can overcome anything if you don’t bellyache.”  (Bernard Baruch)  Hardly a day goes by without hearing someone complain.  Talk radio is the worst.  And I’m fed up with negative political ads.  I read an article about how to handle complainers.  It started out by listing seven strategies that don’t work…like confrontation.  The best response to someone who’s bellyaching might be…“I know.  Just deal with it!”    ;-)  Jack

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Are you bellyaching about bellyaching? I know...and I commiserate. Cluster 6 has an interesting thing they are encouraging people to do with regard to negative political ads. They advise "Every time you are faced with a negative campaign ad, we encourage everyone to offer up a short prayer to call the candidates to positive leadership." My favorite prayer the Cluster suggests is "Lord, guide our candidates to lead with unity and love." When I pray this prayer, I'm also thankful we have a few more months of campaigning so God has as much time to work on the candidates as possible before they are finally elected. It would be awesome if they assume office already full of unity and love!!!!!! Enjoyed your WW as I know I struggle constantly with bellyaching, my own and around me.////FROM JACK:  My inclination is to use the mute button, or to change channels.  Maybe channeling God is the right thing to do.

 SHARON AGAIN:  Just reporting in, ran into my next door neighbor while I was out getting the mail and we bellyached with each other a bit. Among our bellyaching how, if the phone company makes a mistake on our bill, rather than dealing with the hassle of clearing up (a small charge) by phoning them up, we just let it go. How companies don't have so much face-to-face and talking to each other business now-a-days so it's so hard to straighten things out. Also, how we thought all that stuff about health care was hammered out this past year--people were talking and fighting and arguing and compromising and dealing and getting a result of the different perspectives coming together and now, during this campaign, we find out there evidently wasn't any compromising and getting a result and so forth. Just superficial agreement until people can see if there will be a power change and they can get their way then. This must be a reason against term limits. There!!!! I've done my bellyaching and, with my neighbor, I didn't say "Just deal with it!", we both said we got to pray hard.

STILL MORE SHARON:  Bout ready to go up to the Farm and garden for the needy but can't resist publicly observing that maybe those hostile radio shows are the result of so many people not being able to bellyache conveniently to all the people they are doing business with--the banks, the insurance companies, the telephone companies, the utility companies, their government offices, etc., etc., etc. My sister works as a social worker in Iowa, doing paperwork for people applying for assistance and says now there are thousands more of them and her office is cutting staff so now-a-days, she works mostly over the phone. Even when the people apply, they have to do it over the phone. Can you imagine their frustration and the aggration on both sides over doing their business that way?!!!!! Cindy is practically a Tea Party person now just because she thinks the system is so broken. So many of these talk radio/TV shows have shown up--maybe these are the only people frustrated and angry and disgruntled people can conveniently vent to any more.

AND AGAIN, SHARON:  I like these unlimited comment spaces. After all is said and done, I do believe that these current problems with people being able to have relationships with the companies and organizations they are doing business with and asking help from, maybe will somehow drive all of us to a closer personal relationship with God and God's people that the comforting word will be "I know and understand your difficulties in this world and together we'll deal with it." Especially praying for everyone to have their needs met for housing, food, medical care, and to have hope in whatever situation they find themselves.  Well, better get busy. I'm glad my bellyaching could finally end up positive.

 FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER:  IF SOME ONE COMPLAINS, THROW THEM OUT OF THE STORE. THAT'S WHAT THE PROPRIETORS AT AMERICAN JEWELRY AND LOAN IN DETROIT DO. WATCH "HARD CORE PAWN."////FROM JACK:  Even tho the show is filmed here in Detroit, it appears on a channel that we don't get.  We have to watch "Soft Core" stuff.