Winning Words 1/31/13
“Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” (Matthew 6:21) Tomorrow is “National Wear Red Day,” calling attention to the importance of a heart-healthy life style. That means serving raw broccoli (and cutting back on the fats) at your Super Bowl Party. I heard recently that an artificial heart is being developed, but that it’s not ready yet to replace the one we have. Our heart is a treasure. Let’s guard it well. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: I'd say you hit the "heart of the matter" today, Jack! I always enjoy starting my mornings off with you-- 0;-) PS: (v) There’s within my heart a melody, Jesus whispers sweet and low, “Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still,” In all of life’s ebb and flow (Chorus) Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest name I know, Fills my every longing. Keeps me singing as I go.////JACK: I know that song. I know others with a heart theme, too...Peg-o-my heart...Heart and soul...Achy breaky heart...Open up your heart and let the sunshine in...Young at heart...Your cheatin' heart (Any others?)////REV: Seems to have been one of the more favorite themes for a song!////JACK: I haven't heard songs about other organs, such as the bladder, the intestines and the spleen. Oh, I just thought of one..."All of me, why not take all of me?"
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: Amen. And may the treasure of friendship also be present.////JACK: "To love without condition, To talk without intention, To give without reason, And to care without expectation… this is the heart of a true friend…." (Unknown)
FROM ULTIMATE MSU FAN: Can't we "saute" the broccoli? I don't like raw broccoli!////JACK: It's all about being "Heart Smart!" "Raw" Green is the way to go.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Well, I love raw broccoli (and cauliflower and carrots, and peppers..) especially with good hummus,so no problem here. Your list of "heart" songs might include Heart and Soul, Heart of my Heart, Yours Is my Heart alone...you're right, not many songs about the other organs! :-) Good WW to remember, for it is absolutely true. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on Earth.... !"////JACK: Someone counted. There are 930 verses in the Bible that mention, "heart." Broccoli isn't mentioned once. ////OAKS: WOW, bless that someone...a time-consuming count...930! Good to know...and no mention of broccoli, oh well, there is always honey and wild locusts....////JACK: Some thought that John the Baptist was a crazy man. BTW, I wonder if he ever used the nickname of, Jack (the Baptist)?
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: Our heart is like bread, home made is the best.////JACK: Pizza is bread!
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: This is one of my favorites....we all have a lot of treasures. What are some of yours? I will be sure to eat some broccoli Sunday but it will be frozen broccoli ~with a pat of Heart Smart butter. It was my kids favorite and still is! ////JACK: Liver and onions..and spinach.
FROM JMK IN CALIFORNIA: I love this verse. Been reading my Bible a lot lately...big changes coming soon :)////JACK: It's always a good idea to prioritize. Some "treasures" are more important that others.
FROM PH IN ARIZONA: does it have to be raw?? i really like it cooked with hollandaise sauce over it. ////JACK: Hollandaise is for the rich people. We never could afford it.
FROM JACK & DONNA: Donna is on oxygen night and day and can go from room to room with long tubing, and away from our apartment with portable cylinders. Jack had a cardiac stent procedure done on January 3 and doing well. Our Study Bible's interesting definition (Matt. 6:21) of the heart: "The center of one's personality, including the mind, emotions and will."////JACK: This morning I read about a new French movie, "Amour," that deals will the effects of aging and how love takes on a new dimension. In our college study of the Greek language we learned about three meanings of the word, love. Life teaches us that there are more meanings than three.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Winning Words 1/30/13
“There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of your life can change.” (Rhonda Byrne) I’m a curious person. Who’s Rhonda? I discovered that she’s famous because of her New Thought book, “The Secret.” So, what’s Rhonda’s secret? Beethoven, Einstein and Henry Ford knew it. Finally…The secret is revealed. “Everything’s possible, and Nothing’s impossible.” I know that. Do you? ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN IN MICHIGAN: Are you able not to sin?////JACK: Are God's rules meant to be broken or meant to be followed ?////HJ: They are meant to be followed and in asking the question, you deftly avoided mine....I await the answer...beware of Augustine if you answer incorrectly....////JACK: You know the saying, "Not to decide is to decide"...well, "not to answer is to answer." I like Augustine's prayer, "Help me to be pure..." I'm not there, yet....
FROM WALMART REV: I don't hear these little choruses anymore sung in church, as was sung back when I was growing up and early on in my ministry . . . they would naturally come to mind when I would read something like your post, asking a follow-up question. Here's mine for today: "GOT ANY RIVERS you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can’t tunnel thro’? God specializes in things tho’t impossible and He can do what no other pow’r can do." I hope they never get pushed back so far in my mind that I forget them. They have always been an inspiration on those "cloudy days" in life!////JACK: You are right. In seminary I was one of the few in my class who could name the books of the Bible. I had learned them by singing a song in Sunday School which began, "Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, etc."
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: I enjoyed your WW this morning--especially when I could put emphasis in different places NOTHING is impossible vs. nothing IS IMPOSSIBLE. I find I'm really enjoying the Catholic Church next door - Transfiguration and the Presbyterian Advocacy group I attend - All God's Children - for inclusivity of gays and lesbians, transgendered so forth.////JACK: There are many lessons to be learned when we keep our eyes and ears (and mind) open.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: I watched a program about Henry Ford last nite. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely would be a good description of his life. He started out as a wonderful and caring man, but too much success hurt him. It's a feeling that one cannot do any wrong. Thomas Watson, founder of IBM, almost lost his company because he thought that there eventually would be only 2 or 3 computers in the world. He kept making his business machines work faster and faster to show that they were better than the early simple computers. Good lesson for all of us.////JACK: I watched that same program. Just because you know how to build cars does not mean that you know how to raise children. Today's quote doesn't mean that you are able to perform miracles, but only that you should not give up trying...and learning.
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26 ESV). Well....it appears that there is a qualifier to what is possible! ////JACK: The quote is about trying. Some people give up, even before they try.///RAY: I completely disagree (that the quote is about trying). The quote is about "hope" and the idea that Hope exists as a consequence of the inevitability of "change" or temporality. Hope exists only at the point one has no authority or ability to alter the circumstance. At that point, Hope, is all there is. I don't hope I will eat, because I have the ability to eat; so I do it. I hope it is sunny and warm outside, because that is beyond my ability to do anything about it. Those who "give up" have given up hope itself (hopeless). Not "trying", or better stated, "not doing", is not to have hope --- doing nothing is merely the conclusion of hopelessness, not the cause or source. My point is that it is wise for one to know what one's limitations are...what I can do and must do, and what is not of mine to do; but for which I can hope. "Trying" holds no water.////JACK: It's OK to be disagreeable. Conversation is about clarification. Thanks for your comments on hope. I was thinking about the last part of the quote. Sometimes circumstances can chance because of our trying something, instead of sitting and moping.
FROM NW, THE REALTOR: I don’t know whether you follow my blog or not, but here’s what I did with your quote today - ////JACK: I'm going to have to read (www,normsmilfordblog.com) more often. I read today's...and, you're right about it being the "seed" of a sermon. My pulpit is now mainly a computer screen, so I'm posting your blog. "The Real Secret to Awakening the Giant within"
Today’s quote from the Jack’s Winning Words blog was – “There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of your life can change.” (Rhonda Byrne). Jack discovered that she’s famous because of her New Thought book, “The Secret.” So, what’s Rhonda’s secret? Beethoven, Einstein and Henry Ford knew it. Finally…The secret is revealed. “Everything’s possible, and Nothing’s impossible.”
I remember viewing the video presentation of The Secret several years ago. There was enough skeptic in me to temper the message; however, I found it to be generally uplifting and a positive experience. One would certainly like to believe that anything is possible. I also went through the Tony Robbins course based upon his book “Awaken the Giant Within” many years ago, which is another anything is possible message, but with some training on how to take steps to make the possible come true through careful observation and modeling techniques. The basic Robbins message was to be successful look to see what the successful people do and do the same things. Both Byrne and Robbins stress that you can’t get what you want by sitting there going “woe is me.” You first have to realize and believe that the key to changing things in your life lies within and starts with the belief that you can do it. Both rely on visualization techniques – see yourself winning and you will win.
I’m almost sure that, if Jack had to base a sermon on this saying and the personal success themes of Byrne or Robbins, he would conclude that in order to believe in yourself and visualize your way to success, no matter which method you choose; you must start by having a strong underlying faith.
I have concluded more than once in my life that I could not solve things by myself, only through the power of my own thoughts or actions or visualization. It is during those periods of introspection that I always end up back at the same place, in prayer. A good, honest prayer session puts you in touch with the original author of the “Everything’s possible” message. Once you have Him back on your side, “Nothing’s impossible.” So, start off with a little prayer and then visualize yourself having a great day; and, it will happen!
FROM MF IN MICHIGAN: Jack, my Dad was often saying and believing that quote, I believe he studied both Einstein and Henry Ford. Is funny how reminders of him pop up so often, just last week I was talking on the phone with somone about a difficult situation with one of her students, my final suggestion was to "never give up" on this student. At that instant, I recalled how many times my Dad said same thing to all of us, is nice to be reminded of him, gone but not forgotten.////JACK: The mind is such a wonderful gift. I'm glad to know that you're using it. Your dad would be proud.
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: If everything means everything then I have to think it is impossible for me to hold my breath for hours.////JACK: One of the things I learned in college and seminary was to ask the question, "What does this mean?" It helped me in understanding the Bible...What is the context?....What is the point that is being made? Problems develop when we tend to take everything literally...like today's quote. What is hopeless? What is change? What is Impossible and Possible? Life's problems usually don't have bland while answers. Often there's a lot of gray.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: To dream ... the impossible dream ...
To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...
To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...
To run ... where the brave dare not go ...
To right ... the unrightable wrong ...
To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...
To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ...
This is my quest, to follow that star ...
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ...
To fight for the right, without question or pause ...
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ...
And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest, That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm, when I'm laid to my rest ...
And the world will be better for this:
That one man, scorned and covered with scars, Still strove, with his last ounce of courage, To reach ... the unreachable star ...
////JACK: You sound just like Don Quixote.
FROM MY FLORIST: “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan ////JACK: A similar one from Wayne Gretzky..."You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." And, from Yogi..."It ain't over till it's over."
FROM MOLINER JT: A great secret !!////JACK: It's OK if you let the cat out of the bag.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: GOOD THOUGHT TO KEEP IN MIND, ESPECIALLY IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES! I WAS READING IN THE SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE TODAY OF GEOFFRY KHAN'S WORK (U OF CAMBRIDGE) TO DOCUMENT ALL OF THE DIALECTS OF THE ARAMAIC LANGUAGE, ONCE THE LANGUAGE OF ENTIRE EMPIRES ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST, AND JESUS' LANGUAGE, BEFORE IT FOLLOWS THE LAST SPEAKER TO THE GRAVE. AT ONE TIME PEOPLE USED ARAMAIC FROM EGYPT AND THE HOLY LAND TO INDIA AND CHINA. NOW THE CHRISTIAN VILLAGE OF MAALOUIA, NEAR DAMASCUS IS THE ONLY PLACE IT IS SPOKEN AS AN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE, AND TAUGHT TO THEIR CHILDREN. BUT, SURPRISE! THE NORTHERN SUBURBS OF CHICAGO ARE HOME TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ASSYRIANS WHO HAVE FLED THEIR HOMELAND, AND STILL SPEAK ARAMAIC, WHICH KHAN WAS RECORDING. THAT TASK MIGHT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO SOME, BUT TO KHAN ...VOILA!////JACK: We have a large population of Chaldeans in our community. They are Christians who have fled persecution in Iraq. Chaldeans are the ones who still speak Aramaic, as they have done since the time of Jesus. Although I have many Chaldean friends, I have yet to hear any of them speak in Aramaic, even though they are able to do so.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: At one time I would have told you this is wrong because ~ as my art teacher said to one of the guys..."Not everything is possible, I man can't have a baby." But, that's been sort of disproved. And it is nearly impossible for me to get my youngest granddaughter to give up her "bear". Nearly impossible, but I have done it! So, maybe everything is possible!////JACK: I like riddles, especially those that seemingly have no answer.
“There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of your life can change.” (Rhonda Byrne) I’m a curious person. Who’s Rhonda? I discovered that she’s famous because of her New Thought book, “The Secret.” So, what’s Rhonda’s secret? Beethoven, Einstein and Henry Ford knew it. Finally…The secret is revealed. “Everything’s possible, and Nothing’s impossible.” I know that. Do you? ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN IN MICHIGAN: Are you able not to sin?////JACK: Are God's rules meant to be broken or meant to be followed ?////HJ: They are meant to be followed and in asking the question, you deftly avoided mine....I await the answer...beware of Augustine if you answer incorrectly....////JACK: You know the saying, "Not to decide is to decide"...well, "not to answer is to answer." I like Augustine's prayer, "Help me to be pure..." I'm not there, yet....
FROM WALMART REV: I don't hear these little choruses anymore sung in church, as was sung back when I was growing up and early on in my ministry . . . they would naturally come to mind when I would read something like your post, asking a follow-up question. Here's mine for today: "GOT ANY RIVERS you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can’t tunnel thro’? God specializes in things tho’t impossible and He can do what no other pow’r can do." I hope they never get pushed back so far in my mind that I forget them. They have always been an inspiration on those "cloudy days" in life!////JACK: You are right. In seminary I was one of the few in my class who could name the books of the Bible. I had learned them by singing a song in Sunday School which began, "Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, etc."
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: I enjoyed your WW this morning--especially when I could put emphasis in different places NOTHING is impossible vs. nothing IS IMPOSSIBLE. I find I'm really enjoying the Catholic Church next door - Transfiguration and the Presbyterian Advocacy group I attend - All God's Children - for inclusivity of gays and lesbians, transgendered so forth.////JACK: There are many lessons to be learned when we keep our eyes and ears (and mind) open.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: I watched a program about Henry Ford last nite. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely would be a good description of his life. He started out as a wonderful and caring man, but too much success hurt him. It's a feeling that one cannot do any wrong. Thomas Watson, founder of IBM, almost lost his company because he thought that there eventually would be only 2 or 3 computers in the world. He kept making his business machines work faster and faster to show that they were better than the early simple computers. Good lesson for all of us.////JACK: I watched that same program. Just because you know how to build cars does not mean that you know how to raise children. Today's quote doesn't mean that you are able to perform miracles, but only that you should not give up trying...and learning.
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26 ESV). Well....it appears that there is a qualifier to what is possible! ////JACK: The quote is about trying. Some people give up, even before they try.///RAY: I completely disagree (that the quote is about trying). The quote is about "hope" and the idea that Hope exists as a consequence of the inevitability of "change" or temporality. Hope exists only at the point one has no authority or ability to alter the circumstance. At that point, Hope, is all there is. I don't hope I will eat, because I have the ability to eat; so I do it. I hope it is sunny and warm outside, because that is beyond my ability to do anything about it. Those who "give up" have given up hope itself (hopeless). Not "trying", or better stated, "not doing", is not to have hope --- doing nothing is merely the conclusion of hopelessness, not the cause or source. My point is that it is wise for one to know what one's limitations are...what I can do and must do, and what is not of mine to do; but for which I can hope. "Trying" holds no water.////JACK: It's OK to be disagreeable. Conversation is about clarification. Thanks for your comments on hope. I was thinking about the last part of the quote. Sometimes circumstances can chance because of our trying something, instead of sitting and moping.
FROM NW, THE REALTOR: I don’t know whether you follow my blog or not, but here’s what I did with your quote today - ////JACK: I'm going to have to read (www,normsmilfordblog.com) more often. I read today's...and, you're right about it being the "seed" of a sermon. My pulpit is now mainly a computer screen, so I'm posting your blog. "The Real Secret to Awakening the Giant within"
Today’s quote from the Jack’s Winning Words blog was – “There is no such thing as a hopeless situation. Every single circumstance of your life can change.” (Rhonda Byrne). Jack discovered that she’s famous because of her New Thought book, “The Secret.” So, what’s Rhonda’s secret? Beethoven, Einstein and Henry Ford knew it. Finally…The secret is revealed. “Everything’s possible, and Nothing’s impossible.”
I remember viewing the video presentation of The Secret several years ago. There was enough skeptic in me to temper the message; however, I found it to be generally uplifting and a positive experience. One would certainly like to believe that anything is possible. I also went through the Tony Robbins course based upon his book “Awaken the Giant Within” many years ago, which is another anything is possible message, but with some training on how to take steps to make the possible come true through careful observation and modeling techniques. The basic Robbins message was to be successful look to see what the successful people do and do the same things. Both Byrne and Robbins stress that you can’t get what you want by sitting there going “woe is me.” You first have to realize and believe that the key to changing things in your life lies within and starts with the belief that you can do it. Both rely on visualization techniques – see yourself winning and you will win.
I’m almost sure that, if Jack had to base a sermon on this saying and the personal success themes of Byrne or Robbins, he would conclude that in order to believe in yourself and visualize your way to success, no matter which method you choose; you must start by having a strong underlying faith.
I have concluded more than once in my life that I could not solve things by myself, only through the power of my own thoughts or actions or visualization. It is during those periods of introspection that I always end up back at the same place, in prayer. A good, honest prayer session puts you in touch with the original author of the “Everything’s possible” message. Once you have Him back on your side, “Nothing’s impossible.” So, start off with a little prayer and then visualize yourself having a great day; and, it will happen!
FROM MF IN MICHIGAN: Jack, my Dad was often saying and believing that quote, I believe he studied both Einstein and Henry Ford. Is funny how reminders of him pop up so often, just last week I was talking on the phone with somone about a difficult situation with one of her students, my final suggestion was to "never give up" on this student. At that instant, I recalled how many times my Dad said same thing to all of us, is nice to be reminded of him, gone but not forgotten.////JACK: The mind is such a wonderful gift. I'm glad to know that you're using it. Your dad would be proud.
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: If everything means everything then I have to think it is impossible for me to hold my breath for hours.////JACK: One of the things I learned in college and seminary was to ask the question, "What does this mean?" It helped me in understanding the Bible...What is the context?....What is the point that is being made? Problems develop when we tend to take everything literally...like today's quote. What is hopeless? What is change? What is Impossible and Possible? Life's problems usually don't have bland while answers. Often there's a lot of gray.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: To dream ... the impossible dream ...
To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...
To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...
To run ... where the brave dare not go ...
To right ... the unrightable wrong ...
To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...
To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ...
This is my quest, to follow that star ...
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ...
To fight for the right, without question or pause ...
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ...
And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest, That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm, when I'm laid to my rest ...
And the world will be better for this:
That one man, scorned and covered with scars, Still strove, with his last ounce of courage, To reach ... the unreachable star ...
////JACK: You sound just like Don Quixote.
FROM MY FLORIST: “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan ////JACK: A similar one from Wayne Gretzky..."You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." And, from Yogi..."It ain't over till it's over."
FROM MOLINER JT: A great secret !!////JACK: It's OK if you let the cat out of the bag.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: GOOD THOUGHT TO KEEP IN MIND, ESPECIALLY IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES! I WAS READING IN THE SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE TODAY OF GEOFFRY KHAN'S WORK (U OF CAMBRIDGE) TO DOCUMENT ALL OF THE DIALECTS OF THE ARAMAIC LANGUAGE, ONCE THE LANGUAGE OF ENTIRE EMPIRES ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST, AND JESUS' LANGUAGE, BEFORE IT FOLLOWS THE LAST SPEAKER TO THE GRAVE. AT ONE TIME PEOPLE USED ARAMAIC FROM EGYPT AND THE HOLY LAND TO INDIA AND CHINA. NOW THE CHRISTIAN VILLAGE OF MAALOUIA, NEAR DAMASCUS IS THE ONLY PLACE IT IS SPOKEN AS AN EVERYDAY LANGUAGE, AND TAUGHT TO THEIR CHILDREN. BUT, SURPRISE! THE NORTHERN SUBURBS OF CHICAGO ARE HOME TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ASSYRIANS WHO HAVE FLED THEIR HOMELAND, AND STILL SPEAK ARAMAIC, WHICH KHAN WAS RECORDING. THAT TASK MIGHT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE TO SOME, BUT TO KHAN ...VOILA!////JACK: We have a large population of Chaldeans in our community. They are Christians who have fled persecution in Iraq. Chaldeans are the ones who still speak Aramaic, as they have done since the time of Jesus. Although I have many Chaldean friends, I have yet to hear any of them speak in Aramaic, even though they are able to do so.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: At one time I would have told you this is wrong because ~ as my art teacher said to one of the guys..."Not everything is possible, I man can't have a baby." But, that's been sort of disproved. And it is nearly impossible for me to get my youngest granddaughter to give up her "bear". Nearly impossible, but I have done it! So, maybe everything is possible!////JACK: I like riddles, especially those that seemingly have no answer.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Winning Words 1/29/13
“I am not a has-been. I am a will-be.” (Lauren Bacall) If you remember Bacall and Bogie, you’re probably a geezer or older than dirt. Did you know that LB is still in the movies? She’s no has-been. Some visionaries claim that Detroit is a “will-be.” I’ve seen it happen with people, after others had given up on them. It can happen with cities, too A positive “will-be” attitude can be the difference. “Has-beens” can change. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: I enjoy being amazed at people who take the 'has been' or status quo and step it up a notch or two: restaurants, churches, businesses and even professional wrestling!////JACK: There's a difference between a has-been and a never-was, a will-be and a wanna-be.. ////REV: I've had a few of those "has-been and a never-was and will-be and a wanna-be's in my life. They helped narrow the field from the "has-been to the will-be" somewhere in my mid-forties. Reality set in!! ////JACK: How about the hymn, Just as I am? Does that negate the will-be?
FROM DS IN MICHIGAN: I remember them and am no geezer or older than dirt. What am I? ////JACK: How about...Pretty chipper for your age?
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Never say never.////JACK: I'm reminded of EAP's words...."Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'"
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Okay, I don't consider myself older than dirt, but perhaps I am. I do remember them! :-) By the very nature of our faith, we are not has-beens....we are children of God and He don't make junk.////JACK: Somebody who remembers Chic Sale is pretty old. And, BTW, God sometimes rescues someone from "the junk pile" and remakes them into something new and useful.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Or is Detroit a "Wannabe?"////JACK: Wannabe a star? What's wrong with wanting to be better than you are? As Frankie sings: Would you like to swing on a star Carry moonbeams home in a jar And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo Every day you meet quite a few So you see it's all up to you You can be better than you are You could be swingin' on a star
FROM MW IN ILLINOIS: WELL!! I remember Bogey & Bacall very well and will be 75 in March,but I don't feel OLDER THAN DIRT!!////JACK: 75 years ago, a new car cost $445; a 5-room apt rented for $35 a month; Prime rib was 27 cents a pound; a 60 hour work week earned you $19.80.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Excellent quote. You might be a has-been in certain things or activities, but a will-be in new ones! There are always new challenges and things to try!////JACK: I know I've recently referred to this hymn in another context, but this part seems to fit as a response to you. "New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth, They must upward still and onward, who would keep abreast of truth."
“I am not a has-been. I am a will-be.” (Lauren Bacall) If you remember Bacall and Bogie, you’re probably a geezer or older than dirt. Did you know that LB is still in the movies? She’s no has-been. Some visionaries claim that Detroit is a “will-be.” I’ve seen it happen with people, after others had given up on them. It can happen with cities, too A positive “will-be” attitude can be the difference. “Has-beens” can change. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: I enjoy being amazed at people who take the 'has been' or status quo and step it up a notch or two: restaurants, churches, businesses and even professional wrestling!////JACK: There's a difference between a has-been and a never-was, a will-be and a wanna-be.. ////REV: I've had a few of those "has-been and a never-was and will-be and a wanna-be's in my life. They helped narrow the field from the "has-been to the will-be" somewhere in my mid-forties. Reality set in!! ////JACK: How about the hymn, Just as I am? Does that negate the will-be?
FROM DS IN MICHIGAN: I remember them and am no geezer or older than dirt. What am I? ////JACK: How about...Pretty chipper for your age?
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Never say never.////JACK: I'm reminded of EAP's words...."Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'"
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Okay, I don't consider myself older than dirt, but perhaps I am. I do remember them! :-) By the very nature of our faith, we are not has-beens....we are children of God and He don't make junk.////JACK: Somebody who remembers Chic Sale is pretty old. And, BTW, God sometimes rescues someone from "the junk pile" and remakes them into something new and useful.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Or is Detroit a "Wannabe?"////JACK: Wannabe a star? What's wrong with wanting to be better than you are? As Frankie sings: Would you like to swing on a star Carry moonbeams home in a jar And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo Every day you meet quite a few So you see it's all up to you You can be better than you are You could be swingin' on a star
FROM MW IN ILLINOIS: WELL!! I remember Bogey & Bacall very well and will be 75 in March,but I don't feel OLDER THAN DIRT!!////JACK: 75 years ago, a new car cost $445; a 5-room apt rented for $35 a month; Prime rib was 27 cents a pound; a 60 hour work week earned you $19.80.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Excellent quote. You might be a has-been in certain things or activities, but a will-be in new ones! There are always new challenges and things to try!////JACK: I know I've recently referred to this hymn in another context, but this part seems to fit as a response to you. "New occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth, They must upward still and onward, who would keep abreast of truth."
Monday, January 28, 2013
Winning Words 1/28/13
“It’s easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action.” (Honore de Balzac) I have a saying posted by my computer, “Get Tough…Get Off Your Duff.” The slogan was probably meant to urge sales people to get out and make calls. If you want to accomplish something, stop procrastinating! BTW, do you remember Balzac being mentioned by Eulalie Shinn in “The Music Man?” ;-) Jack
FROM JUD-EE IN MICHIGAN: YOU remind me of one of my favorite sayings, "if you rest, you rust." You are always tough and off of your duff doing something. Thanks for the inspirations! Had to get up and take action at 4:50 today for a work-connected issue.////JACK: The boss likes someone who, when given a job, just does it, simply because it needs doing. Have you ever read, "A Message to Garcia?"
FROM WALMART REV: I'm getting ready now to do the same, “Get Tough…Get Off My Duff.” Let's see what God has in store for you and me this brand new day, never lived in before!!////JACK: I suppose you'll soon be taking your duff to Walmart for another day of conversation. BTW, I wonder why some old guys are called, duffers? I'll have to look it up.////REV: Lunch at Wal-Mart/Subway most everyday for their salad bowl w/ turkey...always working to keep my weight off...doesn't "duffer" have something to do with the game of golf?////JACK: "Duffer" has several meanings....an incompetent golfer....and an old guy who sits at Wal-Mart every day eating a turkey salad bowl.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Take notice. The Procrastinator Society's annual meeting has be postponed . Balzac couldn't make it.////JACK: Here's something to hang on your wall.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE PROCRASTINATOR'S SOCIETY
1.I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.
2.I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses.
3.I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.
4.I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.
5.I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.
6.I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.
7.I shall never forget that the probability of a miracle, though infinitesimally small, is not exactly zero.
8.If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.
9.I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.
10.I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: HA! I PERFORMED EULALIE McKECKNIE SCHINN IN "THE MUSIC MAN" AND YES, SHE IS TELLING THE NEWCOMER IN TOWN ABOUT THE RICH OLD MAN WHO LEFT HIS MONEY TO THE LIBRARY BECAUSE MARION THE LIBRARIAN BEFRIENDED HIM, ..FORBIDDEN BOOKS LIK BALZAC, ETC.PICK-A-LITTLE-TALK-A-LITTLE, PICK-A-LITTLE-, TALK-A LITTLE-PICK-PICK-PICK PICK, TLK-TALK-TALK...MORE FUN. I HAD TO TALK MYSELF INTO GETTING OFF MY DUFF TODAY, AND START TAKING COMMUNION TO SHUT-INS, BUT I'M GLAD I DID! HAD SOME NICE VISITS!!////JACK: There are some people who just seem to fit certain characters. That's what acting is all about. What other parts have you played? I have been in only one play in my lifetime...and that was in 6th Grade.
“It’s easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action.” (Honore de Balzac) I have a saying posted by my computer, “Get Tough…Get Off Your Duff.” The slogan was probably meant to urge sales people to get out and make calls. If you want to accomplish something, stop procrastinating! BTW, do you remember Balzac being mentioned by Eulalie Shinn in “The Music Man?” ;-) Jack
FROM JUD-EE IN MICHIGAN: YOU remind me of one of my favorite sayings, "if you rest, you rust." You are always tough and off of your duff doing something. Thanks for the inspirations! Had to get up and take action at 4:50 today for a work-connected issue.////JACK: The boss likes someone who, when given a job, just does it, simply because it needs doing. Have you ever read, "A Message to Garcia?"
FROM WALMART REV: I'm getting ready now to do the same, “Get Tough…Get Off My Duff.” Let's see what God has in store for you and me this brand new day, never lived in before!!////JACK: I suppose you'll soon be taking your duff to Walmart for another day of conversation. BTW, I wonder why some old guys are called, duffers? I'll have to look it up.////REV: Lunch at Wal-Mart/Subway most everyday for their salad bowl w/ turkey...always working to keep my weight off...doesn't "duffer" have something to do with the game of golf?////JACK: "Duffer" has several meanings....an incompetent golfer....and an old guy who sits at Wal-Mart every day eating a turkey salad bowl.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Take notice. The Procrastinator Society's annual meeting has be postponed . Balzac couldn't make it.////JACK: Here's something to hang on your wall.
TEN COMMANDMENTS OF THE PROCRASTINATOR'S SOCIETY
1.I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.
2.I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses.
3.I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of consideration.
4.I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive from missing them.
5.I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a reprieve from my obligations.
6.I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given.
7.I shall never forget that the probability of a miracle, though infinitesimally small, is not exactly zero.
8.If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.
9.I shall always decide not to decide, unless of course I decide to change my mind.
10.I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the first step, and/or write the first word, when I get around to it.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: HA! I PERFORMED EULALIE McKECKNIE SCHINN IN "THE MUSIC MAN" AND YES, SHE IS TELLING THE NEWCOMER IN TOWN ABOUT THE RICH OLD MAN WHO LEFT HIS MONEY TO THE LIBRARY BECAUSE MARION THE LIBRARIAN BEFRIENDED HIM, ..FORBIDDEN BOOKS LIK BALZAC, ETC.PICK-A-LITTLE-TALK-A-LITTLE, PICK-A-LITTLE-, TALK-A LITTLE-PICK-PICK-PICK PICK, TLK-TALK-TALK...MORE FUN. I HAD TO TALK MYSELF INTO GETTING OFF MY DUFF TODAY, AND START TAKING COMMUNION TO SHUT-INS, BUT I'M GLAD I DID! HAD SOME NICE VISITS!!////JACK: There are some people who just seem to fit certain characters. That's what acting is all about. What other parts have you played? I have been in only one play in my lifetime...and that was in 6th Grade.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Winning Words 1/25/13
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” (MLK, Jr) The idea of infinity has always fascinated me, particularly as applied to the idea of God. A mapmaker in 1525 made a note with regard to unexplored regions: “Here be dragons.” That note was later crossed out, and someone added: “Here is God.” I never knew that the symbol for infinity is called, a lemniscate. I think I’ll just call it, “God.” ;-) Jack
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: I remember, as a little boy about 8 years old, thinking about the concept of infinity. I was told that God is, always was, and always will be. I started thinking about the "always was" part as I walked into the bathroom...in my imagination I began considering the past, and then a time before that, and then a time before that, and then a time before that, ..., and I started to get dizzy. I remember that I had to sit down for a minute. It was quite an experience! Now I know that the temporal brain thinks in a temporal manner. Infinity has absolutely nothing to do with Time at all. It's no wonder that I got dizzy! ....but our "mind", that's a different thing altogether!////JACK: Archimedes was sitting in a bathtub when the idea came to him on how to measure the volume of water displaced by his body. He shouted out, "Eureka," which means, "I have found it."
FROM HOPEFUL IN SOUTHFIELD: Here is a gardening quote that seems to tie in with your WW:
"Organic farming appealed to me because it involved searching for and discovering nature's pathways, as opposed to the formulaic approach of chemical farming. The appeal of organic farming is boundless, this mountain has no top, this river has no end." Eliot Coleman writing in "The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Garden"////JACK: Inventors are always trying to come up with perpetual motion machines. What does a physicist say about that?
FROM BLAZING OAKS: MLK had a real way with words, didn't he?! As more and more galaxies, farther and farther away are being discovered, I begin to get the idea of "Infinity". Reading about sending a capsule with earth "information" to a distant planet in a different galaxy, which will take over 100 years to even arrive there, boggles my mind! Those who have traveled out of body, in near-death experiences, seem to get a "peek" at timelessness...What mysteries we have yet to uncover and experience!////JACK: I guess that the concept of eternal life is a kind of infinity. BTW, sometimes it's referred to as "everlasting" life. What's the differenece?
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: I have wondered a time or two how God understands all the languages that people use to pray to Him plus the meaning of each word of that language.////JACK: God became human in Jesus, to help us understand him, but he is more than human, which is beyond our comprehension. God is a word that says, "There's a lot that I don't understand."
ROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Lemniscate is such a lovely word though…In algebraic geometry, a lemniscate may refer to any of several figure-eight or ∞-shaped curves The word comes from the Latin "lēmniscātus" meaning "decorated with ribbons", which in turn may come from the ancient Greek island of Lemnos where ribbons were worn as decorations, or alternatively may refer to the wool from which the ribbons were made. Once again, you got me thinking. Thanks!////JACK: A survey was made of the most beautiful sounding English words. "Cellar door" came in first. Soliloquy and serendipity were also on the list. I'd add lemniscate. What would you add?
FROM WALMART REV: Interesting...I'm following your example and call it God myself...first thought that came to my mind with "infinity" was the introduction of the television program, Ben Casey..."birth, life, death, infinity".////JACK: I never watched Ben Casey. I was busy watching Mr. Ed.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Very interesting Comments! Your idea of adding God as the unexplored region was wonderful. It's true too. He's always there no matter where we are. We must accept the finite disappointments of this life knowing there won't be any in the next and final life. God is good and infinite. ////J: Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: "This world is full of a number of things. I'm sure we should all be happy as kings." If that's so, think what it will be like in "the next world."
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” (MLK, Jr) The idea of infinity has always fascinated me, particularly as applied to the idea of God. A mapmaker in 1525 made a note with regard to unexplored regions: “Here be dragons.” That note was later crossed out, and someone added: “Here is God.” I never knew that the symbol for infinity is called, a lemniscate. I think I’ll just call it, “God.” ;-) Jack
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: I remember, as a little boy about 8 years old, thinking about the concept of infinity. I was told that God is, always was, and always will be. I started thinking about the "always was" part as I walked into the bathroom...in my imagination I began considering the past, and then a time before that, and then a time before that, and then a time before that, ..., and I started to get dizzy. I remember that I had to sit down for a minute. It was quite an experience! Now I know that the temporal brain thinks in a temporal manner. Infinity has absolutely nothing to do with Time at all. It's no wonder that I got dizzy! ....but our "mind", that's a different thing altogether!////JACK: Archimedes was sitting in a bathtub when the idea came to him on how to measure the volume of water displaced by his body. He shouted out, "Eureka," which means, "I have found it."
FROM HOPEFUL IN SOUTHFIELD: Here is a gardening quote that seems to tie in with your WW:
"Organic farming appealed to me because it involved searching for and discovering nature's pathways, as opposed to the formulaic approach of chemical farming. The appeal of organic farming is boundless, this mountain has no top, this river has no end." Eliot Coleman writing in "The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Garden"////JACK: Inventors are always trying to come up with perpetual motion machines. What does a physicist say about that?
FROM BLAZING OAKS: MLK had a real way with words, didn't he?! As more and more galaxies, farther and farther away are being discovered, I begin to get the idea of "Infinity". Reading about sending a capsule with earth "information" to a distant planet in a different galaxy, which will take over 100 years to even arrive there, boggles my mind! Those who have traveled out of body, in near-death experiences, seem to get a "peek" at timelessness...What mysteries we have yet to uncover and experience!////JACK: I guess that the concept of eternal life is a kind of infinity. BTW, sometimes it's referred to as "everlasting" life. What's the differenece?
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: I have wondered a time or two how God understands all the languages that people use to pray to Him plus the meaning of each word of that language.////JACK: God became human in Jesus, to help us understand him, but he is more than human, which is beyond our comprehension. God is a word that says, "There's a lot that I don't understand."
ROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Lemniscate is such a lovely word though…In algebraic geometry, a lemniscate may refer to any of several figure-eight or ∞-shaped curves The word comes from the Latin "lēmniscātus" meaning "decorated with ribbons", which in turn may come from the ancient Greek island of Lemnos where ribbons were worn as decorations, or alternatively may refer to the wool from which the ribbons were made. Once again, you got me thinking. Thanks!////JACK: A survey was made of the most beautiful sounding English words. "Cellar door" came in first. Soliloquy and serendipity were also on the list. I'd add lemniscate. What would you add?
FROM WALMART REV: Interesting...I'm following your example and call it God myself...first thought that came to my mind with "infinity" was the introduction of the television program, Ben Casey..."birth, life, death, infinity".////JACK: I never watched Ben Casey. I was busy watching Mr. Ed.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Very interesting Comments! Your idea of adding God as the unexplored region was wonderful. It's true too. He's always there no matter where we are. We must accept the finite disappointments of this life knowing there won't be any in the next and final life. God is good and infinite. ////J: Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: "This world is full of a number of things. I'm sure we should all be happy as kings." If that's so, think what it will be like in "the next world."
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Winning Words 1/24/13
“The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.” (Thomas Watson) St. Jude is referred to as “the Saint of lost causes.” Prayer is often used as a last resort. What is prayer? I see it as a way of letting God know about our concerns. God is like a loving parent who answers a child’s request…”Yes…No…, or Let’s wait and see.” Sometimes God moves in mysterious ways with answers. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: How true . . . an adventure in itself . . . this business of prayer. I have so much more to learn between prayer as a disciplined righteous work on our part and a constant relational walk with our Lord.////JACK: Prayer is sometimes referred to as an "exercise." Just as physical exercise strengthens the body, so does spiritual exercise strengthen the "soul." Prayer is like spiritual push-ups.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Thy will be done. Work like everything depends on you and pray like everything depends upon God.////JACK: I've used that line before, and it needs to be repeated. The words are attributed to Martin Luther (Pray like it all depends on God, then when you are done, go work like it all depends on you.), but he might have gotten it from an earlier source.
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: Maybe...I'm not so sure what fetched the angel. I can think of several possibilities. I think this might be an oversimplified wish of our human desire to think so, much like we construct mythic super-heroes who come to our rescue when we call. It seems to me that our prayer is more a reflection of our relationship with God. We might seek first this relational development with Jesus, seeking first an understanding of His Word, seeking first to adjust our Wills with that of our Father, ...and maybe we'll find the angels have been stirred long before any of our petitions.////JACK: I don't like caps which say, "One size fits all." I like ones that fit me. In a way, it's the same with prayer. Each prayer is individual, relating to individual needs. While The Lord's Prayer is general in nature, the various petitions are meant to fit the needs of the pray-er. "Deliver us (me) from evil," as related to Peter's situation, is an example of this.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: I just can't resist this, "A far fetched story." And you would think me remiss if U didn't.////JACK: I know the traditional meaning of the word, "fetch," as a verb, but I also like it when it is used as a noun in modern slang, meaning...awesome! The release of Peter from prison by an angel, in answer to prayer, is an awesome story.
FROM JB, A MONEY MANAGER: Good morning…. You will notice in my next newsletter I am “borrowing” one of your recent quotes and comments! I should probably start giving you some credit in my newsletter.////JACK: It's the thought that counts, not the credit. Many of our thoughts are borrowed from others. I'm going to guess that quote you will refer to is about the rich and the poor.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: GOOD THOUGHT! I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN THE POWER OF PRAYER, EVEN THO SOME HAVE GONE UNASWERED OVER THE YEARS (AS FAR AS I KNOW...) I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED SOME DRAMATIC ANSWERS TO PRAYER PETITIONS, SO KEEP "COMMUNICATING" WITH THE ALIMIGHTY!! THANKS FOR THIS REMINDER THAT WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN GOD'S WORK BY"CALLING FOR THE ANGELS"! ////JACK: Your response cause me to ponder....What is the "power" of prayer? Many of us who have prayer concerns want to believe that God will provide "yes" answers. "No" answers are answers, too, although, most of the time, we're wanting the "yes" response. "Thy will be done" is in the Lord's Prayer for a reason.
FROM JT IN MICHIGAN: Another one to add to my list of quotations!! Thank you.////JACK: Speaking of collections, I once remember meeting a pastor in Chicago who would visit "Skid Row" men who were patients at Cook County Hospital. He would minister to their spiritual and physical needs, even to the point of cutting their toenails. He had saved some of the longer and curly ones and displayed them in a folder which he showed to me.
FROM INDY GENIE: A friend once (or twice) told me "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform" and I believe him :)////JACK: I used to listen to a radio program, "I Love a Mystery." I still love mysteries, especially the ones that show the presence of God in our daily life.
FROM JUDY E IN MICHIGAN: St. Jude works. I know he is my namesake. God does move in mysterious ways with answers and prayer finds St. Jude, the angels, especially our guardian angel, and other saints. St. Anthony can find lost things and God if you’re in a real pinch.////JACK: Today, I was in a card shop and saw a statue of St. Joseph. On the box, it said that if you were selling your house, you should set the statue on the counter, and it would help. Who's to say how the mysteries of God work?
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: I talk to God a lot. I'm not sure that would be considered prayer, but I know He hears me. I have separate times for prayer but mostly I talk with Him.////JACK: There are many ways to pray. Talking to God is one of them.
“The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.” (Thomas Watson) St. Jude is referred to as “the Saint of lost causes.” Prayer is often used as a last resort. What is prayer? I see it as a way of letting God know about our concerns. God is like a loving parent who answers a child’s request…”Yes…No…, or Let’s wait and see.” Sometimes God moves in mysterious ways with answers. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: How true . . . an adventure in itself . . . this business of prayer. I have so much more to learn between prayer as a disciplined righteous work on our part and a constant relational walk with our Lord.////JACK: Prayer is sometimes referred to as an "exercise." Just as physical exercise strengthens the body, so does spiritual exercise strengthen the "soul." Prayer is like spiritual push-ups.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Thy will be done. Work like everything depends on you and pray like everything depends upon God.////JACK: I've used that line before, and it needs to be repeated. The words are attributed to Martin Luther (Pray like it all depends on God, then when you are done, go work like it all depends on you.), but he might have gotten it from an earlier source.
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: Maybe...I'm not so sure what fetched the angel. I can think of several possibilities. I think this might be an oversimplified wish of our human desire to think so, much like we construct mythic super-heroes who come to our rescue when we call. It seems to me that our prayer is more a reflection of our relationship with God. We might seek first this relational development with Jesus, seeking first an understanding of His Word, seeking first to adjust our Wills with that of our Father, ...and maybe we'll find the angels have been stirred long before any of our petitions.////JACK: I don't like caps which say, "One size fits all." I like ones that fit me. In a way, it's the same with prayer. Each prayer is individual, relating to individual needs. While The Lord's Prayer is general in nature, the various petitions are meant to fit the needs of the pray-er. "Deliver us (me) from evil," as related to Peter's situation, is an example of this.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: I just can't resist this, "A far fetched story." And you would think me remiss if U didn't.////JACK: I know the traditional meaning of the word, "fetch," as a verb, but I also like it when it is used as a noun in modern slang, meaning...awesome! The release of Peter from prison by an angel, in answer to prayer, is an awesome story.
FROM JB, A MONEY MANAGER: Good morning…. You will notice in my next newsletter I am “borrowing” one of your recent quotes and comments! I should probably start giving you some credit in my newsletter.////JACK: It's the thought that counts, not the credit. Many of our thoughts are borrowed from others. I'm going to guess that quote you will refer to is about the rich and the poor.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: GOOD THOUGHT! I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN THE POWER OF PRAYER, EVEN THO SOME HAVE GONE UNASWERED OVER THE YEARS (AS FAR AS I KNOW...) I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED SOME DRAMATIC ANSWERS TO PRAYER PETITIONS, SO KEEP "COMMUNICATING" WITH THE ALIMIGHTY!! THANKS FOR THIS REMINDER THAT WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN GOD'S WORK BY"CALLING FOR THE ANGELS"! ////JACK: Your response cause me to ponder....What is the "power" of prayer? Many of us who have prayer concerns want to believe that God will provide "yes" answers. "No" answers are answers, too, although, most of the time, we're wanting the "yes" response. "Thy will be done" is in the Lord's Prayer for a reason.
FROM JT IN MICHIGAN: Another one to add to my list of quotations!! Thank you.////JACK: Speaking of collections, I once remember meeting a pastor in Chicago who would visit "Skid Row" men who were patients at Cook County Hospital. He would minister to their spiritual and physical needs, even to the point of cutting their toenails. He had saved some of the longer and curly ones and displayed them in a folder which he showed to me.
FROM INDY GENIE: A friend once (or twice) told me "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform" and I believe him :)////JACK: I used to listen to a radio program, "I Love a Mystery." I still love mysteries, especially the ones that show the presence of God in our daily life.
FROM JUDY E IN MICHIGAN: St. Jude works. I know he is my namesake. God does move in mysterious ways with answers and prayer finds St. Jude, the angels, especially our guardian angel, and other saints. St. Anthony can find lost things and God if you’re in a real pinch.////JACK: Today, I was in a card shop and saw a statue of St. Joseph. On the box, it said that if you were selling your house, you should set the statue on the counter, and it would help. Who's to say how the mysteries of God work?
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: I talk to God a lot. I'm not sure that would be considered prayer, but I know He hears me. I have separate times for prayer but mostly I talk with Him.////JACK: There are many ways to pray. Talking to God is one of them.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Winning Words 1/23/13
“The poor get poorer by acting rich, and the rich get richer by acting poor.” (Seen on a plaque) Have you ever said, “If I win the lottery….?” I’ve read that the odds of winning the Powerball Lottery are about the same as being killed by a falling coconut. And yet millions of people, many of them poor, take the chance at becoming rich. Ask yourself today what it means to be rich, and what does it mean to be poor? ;-) Jack
FROM FLORIANA NORM: REALLY LIKE THAT JACK: TRUE////FROM JACK: The ones I really feel sorry for are those who are trapped in poverty, through no fault of their own. I wonder about the statement in the Bible..."The poor will always be with you."
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: In yesterday's WW, I mentioned the "fishes and loaves" parable. It seems to apply here as well. It seems to me that "rich" takes the scraps of one's talents and confidently asks blessings upon them as (s)he ventures out to feed and share the same to the multitudes. This is rich in spirit. A poverty of spirit sees only the scraps and the insufficiency. If one sees that there "isn't enough", one will likely keep it for oneself. It just doesn't seem that there can be any further blessing upon this manner of poverty, for this kind of poverty is the fruit of the Spirit of Poverty. I often wonder how those who have known only poverty or some of its other fruits, like abuse, have climbed out of it and left it behind them. It can only be by the rich Spirit of Grace, as I see it.////JACK: The plight of many of the poor remind me of the Greek myth of Sisyphus. Even though some might not know the story, they continue to live it.
FROM HONEST JOHN: I am rich...I have no real envy of the wealthy...////JACK: When I was growing up, there was an expression, "That's rich." What does it mean? Sarcasm? Irony? Laughable? When "rich" is applied to your life, I know that you are not necessarily referring to material wealth.
FROM WALMART REV: That's a very reflective thought . . . hadn't heard it before . . . I'll think on that for awhile today . . . It goes with my comments on "contentment" this morning. Say- I enjoyed seeing your blog on Facebook this morning! Nice!!////JACK: Winning Words usually cause me to "reflect." It's good for all of us to pause at times for "reflection." From the play, "A Raisin in the Sun," there's a line: "Never be afraid to sit awhile and think." WW now appears daily in West Bloomfield Patch.com.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: There are many who use the system-both rich and poor. The truly poor will always be with us...it's Biblical. The ones who use all their money, and that of their families to try to become "rich" through gambling on either the lottery or the casino's are to be pitied. The ones who really try but are stuck in the system are who I feel the most pity. And of course, the poor in any country who are truly poor. Riches are supposed "to be stored up in Heaven". Those who are able to do that are the richest.////JACK: I'm sure you've heard the expression, "poor mouth." Phil Mickelson, the pro golfer, said yesterday that he may have move away from California, because his taxes are too high. Could that be an example of poor mouth? Re..."the poor will always be with you." Could that mean that there will always be situations where those who "have" will have to to respond to the needs of those who "have not?"
FROM TRIHARDER: I say it all the time -- but I NEVER buy a ticket (unless my office does). I also think about the odds of winning -- as you note, usually greater than getting hit by lightning; certainly greater than getting killed in a random shooting. So, I always say "be careful for wishing for those long odds to happen.////JACK: In the lottery, the winner's winnings come at the expense of those who lose. Am I being too philosophical?////TH: There is an entertainment value, too, I'm guessing, in buying those tickets and in the fantasy of thought in the exceptionally unlikely event that we hold a winning ticket. There is also a benefit to the public in that there is a pool of resources that serve the government that sponsors the lottery. But the danger is that many people that can't afford the money spend their resources in "feeling", unrealistically, that they are going to win and have a chance to win. It is, we all know, a form of tax and a very regressive one at that.////J: I remember, at least in Michigan, how the lottery was instituted to respond to the "numbers racket" where people were playing a kind of lottery with no regulation or no profits being returned to the public, in general. In that respect, I approve of the lottery as a solution. I also agree that the lottery, for many, is an inexpensive way to "daydream" about becoming rich. Pluses and minuses...Probably coming down on the plus side.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: ANOTHER BILL'S QUOTE: "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'D DO WITH A MILLION, SHOULD FORTUNE BE YOUR LOT, BUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW, WITH THE BUCK AND A HALF YOU'VE GOT!" MOST OF US ONLY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BUCKS, NOT MILLIONS, BUT WE ARE SURELY RICH IN OTHER WAYS, AND HAVE "ENOUGH" AND ARE ABLE TO BE THE GIVER RATHER THAN THE RECEIVER, WHEN POVERTY IS THE ISSUE. I 'M NOT SURE I REALLY "GET"; TODAY'S QUOTE, BUT I THINK IT WAS J.L. KRAFT WHO SAID, "THERE'S ENOUGH IN THIS WORLD FOR EVERYONE'S NEED, BUT NOT ENOUGHT FOR EVERYONE'S GREED." THAT SUMS IT UP PRETTY SUCCINCTLY...////JACK: "Rich" is in the eye of the beholder. I'm sure that as you have traveled the world, you've met people who have looked upon you as being incredibly rich.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: I asked myself and "rich" won.////JACK: What do you think Jesus meant when he said, "Blessed are the POOR in spirit?"////PFC: WHY WOULD HE WANT ANYBODY TO HAVE POOR SPIRIT? I BELIEVE IN GOD AS UPLIFTINHG////JACK: Jesus seems to be saying...."Blessed is the man who has absolutely nothing, because then he realizes his need for God." I'm reminded of that scene from "The Jerk" where Steve Martin tyalks about all the things he doesn't need, except.... Blessed is the man who comes to the point where he realizes that nothing is more important than God...because he has nothing. God is the only thing in his life. I think that that is the meaning behind the words of Jesus.
FROM IKE AT THE MIC: Rich is when you are healthy & happy with what you have.. Poor is when you are sick & don't have food or a roof over your head. As it has been said"I've been rich & have been poor" & being rich is much much better! P.S.At the risk of sounding boastful "I have enough money to last the rest of my life that is if I die by 4PM tomorrow afternoon..////FROM JACK: I once read: "I've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer."
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: First, the lotto is a chance, the odds of winning are what is not wise. Non-material things are priceless making us either rich or poor.////JACK: Mastercard's TV ads have been "priceless." For example, "Two tickets: $28. Two hot dogs, two popcorns, two sodas: $18. One autographed baseball: $45. Real conversation with 11 year old son: Priceless."
FROM PH IN ARIZONA: the lottery is really a regressive "tax" on the poor. so much money wasted on a false hope. uffda. stay warm, Jack. it was 81 here today in Mesa.////FROM JACK: Some of the poor often make poor judgments, but so do some of the rich. I'm afraid that if the lottery were taken away, the numbers racket would experience a rebirth. It's an ancient proverb: "A fool and his money are soon parted." BTW, the temperature her in Michigan is also 81, only the numbers are reversed.
FROM AW IN MICHIGAN: This one captures the concept so well I felt compelled to pass it along to a few of my contacts. Thanks.////JACK: Is the life we lead, an act...or is it reality? I'd like to think that we are who we are.
“The poor get poorer by acting rich, and the rich get richer by acting poor.” (Seen on a plaque) Have you ever said, “If I win the lottery….?” I’ve read that the odds of winning the Powerball Lottery are about the same as being killed by a falling coconut. And yet millions of people, many of them poor, take the chance at becoming rich. Ask yourself today what it means to be rich, and what does it mean to be poor? ;-) Jack
FROM FLORIANA NORM: REALLY LIKE THAT JACK: TRUE////FROM JACK: The ones I really feel sorry for are those who are trapped in poverty, through no fault of their own. I wonder about the statement in the Bible..."The poor will always be with you."
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: In yesterday's WW, I mentioned the "fishes and loaves" parable. It seems to apply here as well. It seems to me that "rich" takes the scraps of one's talents and confidently asks blessings upon them as (s)he ventures out to feed and share the same to the multitudes. This is rich in spirit. A poverty of spirit sees only the scraps and the insufficiency. If one sees that there "isn't enough", one will likely keep it for oneself. It just doesn't seem that there can be any further blessing upon this manner of poverty, for this kind of poverty is the fruit of the Spirit of Poverty. I often wonder how those who have known only poverty or some of its other fruits, like abuse, have climbed out of it and left it behind them. It can only be by the rich Spirit of Grace, as I see it.////JACK: The plight of many of the poor remind me of the Greek myth of Sisyphus. Even though some might not know the story, they continue to live it.
FROM HONEST JOHN: I am rich...I have no real envy of the wealthy...////JACK: When I was growing up, there was an expression, "That's rich." What does it mean? Sarcasm? Irony? Laughable? When "rich" is applied to your life, I know that you are not necessarily referring to material wealth.
FROM WALMART REV: That's a very reflective thought . . . hadn't heard it before . . . I'll think on that for awhile today . . . It goes with my comments on "contentment" this morning. Say- I enjoyed seeing your blog on Facebook this morning! Nice!!////JACK: Winning Words usually cause me to "reflect." It's good for all of us to pause at times for "reflection." From the play, "A Raisin in the Sun," there's a line: "Never be afraid to sit awhile and think." WW now appears daily in West Bloomfield Patch.com.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: There are many who use the system-both rich and poor. The truly poor will always be with us...it's Biblical. The ones who use all their money, and that of their families to try to become "rich" through gambling on either the lottery or the casino's are to be pitied. The ones who really try but are stuck in the system are who I feel the most pity. And of course, the poor in any country who are truly poor. Riches are supposed "to be stored up in Heaven". Those who are able to do that are the richest.////JACK: I'm sure you've heard the expression, "poor mouth." Phil Mickelson, the pro golfer, said yesterday that he may have move away from California, because his taxes are too high. Could that be an example of poor mouth? Re..."the poor will always be with you." Could that mean that there will always be situations where those who "have" will have to to respond to the needs of those who "have not?"
FROM TRIHARDER: I say it all the time -- but I NEVER buy a ticket (unless my office does). I also think about the odds of winning -- as you note, usually greater than getting hit by lightning; certainly greater than getting killed in a random shooting. So, I always say "be careful for wishing for those long odds to happen.////JACK: In the lottery, the winner's winnings come at the expense of those who lose. Am I being too philosophical?////TH: There is an entertainment value, too, I'm guessing, in buying those tickets and in the fantasy of thought in the exceptionally unlikely event that we hold a winning ticket. There is also a benefit to the public in that there is a pool of resources that serve the government that sponsors the lottery. But the danger is that many people that can't afford the money spend their resources in "feeling", unrealistically, that they are going to win and have a chance to win. It is, we all know, a form of tax and a very regressive one at that.////J: I remember, at least in Michigan, how the lottery was instituted to respond to the "numbers racket" where people were playing a kind of lottery with no regulation or no profits being returned to the public, in general. In that respect, I approve of the lottery as a solution. I also agree that the lottery, for many, is an inexpensive way to "daydream" about becoming rich. Pluses and minuses...Probably coming down on the plus side.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: ANOTHER BILL'S QUOTE: "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU'D DO WITH A MILLION, SHOULD FORTUNE BE YOUR LOT, BUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW, WITH THE BUCK AND A HALF YOU'VE GOT!" MOST OF US ONLY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT BUCKS, NOT MILLIONS, BUT WE ARE SURELY RICH IN OTHER WAYS, AND HAVE "ENOUGH" AND ARE ABLE TO BE THE GIVER RATHER THAN THE RECEIVER, WHEN POVERTY IS THE ISSUE. I 'M NOT SURE I REALLY "GET"; TODAY'S QUOTE, BUT I THINK IT WAS J.L. KRAFT WHO SAID, "THERE'S ENOUGH IN THIS WORLD FOR EVERYONE'S NEED, BUT NOT ENOUGHT FOR EVERYONE'S GREED." THAT SUMS IT UP PRETTY SUCCINCTLY...////JACK: "Rich" is in the eye of the beholder. I'm sure that as you have traveled the world, you've met people who have looked upon you as being incredibly rich.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: I asked myself and "rich" won.////JACK: What do you think Jesus meant when he said, "Blessed are the POOR in spirit?"////PFC: WHY WOULD HE WANT ANYBODY TO HAVE POOR SPIRIT? I BELIEVE IN GOD AS UPLIFTINHG////JACK: Jesus seems to be saying...."Blessed is the man who has absolutely nothing, because then he realizes his need for God." I'm reminded of that scene from "The Jerk" where Steve Martin tyalks about all the things he doesn't need, except.... Blessed is the man who comes to the point where he realizes that nothing is more important than God...because he has nothing. God is the only thing in his life. I think that that is the meaning behind the words of Jesus.
FROM IKE AT THE MIC: Rich is when you are healthy & happy with what you have.. Poor is when you are sick & don't have food or a roof over your head. As it has been said"I've been rich & have been poor" & being rich is much much better! P.S.At the risk of sounding boastful "I have enough money to last the rest of my life that is if I die by 4PM tomorrow afternoon..////FROM JACK: I once read: "I've never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer."
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: First, the lotto is a chance, the odds of winning are what is not wise. Non-material things are priceless making us either rich or poor.////JACK: Mastercard's TV ads have been "priceless." For example, "Two tickets: $28. Two hot dogs, two popcorns, two sodas: $18. One autographed baseball: $45. Real conversation with 11 year old son: Priceless."
FROM PH IN ARIZONA: the lottery is really a regressive "tax" on the poor. so much money wasted on a false hope. uffda. stay warm, Jack. it was 81 here today in Mesa.////FROM JACK: Some of the poor often make poor judgments, but so do some of the rich. I'm afraid that if the lottery were taken away, the numbers racket would experience a rebirth. It's an ancient proverb: "A fool and his money are soon parted." BTW, the temperature her in Michigan is also 81, only the numbers are reversed.
FROM AW IN MICHIGAN: This one captures the concept so well I felt compelled to pass it along to a few of my contacts. Thanks.////JACK: Is the life we lead, an act...or is it reality? I'd like to think that we are who we are.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Winning Words 1/22/13
“When yu’ can’t have why you choose, yu’ just choose what you have.” (Owen Wister) A quote like this raises my curiosity. Where’s it from? In the novel, The Virginian, a man is looking at a menu which includes Frogs’ Legs. That wasn’t what he wanted, but he had to eat. In life we don’t always get what we want, so we must try to make the best of it. If I’m served frogs’ legs, I’ll have to learn to deal with it. ;-) Jack
FROM HY YO SILVER: But what if frog legs aren't kosher (which they aren't)? Kidding. I understand and respect the message.////FROM JACK: So, a frog's legs aren't kosher, even if a rabbi says words over them? So kosher involves the product, as well as the words? I'll have to look that up, or wait to hear from you. Was there a kosher menu provided at yesterday's luncheon?////HY YO: My dear friend, come on: you know that some foods are not kosher! Don't you? Pork! Well, if you didn't - and you live in West Bloomfield - then I am truly astonished. There are many foods (animals) that are not kosher no matter what. Most of the laws - and some of the specific prohibited animals - are listed in Leviticus. But to answer your question, a rabbi - or anyone saying "words" or a "prayer" in no way has anything to do with making food kosher. There are indeed kosher options on Capitol Hill.////J: Then, what do the rabbi's words mean? Does Leviticus specifically mention frogs' legs?
FROM WALMART REV: I will always remember the lad with the few fish and loaves of bread, presenting them to Christ, and Christ blessing what was offered while feeding a multitude of folk like you and me. ////FROM JACK: What about the people who don't like fish or who are vegans?////REV: The Catholic Minnesotans, I'm told, always converted their deer shot in the fall to righteous Gentile walleye on Fridays!!////J: It actually happened in Michigan, near Monroe, that the bishop declared the muskrat as being edible on Fidays and during Lent, because it spent more than half of its life in the water.
FROM HONEST JOHN: Customer..."I'll have a cup of coffee without cream" Waiter..."sorry, sir, we don't have cream. You'll have to have it without milk"////FROM JACK: I was in a Starbucks the other day. When I wanted a "small," I had to order a "tall," which was their "small."
FROM BEE CEE: Is it supposed to be "what" you choose?////FROM JACK: Normally you would be correct, but Wister was writing a "Western" novel and was using the lingo of cowboys.
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: I read this quote before, or something like it, from the writing of a Buddhist monk who wrote: "A man with no food is wise to choose hunger." He is right to note the acceptance of one's condition. But, I would add, that a man with no food is wise to choose Faith. We live the "fishes and loaves" parable every day. We are disciples with provisions of few scraps of fish and small pieces of bread, while we are led to feed the multitudes who hunger for Truth and the Christ within. This is evidence of that same miracle of reaping where He has not sown that continues into our lives today! Choose Faith, and act accordingly. ////FROM JACK: I don't think we realize how fragile is our source of food and drink. Drought and contamination are conditions that should be taken seriously. It should lead us to a "faith" realization that the creation is dependent on the Creator.
FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA: reminds me of the flower-children-age lyrics "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."////FROM JACK: My brother-in-law bought a metal detector. He and his son went to the beach and spent the morning in the rain looking for lost coins. Finally, at noon, they decided to go to a McDonalds for lunch. When they stepped out the car, there was a $20 bill on the pavement.
FROM DC IN MI: I've had frogs' legs several times in a restaurant. They're French fried and they're fine. I wouldn't try fixing them at home. I know Maryland Crab House on Opdyke usually has them.////FROM JACK: Do you know what's white on the outside and green on the inside? Answer: A frog sandwich. I wonder if they have them at the Maryland Crab House?
FROM LEE & MARIE: Luv frog legs, taste like little chicken legs only better.////FROM JACK: I'll just take your word for it.
FROM RI IN BOSTON: Yeah, frogs legs, you've taken me back to my youth. At age 16, in mid-summer, my friend and I decided to go after some frogs. About 11 p.m. well after dark we grabbed our nets and burlap sacks and headed down to the pond in the pasture. As we approached we could hear the croaking. As I remember we each got about a half dozen and headed back home, depositing the wet sack in a dark corner of the shed. I prepared them next day before supper, at which time my mother floured those plump legs and fried them in butter. Ummmmm! You have any WW coming up about snails or octopi? ////FROM JACK: Mary and I went to a high class restaurant, because we knew the manager. He served us an appetizer, "compliments of the house." After eating it, we found out that it was escargot. Once was enough.
FRIN RICE LAKE CS: I’m told they taste like chicken…just like snake meat and a lot of other things…why don’t they just serve chicken…a lot easier to catch and prepare!////FROM JACK: That cow on the Chick-fil-A commercial agrees with you. "Eat Mor Chikin!"
FROM KF IN MICHIGAN: I'd like it to be sunny and 85 today. I'll just have to deal with the arctic blast. At least it's not frog legs...; )////FROM JACK: Some people are hard to please. Last summer, when the thermometer showed 100, you probably wanted it to be colder. Sometimes when people are hungry, they say, "I could eat a horse." Frog's' legs or horse meat?
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: If you are served frogs' legs pretend it's chicken. That's what they taste like anyhow.////FROM JACK: Why did the frog cross the road? Somebody glued him to the back of a chicken.
FROM JL IN MICHIGAN: Story goes that a famous Eastern mystic was treated by a very poor family to dinner. They honored him in their home with a meat meal which clearly set their resources back. Those that heard the story were horrified. He was a vegetarian!!! They asked him what on earth he did. He said that he blessed the food, ate and was very appreciative. Wish I could remember who the story was about.////FROM JACK: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." In a letter from St. Augustine (390 AD), there's this quote: "Cum Romanum venio, ieiuno Sabbato; cum hic sum, non ieiuno: sic etiam tu, ad quam forte ecclesiam veneris, eius morem serva, si cuiquam non vis esse scandalum nec quemquam tibi." which was translated as: "When I go to Rome, I fast on Saturday, but here [Milan] I do not. Do you also follow the custom of whatever church you attend, if you do not want to give or receive scandal."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Great quote! We must learn to deal with what we are given and learn to smile that we are so fortunate to be given what we have. That goes for the hard times too. We just plug along and smile because our reward is not of this earth. Thankfully!////FROM JACK: I saw a book ad for "Just Deal With It...for Life's Not So Funny Moments."
FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Just think how bad the frog feels about it...////FROM JACK: The frog probably wishes that there would be more people like me.
FROM SAINT JAMES: Don't they taste like chicken?////FROM JACK: But the chicken drumstick is larger than a frog's.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: HA! I'VE HAD A MEMO FROM BILL ON MY FRIDGE FOR DECADES: "WANT WHAT YOU HAVE, AND YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE WHAT YOU WANT." HE WAS ALWAYS PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH WHAT WE COULD AFFORD (OR SEEMED TO BE) WHILE I SOMETIMES PINED FOR "THINGS"...THAT MEMO HAS STOOD ME IN GOOD STEAD. BTW, TRAVEL IN THE CONGO, AND YOU'D REALIZE FROG LEGS AREN'T THE WORST THING YOU MIGHT BE OFFERED TO EAT!! :-) AND YOU GULP, AND PARTAKE... ////JACK: I must admit that I'm not one to "try" items on the menu that I'm not familiar with. That probably means that I've never tasted real hunger.
“When yu’ can’t have why you choose, yu’ just choose what you have.” (Owen Wister) A quote like this raises my curiosity. Where’s it from? In the novel, The Virginian, a man is looking at a menu which includes Frogs’ Legs. That wasn’t what he wanted, but he had to eat. In life we don’t always get what we want, so we must try to make the best of it. If I’m served frogs’ legs, I’ll have to learn to deal with it. ;-) Jack
FROM HY YO SILVER: But what if frog legs aren't kosher (which they aren't)? Kidding. I understand and respect the message.////FROM JACK: So, a frog's legs aren't kosher, even if a rabbi says words over them? So kosher involves the product, as well as the words? I'll have to look that up, or wait to hear from you. Was there a kosher menu provided at yesterday's luncheon?////HY YO: My dear friend, come on: you know that some foods are not kosher! Don't you? Pork! Well, if you didn't - and you live in West Bloomfield - then I am truly astonished. There are many foods (animals) that are not kosher no matter what. Most of the laws - and some of the specific prohibited animals - are listed in Leviticus. But to answer your question, a rabbi - or anyone saying "words" or a "prayer" in no way has anything to do with making food kosher. There are indeed kosher options on Capitol Hill.////J: Then, what do the rabbi's words mean? Does Leviticus specifically mention frogs' legs?
FROM WALMART REV: I will always remember the lad with the few fish and loaves of bread, presenting them to Christ, and Christ blessing what was offered while feeding a multitude of folk like you and me. ////FROM JACK: What about the people who don't like fish or who are vegans?////REV: The Catholic Minnesotans, I'm told, always converted their deer shot in the fall to righteous Gentile walleye on Fridays!!////J: It actually happened in Michigan, near Monroe, that the bishop declared the muskrat as being edible on Fidays and during Lent, because it spent more than half of its life in the water.
FROM HONEST JOHN: Customer..."I'll have a cup of coffee without cream" Waiter..."sorry, sir, we don't have cream. You'll have to have it without milk"////FROM JACK: I was in a Starbucks the other day. When I wanted a "small," I had to order a "tall," which was their "small."
FROM BEE CEE: Is it supposed to be "what" you choose?////FROM JACK: Normally you would be correct, but Wister was writing a "Western" novel and was using the lingo of cowboys.
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: I read this quote before, or something like it, from the writing of a Buddhist monk who wrote: "A man with no food is wise to choose hunger." He is right to note the acceptance of one's condition. But, I would add, that a man with no food is wise to choose Faith. We live the "fishes and loaves" parable every day. We are disciples with provisions of few scraps of fish and small pieces of bread, while we are led to feed the multitudes who hunger for Truth and the Christ within. This is evidence of that same miracle of reaping where He has not sown that continues into our lives today! Choose Faith, and act accordingly. ////FROM JACK: I don't think we realize how fragile is our source of food and drink. Drought and contamination are conditions that should be taken seriously. It should lead us to a "faith" realization that the creation is dependent on the Creator.
FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA: reminds me of the flower-children-age lyrics "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with."////FROM JACK: My brother-in-law bought a metal detector. He and his son went to the beach and spent the morning in the rain looking for lost coins. Finally, at noon, they decided to go to a McDonalds for lunch. When they stepped out the car, there was a $20 bill on the pavement.
FROM DC IN MI: I've had frogs' legs several times in a restaurant. They're French fried and they're fine. I wouldn't try fixing them at home. I know Maryland Crab House on Opdyke usually has them.////FROM JACK: Do you know what's white on the outside and green on the inside? Answer: A frog sandwich. I wonder if they have them at the Maryland Crab House?
FROM LEE & MARIE: Luv frog legs, taste like little chicken legs only better.////FROM JACK: I'll just take your word for it.
FROM RI IN BOSTON: Yeah, frogs legs, you've taken me back to my youth. At age 16, in mid-summer, my friend and I decided to go after some frogs. About 11 p.m. well after dark we grabbed our nets and burlap sacks and headed down to the pond in the pasture. As we approached we could hear the croaking. As I remember we each got about a half dozen and headed back home, depositing the wet sack in a dark corner of the shed. I prepared them next day before supper, at which time my mother floured those plump legs and fried them in butter. Ummmmm! You have any WW coming up about snails or octopi? ////FROM JACK: Mary and I went to a high class restaurant, because we knew the manager. He served us an appetizer, "compliments of the house." After eating it, we found out that it was escargot. Once was enough.
FRIN RICE LAKE CS: I’m told they taste like chicken…just like snake meat and a lot of other things…why don’t they just serve chicken…a lot easier to catch and prepare!////FROM JACK: That cow on the Chick-fil-A commercial agrees with you. "Eat Mor Chikin!"
FROM KF IN MICHIGAN: I'd like it to be sunny and 85 today. I'll just have to deal with the arctic blast. At least it's not frog legs...; )////FROM JACK: Some people are hard to please. Last summer, when the thermometer showed 100, you probably wanted it to be colder. Sometimes when people are hungry, they say, "I could eat a horse." Frog's' legs or horse meat?
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: If you are served frogs' legs pretend it's chicken. That's what they taste like anyhow.////FROM JACK: Why did the frog cross the road? Somebody glued him to the back of a chicken.
FROM JL IN MICHIGAN: Story goes that a famous Eastern mystic was treated by a very poor family to dinner. They honored him in their home with a meat meal which clearly set their resources back. Those that heard the story were horrified. He was a vegetarian!!! They asked him what on earth he did. He said that he blessed the food, ate and was very appreciative. Wish I could remember who the story was about.////FROM JACK: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." In a letter from St. Augustine (390 AD), there's this quote: "Cum Romanum venio, ieiuno Sabbato; cum hic sum, non ieiuno: sic etiam tu, ad quam forte ecclesiam veneris, eius morem serva, si cuiquam non vis esse scandalum nec quemquam tibi." which was translated as: "When I go to Rome, I fast on Saturday, but here [Milan] I do not. Do you also follow the custom of whatever church you attend, if you do not want to give or receive scandal."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Great quote! We must learn to deal with what we are given and learn to smile that we are so fortunate to be given what we have. That goes for the hard times too. We just plug along and smile because our reward is not of this earth. Thankfully!////FROM JACK: I saw a book ad for "Just Deal With It...for Life's Not So Funny Moments."
FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Just think how bad the frog feels about it...////FROM JACK: The frog probably wishes that there would be more people like me.
FROM SAINT JAMES: Don't they taste like chicken?////FROM JACK: But the chicken drumstick is larger than a frog's.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: HA! I'VE HAD A MEMO FROM BILL ON MY FRIDGE FOR DECADES: "WANT WHAT YOU HAVE, AND YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE WHAT YOU WANT." HE WAS ALWAYS PERFECTLY CONTENT WITH WHAT WE COULD AFFORD (OR SEEMED TO BE) WHILE I SOMETIMES PINED FOR "THINGS"...THAT MEMO HAS STOOD ME IN GOOD STEAD. BTW, TRAVEL IN THE CONGO, AND YOU'D REALIZE FROG LEGS AREN'T THE WORST THING YOU MIGHT BE OFFERED TO EAT!! :-) AND YOU GULP, AND PARTAKE... ////JACK: I must admit that I'm not one to "try" items on the menu that I'm not familiar with. That probably means that I've never tasted real hunger.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Winning Words 1/21/13
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that.” (Howard Thurman) It is not widely known that MLK, Jr was influenced in his thinking by his father’s friend, Howard Thurman. Thurman, in turn, was influenced by a personal meeting with Gandhi who spoke of the power of non-violence. Who has been your influence? Who makes you come alive? ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: Very thankful, Jack, for my parents first introducing me to my spiritual walk of faith in Christ . . . from there the list is too long to properly post. Thanks, Jack, for taking an interest in my life's ambition to be a pastor.////FROM JACK: It's very satisfying (and humbling) to be able to look back and see how our life has been influenced. Who would ever guess that a pastor could find ministry in a Walmart coffee shop?
FROM DR PAUL IN MICHIGAN: The quote you have selected means a great deal to me. I think it's really important. If parents really believe that their children's happiness is important, they need to encourage their children to follow their passions. I've seen too many cases where parents and even the children themselves, think of livelihood, and money as the determining factor in making decisions for college or work. I know these can be very difficult discussions, but unless the passion is illegal or immoral, having no regrets as we get older is nothing to take lightly. The more I look around me, the more I realize that happiness and satisfaction are at the top of the priority list. What do you think?////FROM JACK: I think back to my late teens when I was stumbling into the future. Then, one day, someone opened my mind to new possibilities. I shall ever be grateful for that influence. In turn, we can influence others to "come alive."
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: I'd have to admit that several people have had a significant influence on my maturation. Though, I would say that their influence was because of some uncommonly noticeable manner of acceptance, or generosity, or compassion, or patience, or commitment, or any other quality such as these. I am reminded of the passage in I Corinthians, Chapter 12, that describes the whole Body of Christ made up of its parts, and how each part has its differences, and how all parts serve the whole. Also, I am reminded of the "fruits of the Spirit", and those specific fruits --- the similarities for that which has influenced me are striking. I conclude that the significant influences I mentioned above were the fruits of the Spirit shared with me. These very fruits shared with me also touched a resonating chord within myself, maybe laying dormant, but there just the same. Hence, the true influence of the awakened spirit is indeed by the Holy Spirit. Our souls are awakened by the Spirit and the message of the Spirit can be communicated amongst the " whole Body" through our sharing of the blessings and grace provided each one of us --- in very natural, uncomplicated ways --- just like those who influenced me. May we always be mindful of our service to God, who has blessed us all so graciously, by loving (serving) others with the same full portion with which we were loved by Christ! (see John 13:34) ////FROM JACK: There's a Bible verse that reads, "We love, because he first loved us." Applying that to today's thought...We influence, because God first influenced us. Recently, I experienced that happen.
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: You make me come alive. I don't know exactly how you do it but so very, very often your WW strike a chord within me of something that's happening now like today attending the Martin Luther King, Jr., walk in Southfield with my Pastor and it's just so very, very nice to know that we take this day and make it special remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.s life. I expect to come more alive as we sing together, pray together and hear speeches together. And be more ready to go forward into a more peaceful and thanking for and being more accepting-of-the-beauty-of-diversity future. Can't turn me back. ////FROM JACK: In his Nobel Lecture, MLK Jr commented how we've come a long way in technological advances, but we still have a long, long way to go before "freedom" becomes a reality. Early in my ministry, the freedom marches were just beginning. Now, the marches still go on. I think of the song, "We Are Marching in the Light of God," where the chorus repeats, "We are marching, marching, we are marching in the light of God."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Today my children and grandchildren make me come alive. But when I was first taking baby steps on my walk with Jesus, it was my parents, grandparents and one special Sunday School teacher. My daughter and her husband are in a wonderful church with never fails to amaze and delight my walk these days. My son and his wife's pastor also inflame and excite my faith. What a wonderful walk!////FROM JACK: Faith in God, indeed, gives life to our life. As an American, the presidential inauguration ceremony (which I just witnessed) gives life to my citizenship.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: ...AND GANDHI FORMED HIS NON-VIOLENT PHILOSOPHY FROM READING THE WRITINGS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU (OF WALDON POND)! ////FROM JACK: Who do you suppose inspired Thoreau?////OAKS: ONCE AGAIN MY MAIL WAS SENT BEFORE I FINISHED...AS I WAS SAYING, ACCORDING TO MY SOURCES, GANDHI WAS INSPIRED FROM THE WRITINGS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU, THEN MLK RECEIVED INSPIRATION FROM GANDHI! I FIRST HEARD "WE ARE MARCHING IN THE LIGHT OF GOD" IN THE CONGO SUNG IN KIKONGO...WE MARCHED AROUND THE CHURCH (CONSISTING OF POLES, BENCHES, AND A THATCHED ROOF) SINGING IT, AS WE THREW OFFERINGS ON THE BLANKET AT THE FRONT OF THE "CHURCH". I LOVE THE RYTHMN OF THAT SONG! WONDERFUL MEMORY!! 1970! TEACHING TURNED ME ON...I TRULY ENJOYED MY WORK WITH JR. AND SR. HIGH KIDS, AND YOU USE EVERY BIT OF TALENT YOU'VE EVER BEEN BLESSED WITH. :-)
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that.” (Howard Thurman) It is not widely known that MLK, Jr was influenced in his thinking by his father’s friend, Howard Thurman. Thurman, in turn, was influenced by a personal meeting with Gandhi who spoke of the power of non-violence. Who has been your influence? Who makes you come alive? ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: Very thankful, Jack, for my parents first introducing me to my spiritual walk of faith in Christ . . . from there the list is too long to properly post. Thanks, Jack, for taking an interest in my life's ambition to be a pastor.////FROM JACK: It's very satisfying (and humbling) to be able to look back and see how our life has been influenced. Who would ever guess that a pastor could find ministry in a Walmart coffee shop?
FROM DR PAUL IN MICHIGAN: The quote you have selected means a great deal to me. I think it's really important. If parents really believe that their children's happiness is important, they need to encourage their children to follow their passions. I've seen too many cases where parents and even the children themselves, think of livelihood, and money as the determining factor in making decisions for college or work. I know these can be very difficult discussions, but unless the passion is illegal or immoral, having no regrets as we get older is nothing to take lightly. The more I look around me, the more I realize that happiness and satisfaction are at the top of the priority list. What do you think?////FROM JACK: I think back to my late teens when I was stumbling into the future. Then, one day, someone opened my mind to new possibilities. I shall ever be grateful for that influence. In turn, we can influence others to "come alive."
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: I'd have to admit that several people have had a significant influence on my maturation. Though, I would say that their influence was because of some uncommonly noticeable manner of acceptance, or generosity, or compassion, or patience, or commitment, or any other quality such as these. I am reminded of the passage in I Corinthians, Chapter 12, that describes the whole Body of Christ made up of its parts, and how each part has its differences, and how all parts serve the whole. Also, I am reminded of the "fruits of the Spirit", and those specific fruits --- the similarities for that which has influenced me are striking. I conclude that the significant influences I mentioned above were the fruits of the Spirit shared with me. These very fruits shared with me also touched a resonating chord within myself, maybe laying dormant, but there just the same. Hence, the true influence of the awakened spirit is indeed by the Holy Spirit. Our souls are awakened by the Spirit and the message of the Spirit can be communicated amongst the " whole Body" through our sharing of the blessings and grace provided each one of us --- in very natural, uncomplicated ways --- just like those who influenced me. May we always be mindful of our service to God, who has blessed us all so graciously, by loving (serving) others with the same full portion with which we were loved by Christ! (see John 13:34) ////FROM JACK: There's a Bible verse that reads, "We love, because he first loved us." Applying that to today's thought...We influence, because God first influenced us. Recently, I experienced that happen.
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: You make me come alive. I don't know exactly how you do it but so very, very often your WW strike a chord within me of something that's happening now like today attending the Martin Luther King, Jr., walk in Southfield with my Pastor and it's just so very, very nice to know that we take this day and make it special remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.s life. I expect to come more alive as we sing together, pray together and hear speeches together. And be more ready to go forward into a more peaceful and thanking for and being more accepting-of-the-beauty-of-diversity future. Can't turn me back. ////FROM JACK: In his Nobel Lecture, MLK Jr commented how we've come a long way in technological advances, but we still have a long, long way to go before "freedom" becomes a reality. Early in my ministry, the freedom marches were just beginning. Now, the marches still go on. I think of the song, "We Are Marching in the Light of God," where the chorus repeats, "We are marching, marching, we are marching in the light of God."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Today my children and grandchildren make me come alive. But when I was first taking baby steps on my walk with Jesus, it was my parents, grandparents and one special Sunday School teacher. My daughter and her husband are in a wonderful church with never fails to amaze and delight my walk these days. My son and his wife's pastor also inflame and excite my faith. What a wonderful walk!////FROM JACK: Faith in God, indeed, gives life to our life. As an American, the presidential inauguration ceremony (which I just witnessed) gives life to my citizenship.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: ...AND GANDHI FORMED HIS NON-VIOLENT PHILOSOPHY FROM READING THE WRITINGS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU (OF WALDON POND)! ////FROM JACK: Who do you suppose inspired Thoreau?////OAKS: ONCE AGAIN MY MAIL WAS SENT BEFORE I FINISHED...AS I WAS SAYING, ACCORDING TO MY SOURCES, GANDHI WAS INSPIRED FROM THE WRITINGS OF HENRY DAVID THOREAU, THEN MLK RECEIVED INSPIRATION FROM GANDHI! I FIRST HEARD "WE ARE MARCHING IN THE LIGHT OF GOD" IN THE CONGO SUNG IN KIKONGO...WE MARCHED AROUND THE CHURCH (CONSISTING OF POLES, BENCHES, AND A THATCHED ROOF) SINGING IT, AS WE THREW OFFERINGS ON THE BLANKET AT THE FRONT OF THE "CHURCH". I LOVE THE RYTHMN OF THAT SONG! WONDERFUL MEMORY!! 1970! TEACHING TURNED ME ON...I TRULY ENJOYED MY WORK WITH JR. AND SR. HIGH KIDS, AND YOU USE EVERY BIT OF TALENT YOU'VE EVER BEEN BLESSED WITH. :-)
Friday, January 18, 2013
Winning Words 1/18/13
“What do we live for, if not to make the world less difficult for each other?” (George Eliot) The song, “What’s It All About, Alfie?” raises the same question as does today’s quote. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is an answer to the question, “What does G-d want us to do?” The parable’s gist is that we are to make life less difficult for those in need. Today, it becomes a political, as well as a religious question. ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN: How can you profess to be a Christian and not think this way? Yet, a whole branch of American Christianity seems to think that you can. It mystifies me.////FROM JACK: I can see that helping others is a basic Christian teaching. Isn't it also the goal of some humans who don't happen to be Christian?
FROM WALMART REV: Trying to do that with a young lady who has multiple problems. Looking for a recommendation today of a good psychiatrist from a couple of churches I'm acquainted with here in town...she says she is ready to deal with some family history of anxiety attacks, depression and her battle with alcohol...hopefully will carry through...thank you for continued prayers.////FROM JACK: The parable of the Good Samaritan in action.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: There are people on both sides of the political issue who believe it is our moral duty to help others... it's just made to sound like there is a huge difference between the parties. But there's no difference about helping people...just different ways to go about it.////FROM JACK: When someone is in need, my need is to help them.
FROM MY FLORIST: I agree completely; than again its the struggle that gives meaning to the experience. Sort of like the old give a man a fish and eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a life time. For me I need the pressure of the life to make it meaningful. I thrive on the challenge that's not to say I won't offer or for that matter accept a helping hand.////FROM JACK: Coming out of the Great Depression as a child, I think that some of the hardships were growing experiences. My parents might not have thought that way.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Right now our play "COUPLINGS" is playing at Hoagland Theatre Center, and on Opening night last night, it was fun to hear the audience laugh in all the right places...one woman afterward commented, "It was great to come here and laugh and have a good time; to forget your troubles for a few hours". Made me feel we were doing some good, even with a bit of drama/comedy! That of course, is what the Christian life is about...doing good to others . Serving the homeless always brings that home in a big way!!////FROM JACK: The mind works in a strange way. As I was reading your words about people laughing...I began to think of these words in Handel's Messiah: "He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision."
“What do we live for, if not to make the world less difficult for each other?” (George Eliot) The song, “What’s It All About, Alfie?” raises the same question as does today’s quote. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is an answer to the question, “What does G-d want us to do?” The parable’s gist is that we are to make life less difficult for those in need. Today, it becomes a political, as well as a religious question. ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN: How can you profess to be a Christian and not think this way? Yet, a whole branch of American Christianity seems to think that you can. It mystifies me.////FROM JACK: I can see that helping others is a basic Christian teaching. Isn't it also the goal of some humans who don't happen to be Christian?
FROM WALMART REV: Trying to do that with a young lady who has multiple problems. Looking for a recommendation today of a good psychiatrist from a couple of churches I'm acquainted with here in town...she says she is ready to deal with some family history of anxiety attacks, depression and her battle with alcohol...hopefully will carry through...thank you for continued prayers.////FROM JACK: The parable of the Good Samaritan in action.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: There are people on both sides of the political issue who believe it is our moral duty to help others... it's just made to sound like there is a huge difference between the parties. But there's no difference about helping people...just different ways to go about it.////FROM JACK: When someone is in need, my need is to help them.
FROM MY FLORIST: I agree completely; than again its the struggle that gives meaning to the experience. Sort of like the old give a man a fish and eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a life time. For me I need the pressure of the life to make it meaningful. I thrive on the challenge that's not to say I won't offer or for that matter accept a helping hand.////FROM JACK: Coming out of the Great Depression as a child, I think that some of the hardships were growing experiences. My parents might not have thought that way.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: Right now our play "COUPLINGS" is playing at Hoagland Theatre Center, and on Opening night last night, it was fun to hear the audience laugh in all the right places...one woman afterward commented, "It was great to come here and laugh and have a good time; to forget your troubles for a few hours". Made me feel we were doing some good, even with a bit of drama/comedy! That of course, is what the Christian life is about...doing good to others . Serving the homeless always brings that home in a big way!!////FROM JACK: The mind works in a strange way. As I was reading your words about people laughing...I began to think of these words in Handel's Messiah: "He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision."
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Winning Words 1/17/13
“Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.” (Arnold Glason) I don’t know about you, but this quote reminds me of a character in the Rocky and Bullwinkle show…not Boris, Natasha, or Mr. Know-it-all…but Dudley Do-Right, the Canadian Mountie who never quite seems to do it right. BTW, Glason has another quote which relates to the first. “It’s a long way from words to deeds.” ;-) Jack
FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Loved that show and your thoughts; always enjoy your posts.////FROM JACK: The thing I liked about Rocky and Bullwinkle was that there were always messages hidden with in the cartoons. BTW, Winning Words now appears 5 days a week in West Bloomfield Patch.com, an internet local news source.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Right!////FROM JACK: Righty, tighty!
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Actions speak louder than words.Life is all about making decisions every day. It was interesting to see the musical Wicked on stage last night. I was never eager to see it, but some of my grandchildren and friends really like the music. It was also interesting to see how many people are out at the theater on a Wednesday night in Tampa. I read this today and thought I would pass it along...."Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." Helen Keller////FROM JACK: It's a good thing when we get to see how the
other half lives. Wicked is a word that has a generational meaning. Even the word, right, has a generational meaning. It's always good to be in touch with "the other half."
FROM BLAZING OAKS: MY DAUGHTER AND HER BOY COUSIN OF THE SAME AGE (49 NOW) HAD A BALL, BANDYING ABOUT SAYINGS FROM DUDLEY-DO-RIGHT! SHADES OF THE PAST! :-) IT WOULD SEEM TRUE, IF ALL THE STARS ALIGN "RIGHT", SUCCESS WILL FOLLOW. IT'S GETTING ALL THE 'RIGHTS' RIGHT THAT MIGHT BE A CHALLENGE. FORTUNATELY, GOD'S ANSWERS ARE OFTEN WISER THAN OUR PRAYERS.////FROM JACK: Personally, I liked Mr. Know-it-all. He was sort of a pre-Google character. Speaking of Google, do you know the Barney Google song?
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Good ole' Dudley...he always tried to do good but never quite got there. The point is though, he always tried to do his best. That's a wonderful way to live.////FROM JACK: Do you remember the criminal Dudley never seemed to catch...Snidely Whiplash? And the girl who he never seemed to catch...Nell Fenwick? Those were the days, my friend.
“Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.” (Arnold Glason) I don’t know about you, but this quote reminds me of a character in the Rocky and Bullwinkle show…not Boris, Natasha, or Mr. Know-it-all…but Dudley Do-Right, the Canadian Mountie who never quite seems to do it right. BTW, Glason has another quote which relates to the first. “It’s a long way from words to deeds.” ;-) Jack
FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Loved that show and your thoughts; always enjoy your posts.////FROM JACK: The thing I liked about Rocky and Bullwinkle was that there were always messages hidden with in the cartoons. BTW, Winning Words now appears 5 days a week in West Bloomfield Patch.com, an internet local news source.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Right!////FROM JACK: Righty, tighty!
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: Actions speak louder than words.Life is all about making decisions every day. It was interesting to see the musical Wicked on stage last night. I was never eager to see it, but some of my grandchildren and friends really like the music. It was also interesting to see how many people are out at the theater on a Wednesday night in Tampa. I read this today and thought I would pass it along...."Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." Helen Keller////FROM JACK: It's a good thing when we get to see how the
other half lives. Wicked is a word that has a generational meaning. Even the word, right, has a generational meaning. It's always good to be in touch with "the other half."
FROM BLAZING OAKS: MY DAUGHTER AND HER BOY COUSIN OF THE SAME AGE (49 NOW) HAD A BALL, BANDYING ABOUT SAYINGS FROM DUDLEY-DO-RIGHT! SHADES OF THE PAST! :-) IT WOULD SEEM TRUE, IF ALL THE STARS ALIGN "RIGHT", SUCCESS WILL FOLLOW. IT'S GETTING ALL THE 'RIGHTS' RIGHT THAT MIGHT BE A CHALLENGE. FORTUNATELY, GOD'S ANSWERS ARE OFTEN WISER THAN OUR PRAYERS.////FROM JACK: Personally, I liked Mr. Know-it-all. He was sort of a pre-Google character. Speaking of Google, do you know the Barney Google song?
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Good ole' Dudley...he always tried to do good but never quite got there. The point is though, he always tried to do his best. That's a wonderful way to live.////FROM JACK: Do you remember the criminal Dudley never seemed to catch...Snidely Whiplash? And the girl who he never seemed to catch...Nell Fenwick? Those were the days, my friend.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Winning Words 1/16/13
“Every failure I’ve ever had is because I said yes when I should have said no.” (Moss Hart) When she was a teen, Taylor Swift wrote a song, “Should’ve Said No.” Perhaps you know it. We’ve all made decisions that we’d like to do over, but there aren’t “do-overs” in life. So, we move on and try to do better at making choices. A teacher wrote at the top of a little boy’s worksheet, “Do better next time!” ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN: Sometimes I have said "No" when I should have said "Yes"...////FROM JACK: I remember this song by Ella Fitzgerald. "First you say you do And then you don't And then you say you will And then you won't You're undecided now So what are you gonna do?" Somehow I have difficulty picturing you as undecided...at least about major issues.////HJ: I am an Augie debater....we researched both sides carefully....don't make decisions without thinking things through....and always end up as a moderate (most of the time, I should say) because I have a tendency to see the value and the problems of both sides....or in many cases, the "many" sides of an issue...Although I voted for women's ordination and against the "pro-choice" position of the synod, I could always see why others voted on the other side...I thought some were way too zealous about one side or the other....have a tendency to not trust "zealots"////J: One of the disciples of Jesus was a Zealot. I've read that the Zealots were a Jewish sect that wanted to overthrow the Romans with violence. They were known as "dagger men" because of this. I wonder if Simon carried a concealed weapon while he walked with Jesus?
FROM WALMART REV: My teacher's comment to my roommate at Bible college was similar when talking about me missing a class or two: "Paul's a nice guy, but he needs to be in class if he wants to pass." Enough said!!!!!!////FROM JACK: In seminary I remember (occasionally) missing chapel in favor of going out for a donut and coffee.////REV: They took attendance at ours...700 students...the one taking attendance pretty well knew whether or not it was you sitting in that seat.////J: To be consistent...You should be taking attendance in church.
FROM DH IN MICHIGAN: Wow! How true. I had a Hebrew teacher who would always say, “a little better” to encourage us to correct our mistakes on our own.////FROM JACK: I think that your teacher was following the example of G-d.
FROM CL IN CALIFORNIA: Seems to me that is what life has been about. Those many times I have screwed up the holy spirit seems to be there telling me do better next time. We keep on trying.////FROM JACK: The H.S. can be an affirming voice, too, saying..."Good work. Keep it up."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Were you that little boy? I love Taylor's songs. She writes them herself and she is truly blessed with her words. She gets a lot of flack but stays true to her writings. I pray she can stay true in her faith. We do fail by not taking the options that come our way but that's a natural part of our lives. (I've been helping Jess with the girls as they all had the flu and of course, they generously shared it with me.) ////FROM JACK: I wasn't the little boy. I was a senior in High School when a chemistry teacher told me that I could do better...and he was right. I never forgot that advice.
“Every failure I’ve ever had is because I said yes when I should have said no.” (Moss Hart) When she was a teen, Taylor Swift wrote a song, “Should’ve Said No.” Perhaps you know it. We’ve all made decisions that we’d like to do over, but there aren’t “do-overs” in life. So, we move on and try to do better at making choices. A teacher wrote at the top of a little boy’s worksheet, “Do better next time!” ;-) Jack
FROM HONEST JOHN: Sometimes I have said "No" when I should have said "Yes"...////FROM JACK: I remember this song by Ella Fitzgerald. "First you say you do And then you don't And then you say you will And then you won't You're undecided now So what are you gonna do?" Somehow I have difficulty picturing you as undecided...at least about major issues.////HJ: I am an Augie debater....we researched both sides carefully....don't make decisions without thinking things through....and always end up as a moderate (most of the time, I should say) because I have a tendency to see the value and the problems of both sides....or in many cases, the "many" sides of an issue...Although I voted for women's ordination and against the "pro-choice" position of the synod, I could always see why others voted on the other side...I thought some were way too zealous about one side or the other....have a tendency to not trust "zealots"////J: One of the disciples of Jesus was a Zealot. I've read that the Zealots were a Jewish sect that wanted to overthrow the Romans with violence. They were known as "dagger men" because of this. I wonder if Simon carried a concealed weapon while he walked with Jesus?
FROM WALMART REV: My teacher's comment to my roommate at Bible college was similar when talking about me missing a class or two: "Paul's a nice guy, but he needs to be in class if he wants to pass." Enough said!!!!!!////FROM JACK: In seminary I remember (occasionally) missing chapel in favor of going out for a donut and coffee.////REV: They took attendance at ours...700 students...the one taking attendance pretty well knew whether or not it was you sitting in that seat.////J: To be consistent...You should be taking attendance in church.
FROM DH IN MICHIGAN: Wow! How true. I had a Hebrew teacher who would always say, “a little better” to encourage us to correct our mistakes on our own.////FROM JACK: I think that your teacher was following the example of G-d.
FROM CL IN CALIFORNIA: Seems to me that is what life has been about. Those many times I have screwed up the holy spirit seems to be there telling me do better next time. We keep on trying.////FROM JACK: The H.S. can be an affirming voice, too, saying..."Good work. Keep it up."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Were you that little boy? I love Taylor's songs. She writes them herself and she is truly blessed with her words. She gets a lot of flack but stays true to her writings. I pray she can stay true in her faith. We do fail by not taking the options that come our way but that's a natural part of our lives. (I've been helping Jess with the girls as they all had the flu and of course, they generously shared it with me.) ////FROM JACK: I wasn't the little boy. I was a senior in High School when a chemistry teacher told me that I could do better...and he was right. I never forgot that advice.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Winning Words 1/15/13
“How to keep a healthy level of sanity: As often as possible, skip, rather than walk.” (Gary Barnes) Just now I tried to skip, but couldn’t do it. What has happened to my childhood when skipping came so easy and was so much fun? What other skills have we lost in the aging process? …making up games? …daring to do things? …being excited about tomorrow? My favorite Twilight Zone episode is “Kick the Can.” ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: Mine was bowling with my son after not touching a bowling ball for over tens...I had rolled twelve strikes in a roll at Sylvan Lanes in Keego Harbor one afternoon in 1984...this time I could not hardly walk up to the foul line with out tripping over my feet...barely broke 100 in my score...I've lost my timing in bowling as I had before, Jack.////FROM JACK: A friend of mine decided to play catch with his teen-age son. It had been awhile. The son threw a curve ball which hit dad right in the forehead, knocking him out. He recovered, but I don't think he tried to catch any more curve balls.
FROM SHARIN SHARON: I've lost playing in the snow, actually rolling around in it--making angels, etc. We don't have any snow anyway today but when we get some more this winter, I'll likely be inside, keeping warm.////FROM JACK: If you do try making snow angels, remember to take along that device that sends out the message, "I've fallen and can't get up."
FROM PEPPERMINT MARY: i love to skip. another favorite thing is "riding" the grocery cart like a scooter through the parking lot to my car. i often park farther away to make the ride longer. i have yet to see anybody else do the same, so i guess i'll just have to keep "planting the seed"!////FROM JACK: Try doing that down the aisles of the grocery stores and see what reactions you get from the shoppers.
FROM MY LAWYER: I was with my friend, Michael Serling and his wife for dinner in Florida. He lives in Orchard Lake; but we just don't get to socialize much here. Anyway, his cousin was Rod Serling of the Twilight Zone. He told me that on December 31 and January 1, the Sci-Fi network had 48 hours of Twilight Zone shows. I recorded them all and have been watching a couple a night for the past two weeks. Really enjoyable; and, I can't believe the stars the were in the shows. Big name celebs acted in the shows, maybe before they were famous, but some already famous ones too.////FROM JACK: Thanks for introducing me to Michael. I had an interesting conversation with him about his cousin. The Twilight Zone is one of my all-time favorite TV series. I never get tired of watching re-runs.
FROM GOOD DEBT JON: OK I can still skip…..though my left heel hurts a bit… ////FROM JACK: For me, the hurting part would be my Maximus Gluteus.
FROM WATERFORD JAN: Ouch! I'll bet that every one of your arthritic readers regrets trying to skip this morning. To your question regarding skills lost, I think I'd like to say "Don't go there!" I once learned that children should learn how to skip because it is a significant skill in their development.////FROM JACK: Here's the remedial instruction for skipping...Learning cues: step forward and hop on the same foot; repeat with the other foot; lift knee sharply upward. Whee...I'm skipping, I'm skipping!
FROM CL IN MICHIGAN: No more skipping attempts please!////FROM JACK: I'll be carrying my cellphone, and I know the number to call....9-1-1.
FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: I haven’t seen that episode but will try to find it on youtube.////FROM JACK: I checked, and it's there on YouTube. Like most Twilight Zone episodes...thought-provoking!
FROM TRIHARDER: so interesting, Jack, that you discuss losing skills as we age. Obviously, we become so much stronger at other things, but I remember making up games, going for walks, playing tag, hide-n-seek, kick ball or whiffle ball on the corner, football on the street. Some of us had to be in when the street lights came on ("C'mon, mom, one more touchdown!"). We would round up the gang and ride over to the school ball field (many times with two on a bike; very occasionally, we'd try 3) to play 5 on 5 or even three on three, home run derby or even just to climb the powerhouse////FROM JACK: Like with most skills...Use it or lose it! Texting while driving? I used to ride my bike no-handed, while reading the newspaper....until I ran into the back end of a parked car. I, too, remember two on a bike...with one riding on the handlebars.
FROM AW IN MICHIGAN: You are off to a great start in 2013, Jack.////FROM JACK: No turboparalysis for me...at least, not for today.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: What I like about you is that you stay young at heart. ////FROM JACK: Jimmy Durante had the right idea..
Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you If you're young at heart
For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind If you're young at heart
Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth To be young at heart
For as rich as you are it's much better by far To be young at heart
And if you should survive to 105 Look at all you'll derive out of being alive
Then here is the best part, you have a head start If you are among the very young at heart
FROM BLAZING OAKS: HA! YOU ARE RIGHT! I TRIED SKIPPING WITH MY GREAT-GRAND, AVERY, AND ONLY MANAGED A COUPLE OF STEP-HOPS! I AGREE WITH OPRAH W. "CHEERS TO A NEW YEAR, AND ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT"...WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT IS A MEANINGFUL LIFE FOR US, AND THEN GO FOR IT! I DON'T REMEMBER WATCHING THE TWILIGHT ZONE BUT WE SPENT MANY HAPPY EVENING HOURS WITH A HOST OF NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDS, PLAYING "KICK THE CAN". SUCH SIJMPLE PLEASURES!! :-)////FROM JACK: We always played "Kick the Can" in the twilight zone, or at least under the streetlight in front of our house.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Cassidy used to Hop.////FROM JACK: So did Chester Good.
FROM AJ IN MICHIGAN: I love this one. I have my grandchildren skip with me whenever. It reminds me of when I was young and nothing was too bothersome.////FROM JACK: Do you play Hop Scotch with them?
FROM RS IN TEXAS: You're right, Jack - lots of things are "less doable" now than then. Drugs help with some ...........with others not so much. Bottom line is that life is still good - just different in some ways. ////FROM JACK: Lots of things are different with different ages groups...the kinds of games they play, the kinds of foods they eat, the style of clothes they wear, the kinds of jokes that amuse them.
FROM HOLLY K: What a joy to read this. If you remember my mother she jumped, ran and skipped. She was always there at the church, ready to do, make and give. Today she has returned home. My brother and I mourn her passing and celebrate her life. I have such wonderful memories of growing up.////FROM JACK: Yes, I remember your mom. What a bundle of energy! She was a "skipper" in many ways. May God bless the memories that we have of her.
FROM LP IN PLYMOUTH: I seem to have lost the ability to "play Barbies".////FROM JACK: Maybe that was a preparation for moving into adulthood, while playing at your mother's feet helped prepare you for becoming a "mom."
“How to keep a healthy level of sanity: As often as possible, skip, rather than walk.” (Gary Barnes) Just now I tried to skip, but couldn’t do it. What has happened to my childhood when skipping came so easy and was so much fun? What other skills have we lost in the aging process? …making up games? …daring to do things? …being excited about tomorrow? My favorite Twilight Zone episode is “Kick the Can.” ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: Mine was bowling with my son after not touching a bowling ball for over tens...I had rolled twelve strikes in a roll at Sylvan Lanes in Keego Harbor one afternoon in 1984...this time I could not hardly walk up to the foul line with out tripping over my feet...barely broke 100 in my score...I've lost my timing in bowling as I had before, Jack.////FROM JACK: A friend of mine decided to play catch with his teen-age son. It had been awhile. The son threw a curve ball which hit dad right in the forehead, knocking him out. He recovered, but I don't think he tried to catch any more curve balls.
FROM SHARIN SHARON: I've lost playing in the snow, actually rolling around in it--making angels, etc. We don't have any snow anyway today but when we get some more this winter, I'll likely be inside, keeping warm.////FROM JACK: If you do try making snow angels, remember to take along that device that sends out the message, "I've fallen and can't get up."
FROM PEPPERMINT MARY: i love to skip. another favorite thing is "riding" the grocery cart like a scooter through the parking lot to my car. i often park farther away to make the ride longer. i have yet to see anybody else do the same, so i guess i'll just have to keep "planting the seed"!////FROM JACK: Try doing that down the aisles of the grocery stores and see what reactions you get from the shoppers.
FROM MY LAWYER: I was with my friend, Michael Serling and his wife for dinner in Florida. He lives in Orchard Lake; but we just don't get to socialize much here. Anyway, his cousin was Rod Serling of the Twilight Zone. He told me that on December 31 and January 1, the Sci-Fi network had 48 hours of Twilight Zone shows. I recorded them all and have been watching a couple a night for the past two weeks. Really enjoyable; and, I can't believe the stars the were in the shows. Big name celebs acted in the shows, maybe before they were famous, but some already famous ones too.////FROM JACK: Thanks for introducing me to Michael. I had an interesting conversation with him about his cousin. The Twilight Zone is one of my all-time favorite TV series. I never get tired of watching re-runs.
FROM GOOD DEBT JON: OK I can still skip…..though my left heel hurts a bit… ////FROM JACK: For me, the hurting part would be my Maximus Gluteus.
FROM WATERFORD JAN: Ouch! I'll bet that every one of your arthritic readers regrets trying to skip this morning. To your question regarding skills lost, I think I'd like to say "Don't go there!" I once learned that children should learn how to skip because it is a significant skill in their development.////FROM JACK: Here's the remedial instruction for skipping...Learning cues: step forward and hop on the same foot; repeat with the other foot; lift knee sharply upward. Whee...I'm skipping, I'm skipping!
FROM CL IN MICHIGAN: No more skipping attempts please!////FROM JACK: I'll be carrying my cellphone, and I know the number to call....9-1-1.
FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: I haven’t seen that episode but will try to find it on youtube.////FROM JACK: I checked, and it's there on YouTube. Like most Twilight Zone episodes...thought-provoking!
FROM TRIHARDER: so interesting, Jack, that you discuss losing skills as we age. Obviously, we become so much stronger at other things, but I remember making up games, going for walks, playing tag, hide-n-seek, kick ball or whiffle ball on the corner, football on the street. Some of us had to be in when the street lights came on ("C'mon, mom, one more touchdown!"). We would round up the gang and ride over to the school ball field (many times with two on a bike; very occasionally, we'd try 3) to play 5 on 5 or even three on three, home run derby or even just to climb the powerhouse////FROM JACK: Like with most skills...Use it or lose it! Texting while driving? I used to ride my bike no-handed, while reading the newspaper....until I ran into the back end of a parked car. I, too, remember two on a bike...with one riding on the handlebars.
FROM AW IN MICHIGAN: You are off to a great start in 2013, Jack.////FROM JACK: No turboparalysis for me...at least, not for today.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: What I like about you is that you stay young at heart. ////FROM JACK: Jimmy Durante had the right idea..
Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you If you're young at heart
For it's hard, you will find, to be narrow of mind If you're young at heart
Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth To be young at heart
For as rich as you are it's much better by far To be young at heart
And if you should survive to 105 Look at all you'll derive out of being alive
Then here is the best part, you have a head start If you are among the very young at heart
FROM BLAZING OAKS: HA! YOU ARE RIGHT! I TRIED SKIPPING WITH MY GREAT-GRAND, AVERY, AND ONLY MANAGED A COUPLE OF STEP-HOPS! I AGREE WITH OPRAH W. "CHEERS TO A NEW YEAR, AND ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT"...WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT IS A MEANINGFUL LIFE FOR US, AND THEN GO FOR IT! I DON'T REMEMBER WATCHING THE TWILIGHT ZONE BUT WE SPENT MANY HAPPY EVENING HOURS WITH A HOST OF NEIGHBORHOOD FRIENDS, PLAYING "KICK THE CAN". SUCH SIJMPLE PLEASURES!! :-)////FROM JACK: We always played "Kick the Can" in the twilight zone, or at least under the streetlight in front of our house.
FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Cassidy used to Hop.////FROM JACK: So did Chester Good.
FROM AJ IN MICHIGAN: I love this one. I have my grandchildren skip with me whenever. It reminds me of when I was young and nothing was too bothersome.////FROM JACK: Do you play Hop Scotch with them?
FROM RS IN TEXAS: You're right, Jack - lots of things are "less doable" now than then. Drugs help with some ...........with others not so much. Bottom line is that life is still good - just different in some ways. ////FROM JACK: Lots of things are different with different ages groups...the kinds of games they play, the kinds of foods they eat, the style of clothes they wear, the kinds of jokes that amuse them.
FROM HOLLY K: What a joy to read this. If you remember my mother she jumped, ran and skipped. She was always there at the church, ready to do, make and give. Today she has returned home. My brother and I mourn her passing and celebrate her life. I have such wonderful memories of growing up.////FROM JACK: Yes, I remember your mom. What a bundle of energy! She was a "skipper" in many ways. May God bless the memories that we have of her.
FROM LP IN PLYMOUTH: I seem to have lost the ability to "play Barbies".////FROM JACK: Maybe that was a preparation for moving into adulthood, while playing at your mother's feet helped prepare you for becoming a "mom."
Monday, January 14, 2013
Winning Words 1/14/13
“Sometimes it’s just easier to sit around spinning your wheels…but you never get anywhere.” (Susan Gale) I came across a new word recently…Turboparalysis! It’s defined as furious motion, without movement in any direction. It has happened with my car in a snowdrift. It can happen with us, too. We keep doing the same thing over and over with no result. Maybe we need a shove to begin moving forward. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: I just got "my push" for the day . . . thanks, Jack!////FROM JACK: There's an acronym for P.U.S.H....Pray Until Something Happens.
FROM RI IN BOSTON: Your Winning Words remind me of another John's winning words...one of my favorite Beatles songs. Watching the Wheels
People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing,
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,
When I say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange,
Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game,
People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away,
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me,
When I tell that I'm doing Fine watching shadows on the wall,
Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball?
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go,
People asking questions lost in confusion,
Well I tell them there's no problem,
Only solutions,
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind,
I tell them there's no hurry...
I'm just sitting here doing time,
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go.
////FROM JACK: That sounds like retirement...unless you find another merry-go-round.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: My name for it is downtime, which everyone needs from time to time, don't you think?////FROM JACK: I agree with the need for some downtime. Too much time on the merry-go-round can upset your equalibrium.
FROM CL IN CALIFORNIA: or a push back to bring us to our senses!!!!!!!////FROM JACK: I read recently of a disease that reverses the aging process. That's a "push" backward, bit it's not for me.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I READ A DEFINITION OF INSANITY SOMEWHERE THAT STATED "INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS." IF YOU'RE SPINNING YOUR WHEELS, YOU HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO PUT YOUR MACHINE IN GEAR, AND GO IN ANOTHER DIRECTION. WE'VE ALL HAD TO BECOME CREATIVE AT SOME POINT, IN ORDER TO GET THE RESULTS WE DESIRE. FOR ME, PRAYER HELPS ME DO THAT! PROBABLY SERIOUS MEDITATION WORKS TOO! GOOD WW WORDS TO STIMULATE THINKING, TODAY!////FROM JACK: I think that yours is an Einstein quote. I'm glad for those people pushed me forward.
“Sometimes it’s just easier to sit around spinning your wheels…but you never get anywhere.” (Susan Gale) I came across a new word recently…Turboparalysis! It’s defined as furious motion, without movement in any direction. It has happened with my car in a snowdrift. It can happen with us, too. We keep doing the same thing over and over with no result. Maybe we need a shove to begin moving forward. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: I just got "my push" for the day . . . thanks, Jack!////FROM JACK: There's an acronym for P.U.S.H....Pray Until Something Happens.
FROM RI IN BOSTON: Your Winning Words remind me of another John's winning words...one of my favorite Beatles songs. Watching the Wheels
People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing,
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin,
When I say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange,
Surely your not happy now you no longer play the game,
People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away,
Well they give me all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me,
When I tell that I'm doing Fine watching shadows on the wall,
Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball?
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go,
People asking questions lost in confusion,
Well I tell them there's no problem,
Only solutions,
Well they shake their heads and they look at me as if I've lost my mind,
I tell them there's no hurry...
I'm just sitting here doing time,
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round,
I really love to watch them roll,
No longer riding on the merry-go-round,
I just had to let it go.
////FROM JACK: That sounds like retirement...unless you find another merry-go-round.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: My name for it is downtime, which everyone needs from time to time, don't you think?////FROM JACK: I agree with the need for some downtime. Too much time on the merry-go-round can upset your equalibrium.
FROM CL IN CALIFORNIA: or a push back to bring us to our senses!!!!!!!////FROM JACK: I read recently of a disease that reverses the aging process. That's a "push" backward, bit it's not for me.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: I READ A DEFINITION OF INSANITY SOMEWHERE THAT STATED "INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS." IF YOU'RE SPINNING YOUR WHEELS, YOU HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO PUT YOUR MACHINE IN GEAR, AND GO IN ANOTHER DIRECTION. WE'VE ALL HAD TO BECOME CREATIVE AT SOME POINT, IN ORDER TO GET THE RESULTS WE DESIRE. FOR ME, PRAYER HELPS ME DO THAT! PROBABLY SERIOUS MEDITATION WORKS TOO! GOOD WW WORDS TO STIMULATE THINKING, TODAY!////FROM JACK: I think that yours is an Einstein quote. I'm glad for those people pushed me forward.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Winning Words 1/11/13
“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.” (Henry Moore) This week I came across a SMART way (by Kelly Olin) to make and keep resolutions. S=Be Specific. M=Be Motivated. A=Make it Action-oriented. R=Be Realistic. T= Make it Timely. This can be very helpful for those who are really trying to change and see it as a day to day struggle. Resolutions are more than a once-a-year project. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: "Resolute to resolve to right standing each day!" Keep sharing these early morning directives for a better day...I'll be looking for mine again on Monday.////FROM JACK: Did you know that Monday is derived from Moon-day, the day of the Moon God? Neither did I.////REV: I thought Sunday was the Sun god as well . . . it so hard to Christianize this pegan world of ours . . . but we have certainly tried our best over these thousands of years with Catholics, Lutherans, Protestants, Fundalmentalist, Pentecostals and other ""Full Faith Church of Love, Hallelujah" churches!!////J: How about B.C. and A.D.? That seems like a major influence.
FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA: I remember Churchy La Femme's new year's resolution, which I tried unsuccessfully to google just now. It runs something like, "For the New Year, I'se gwine be a NEW MAN--with KEEN BLUE EYES and a RED BICYCLE. With the keen blue eyes, I'll be able to see things coming a long way off, and with the red bicycle I'll be able to git away quick!"////FROM JACK: Is there a comic strip today that compares to Pogo, now gone for over 35 years. I have a granddaughter who likes to read the books of Pogo comics that I've saved. Churchy La Femme = "Look for the woman." ////HT: there are little flickers for me in several strips including Sherman's Lagoon...will think about it and get back to you. There are also some others that have come and gone, including Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side. Do you have some nominations? ////J: Go Comics.com allows me to see all comics, a to z. I just go to my favorites which include The Duplex and The Fusco Brothers. I also like Pearls Before Swine.
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: I've finished reading a book "Praying in Color" and today am starting a praying/drawing/coloring discipline. There is a startling statement on page 92: "From a Christian, as well as a quantum physics perspective, the way we as observers see something, changes the observed. Just by looking at a quark, an atom, or a person, we alter them. Seeing a person as a child of God and praying for them changes both the person we pray for and us in ways that we cannot plan or predict." I believe Kelly Olin's SMART advice can really apply to this praying in color way of inviting God into each of the days of others and also into my days too. Hopefully we'll also be able to make any changes we seek to make for more faithful and peaceful lives.////FROM JACK: I wonder if God was "praying in color" when he created the rainbow? Looking at a guark, an atom, a person can change them? How about looking in a mirror?
FROM IKE AT THE MIC: At the risk of seeming "picky" I suggest that the "M" for motivated should be changed to monitor because there are a lot of well intentioned motivated people that don't accurately evaluate their progress & just keep going in circles. Just as in school our teachers would give us a report card ,now we should give ourselves a report card.////FROM JACK: Maybe you should direct your "pickiness" to Kelly Olin who came up with SMART. She's a personal trainer and coach who has monthly articles the Detroit Free Press.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Everyday my resolution changes a little. Hopefully, for the better.////FROM JACK: Each tick of the clock brings new challenges. A hymn that I like begins: "Once to every man and nation Comes the moment to decide, In the strife of truth with falsehood, For the good or evil side."
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: One day at a time. We are going to a celebration of life tonight for a friend who was only 59 and who died of cancer. At the same time Nicole and her fiancee are here to plan their October wedding and they want to be married in the same church as Nicole's mom and dad. ////FROM JACK: We're each storing our memories...one day at a time.
FROM JT IN MICHIGAN: One of the priest's who celebrated the Mass I went to on New Year's Day encouraged the people to make resolutions, but only three. Make one re: God, one re: my neighbor, and one regarding myself. I'm still working on it. I have the first one, now one I can make for others. I agree with him that if we make too many we abandon them all.////FROM JACK: The three resolutions are "self" resolutions, right? A Trinity!
“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.” (Henry Moore) This week I came across a SMART way (by Kelly Olin) to make and keep resolutions. S=Be Specific. M=Be Motivated. A=Make it Action-oriented. R=Be Realistic. T= Make it Timely. This can be very helpful for those who are really trying to change and see it as a day to day struggle. Resolutions are more than a once-a-year project. ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: "Resolute to resolve to right standing each day!" Keep sharing these early morning directives for a better day...I'll be looking for mine again on Monday.////FROM JACK: Did you know that Monday is derived from Moon-day, the day of the Moon God? Neither did I.////REV: I thought Sunday was the Sun god as well . . . it so hard to Christianize this pegan world of ours . . . but we have certainly tried our best over these thousands of years with Catholics, Lutherans, Protestants, Fundalmentalist, Pentecostals and other ""Full Faith Church of Love, Hallelujah" churches!!////J: How about B.C. and A.D.? That seems like a major influence.
FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA: I remember Churchy La Femme's new year's resolution, which I tried unsuccessfully to google just now. It runs something like, "For the New Year, I'se gwine be a NEW MAN--with KEEN BLUE EYES and a RED BICYCLE. With the keen blue eyes, I'll be able to see things coming a long way off, and with the red bicycle I'll be able to git away quick!"////FROM JACK: Is there a comic strip today that compares to Pogo, now gone for over 35 years. I have a granddaughter who likes to read the books of Pogo comics that I've saved. Churchy La Femme = "Look for the woman." ////HT: there are little flickers for me in several strips including Sherman's Lagoon...will think about it and get back to you. There are also some others that have come and gone, including Calvin and Hobbes and The Far Side. Do you have some nominations? ////J: Go Comics.com allows me to see all comics, a to z. I just go to my favorites which include The Duplex and The Fusco Brothers. I also like Pearls Before Swine.
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: I've finished reading a book "Praying in Color" and today am starting a praying/drawing/coloring discipline. There is a startling statement on page 92: "From a Christian, as well as a quantum physics perspective, the way we as observers see something, changes the observed. Just by looking at a quark, an atom, or a person, we alter them. Seeing a person as a child of God and praying for them changes both the person we pray for and us in ways that we cannot plan or predict." I believe Kelly Olin's SMART advice can really apply to this praying in color way of inviting God into each of the days of others and also into my days too. Hopefully we'll also be able to make any changes we seek to make for more faithful and peaceful lives.////FROM JACK: I wonder if God was "praying in color" when he created the rainbow? Looking at a guark, an atom, a person can change them? How about looking in a mirror?
FROM IKE AT THE MIC: At the risk of seeming "picky" I suggest that the "M" for motivated should be changed to monitor because there are a lot of well intentioned motivated people that don't accurately evaluate their progress & just keep going in circles. Just as in school our teachers would give us a report card ,now we should give ourselves a report card.////FROM JACK: Maybe you should direct your "pickiness" to Kelly Olin who came up with SMART. She's a personal trainer and coach who has monthly articles the Detroit Free Press.
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Everyday my resolution changes a little. Hopefully, for the better.////FROM JACK: Each tick of the clock brings new challenges. A hymn that I like begins: "Once to every man and nation Comes the moment to decide, In the strife of truth with falsehood, For the good or evil side."
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: One day at a time. We are going to a celebration of life tonight for a friend who was only 59 and who died of cancer. At the same time Nicole and her fiancee are here to plan their October wedding and they want to be married in the same church as Nicole's mom and dad. ////FROM JACK: We're each storing our memories...one day at a time.
FROM JT IN MICHIGAN: One of the priest's who celebrated the Mass I went to on New Year's Day encouraged the people to make resolutions, but only three. Make one re: God, one re: my neighbor, and one regarding myself. I'm still working on it. I have the first one, now one I can make for others. I agree with him that if we make too many we abandon them all.////FROM JACK: The three resolutions are "self" resolutions, right? A Trinity!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Winning Words 1/10/13
“Don’t anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” (Ben Franklin) Trumpeter Louis Armstrong didn’t have much of a voice, but could he sing! “Grab your coat and get your hat Leave your worries on the doorstep Life can be so sweet On the sunny side of the street.” I always felt sorry for Joe Btfsplk and people like him who choose to walk on the “other” side of the street. ;-) Jack
FROM JENNI IN CALIFORNIA: Joe Btsglk?////FROM JACK: The correct spelling is Joe Btfsplk. He was a cartoon character who walked around with a dark rain cloud over him, symbolizing his bad luck.
FROM TS IN INDIANA: Who is this "Joe" who walked on the other side of the street?////FROM JACK: Oh, that's right! You're too young to remember Li'l Abner, Daisy Mae, Mammy and Pappy Yokum, Marryin' Sam, Moonbeam McSwine, Earthquake Mc'Goon and Joe Btfsplk.
FROM MY LAWYER: I see you're a Li'l Abner fan too! He was a guy to distance yourself from. Thanks for the memory.////FROM JACK: Al Capp was a good cartoonist...clever...current...good artwork...funny. Those were the days when the Comics were called, the Funnies.
FROM WALMART REV: Here's a little chorus from those earlier days at our church services in Kansas..."Smile awhile and give your face a rest. Raise your hand to the one you love the best, Then shake hands with those nearby And give to them a smile." ////FROM JACK: I hadn't heard that one before. Sing a few lines for me. The one we sang was..."It is isn't any trouble just to S-M-I-L-E."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: "Worrying doesn't help anyone but the Devil." Something I heard when little. I don't have a dark cloud over my head! :-)////FROM JACK: Sooo, you've never sung the song, "Look for the silver lining."
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: There used to be a program on Detroit WJR radio called, The Sunny Side of the Street. I used to listen to it when we lived in Ohio.////FROM JACK: You're right. The show was hosted by Bud Guest, Edgar A. Guest's son. Bud used to live in our area, and I once got him to be a speaker for an event sponsored by our Historical Society. Bud had a "sunny" personality, too.
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: Plants are good examples. They invariably seem to grow towards the light. I felt sorry for Joe Btfsplk but sometimes I felt like him too. If plants can always choose light, how come us people don't always choose light so consistently too? Maybe that's why Jesus said "Consider the lilies"
////FROM JACK: Luther Burbank said, "Flowers always make people happier; they are sunshine for the soul."
FROM JE IN MICHIGAN: GREAT one one. I’m staying in the sunlight!!////FROM JACK: The weather forecast for today....SUNNY, with a high of 44 degrees. Joe Btfsplk weather, tomorrow.
FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Good winning words, I'm in Chicago looking for sunlight today heading over for an interview just flew in to MDW////FROM JACK: I've always liked Chicago. I learned on Jeopardy that Chicago is an Indian word meaning, "Onion field."
FROM BG IN MICHIGAN: a perfect WW for me today.////FROM JACK: You must like Louis Armstrong. I like the words..."Just direct your feet to the sunnyside of the street."
FROM JM IN MICHIGAN: Oh my golly! Someone actually remembers how to spell Joe's last name! I loved that character with the raincloud over his head -- it reminded me that sometimes ya just gotta stand up straighter and move faster to get from under the cloud.////FROM JACK: Cartoonist Al Capp was once asked how to pronounce, btfsplk. In answer, he demonstrated by closing his lips, leaving his tongue sticking out, and then blowing out air, which is generally called a "raspberry" or Bronx cheer. "How else would you pronounce it?"
FROM BLAZING OAKS: OH MY GOLLY! HOW LONG SINCE ANYONE REMEMBERED JOE B____=?! AND HIS CONSTANT UMBRELLA CLOUD ??! IT DOES SEEM LIKE SOME FOLKS WALK UNDER A CLOUD OF BAD LUCK, DOESN'T IT? OLD BEN HAD A LOT OF GOOD SAYINGS; I THINK HIS WORST WALK ON THE DARK SIDE HAD TO DO WITH THE DEATH OF HIS 4 YR OLD SON "FRANKY" OF SMALL POX...HE NEVER QUITE SEEMED TO GET OVER THAT. SUCH A BRIGHT, PRECOCIOUS, CHILD! AND BEN WAS ONE OFTHE CHAMPIONS OF VACCINATION; HADN'T QUITE GOTTEN IT DONE FOR FRANKY, THO.
ANYWAY; IT DOES PAY TO WALK ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET. GOOD WW!! P.S. LOVED YESTERDAY'S GUMPTION BIT...HOW ABOUT "GROOVEY!" HAVEN'T HEARD THAT IN AWHILE!////FROM JACK: While Ben advised keeping in the sunlight, he also knew the truth of the song, "Into each life some rain must fall."
“Don’t anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” (Ben Franklin) Trumpeter Louis Armstrong didn’t have much of a voice, but could he sing! “Grab your coat and get your hat Leave your worries on the doorstep Life can be so sweet On the sunny side of the street.” I always felt sorry for Joe Btfsplk and people like him who choose to walk on the “other” side of the street. ;-) Jack
FROM JENNI IN CALIFORNIA: Joe Btsglk?////FROM JACK: The correct spelling is Joe Btfsplk. He was a cartoon character who walked around with a dark rain cloud over him, symbolizing his bad luck.
FROM TS IN INDIANA: Who is this "Joe" who walked on the other side of the street?////FROM JACK: Oh, that's right! You're too young to remember Li'l Abner, Daisy Mae, Mammy and Pappy Yokum, Marryin' Sam, Moonbeam McSwine, Earthquake Mc'Goon and Joe Btfsplk.
FROM MY LAWYER: I see you're a Li'l Abner fan too! He was a guy to distance yourself from. Thanks for the memory.////FROM JACK: Al Capp was a good cartoonist...clever...current...good artwork...funny. Those were the days when the Comics were called, the Funnies.
FROM WALMART REV: Here's a little chorus from those earlier days at our church services in Kansas..."Smile awhile and give your face a rest. Raise your hand to the one you love the best, Then shake hands with those nearby And give to them a smile." ////FROM JACK: I hadn't heard that one before. Sing a few lines for me. The one we sang was..."It is isn't any trouble just to S-M-I-L-E."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: "Worrying doesn't help anyone but the Devil." Something I heard when little. I don't have a dark cloud over my head! :-)////FROM JACK: Sooo, you've never sung the song, "Look for the silver lining."
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: There used to be a program on Detroit WJR radio called, The Sunny Side of the Street. I used to listen to it when we lived in Ohio.////FROM JACK: You're right. The show was hosted by Bud Guest, Edgar A. Guest's son. Bud used to live in our area, and I once got him to be a speaker for an event sponsored by our Historical Society. Bud had a "sunny" personality, too.
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: Plants are good examples. They invariably seem to grow towards the light. I felt sorry for Joe Btfsplk but sometimes I felt like him too. If plants can always choose light, how come us people don't always choose light so consistently too? Maybe that's why Jesus said "Consider the lilies"
////FROM JACK: Luther Burbank said, "Flowers always make people happier; they are sunshine for the soul."
FROM JE IN MICHIGAN: GREAT one one. I’m staying in the sunlight!!////FROM JACK: The weather forecast for today....SUNNY, with a high of 44 degrees. Joe Btfsplk weather, tomorrow.
FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Good winning words, I'm in Chicago looking for sunlight today heading over for an interview just flew in to MDW////FROM JACK: I've always liked Chicago. I learned on Jeopardy that Chicago is an Indian word meaning, "Onion field."
FROM BG IN MICHIGAN: a perfect WW for me today.////FROM JACK: You must like Louis Armstrong. I like the words..."Just direct your feet to the sunnyside of the street."
FROM JM IN MICHIGAN: Oh my golly! Someone actually remembers how to spell Joe's last name! I loved that character with the raincloud over his head -- it reminded me that sometimes ya just gotta stand up straighter and move faster to get from under the cloud.////FROM JACK: Cartoonist Al Capp was once asked how to pronounce, btfsplk. In answer, he demonstrated by closing his lips, leaving his tongue sticking out, and then blowing out air, which is generally called a "raspberry" or Bronx cheer. "How else would you pronounce it?"
FROM BLAZING OAKS: OH MY GOLLY! HOW LONG SINCE ANYONE REMEMBERED JOE B____=?! AND HIS CONSTANT UMBRELLA CLOUD ??! IT DOES SEEM LIKE SOME FOLKS WALK UNDER A CLOUD OF BAD LUCK, DOESN'T IT? OLD BEN HAD A LOT OF GOOD SAYINGS; I THINK HIS WORST WALK ON THE DARK SIDE HAD TO DO WITH THE DEATH OF HIS 4 YR OLD SON "FRANKY" OF SMALL POX...HE NEVER QUITE SEEMED TO GET OVER THAT. SUCH A BRIGHT, PRECOCIOUS, CHILD! AND BEN WAS ONE OFTHE CHAMPIONS OF VACCINATION; HADN'T QUITE GOTTEN IT DONE FOR FRANKY, THO.
ANYWAY; IT DOES PAY TO WALK ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET. GOOD WW!! P.S. LOVED YESTERDAY'S GUMPTION BIT...HOW ABOUT "GROOVEY!" HAVEN'T HEARD THAT IN AWHILE!////FROM JACK: While Ben advised keeping in the sunlight, he also knew the truth of the song, "Into each life some rain must fall."
Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Winning Words 1/9/13
“Everyone who has gumption knows what it is, and anyone who hasn’t can never know what it is, so there’s no need of defining it.” (L.M. Montgomery) Just for fun, use gumption in a conversation today and see what response you get. And while you’re frittering away the time with tomfoolery, throw in the words, spiffy, scamp and bimbo. Do you have the gumption to come up with some other words like these? ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: Just- "Forrest Gump!"////FROM JACK: My first smile of the day. Thanks
FROM HONEST JOHN: That guy has come up with a great excuse for his inability to define a word that he thinks defines him.////FROM JACK: I had the gumption to look up the author and found that the "guy" was Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote Anne of Green Gables and many other books and stories. Her mother died when she was 21 months old, and she led a lonely childhood, being raised by very strict grandparents. As a child, her only friends were imaginary ones. When she died, a note found at her bedside which read, in part: "I tried to do my best." Maud, herself, was the definition of gumption. Thanks for getting me to discover the rest of the story.////HJ: Glad to help out. Still think "gumption"is like "common sense". Nice to claim about one's self and a handy way to put others down.////J: Just as time removes some good people, so, it also removes some good words.
FROM CWR IN B'MORE: ....not a 'word' but a phrase...The title for the Prayer Book I'm writing "Lettuce Spray"..////FROM JACK: I'll have to be sure and use a mask when I read it.
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: Yep I have gumption but I forgot where I put it!////FROM JACK: Dagnabbit!
FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Hooch!////FROM JACK: A perfect word from the days of Al Capone. I suppose you know that the WCT got its start in Evanston with their fight against the evils of John Barleycorn. ////BBC: ////BBC: Yes, believe Evanston was still dry when Angelique was born. Most of the restaurants were BYO, even the nice ones, which keeps the tab down.////J: Evanston is also famous for passing a law banning the sale of ice cream "Sundays" on Sunday. The soda fountains got around the law by calling them "ice cream sundaes."
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: I disagree with the part that some people can never know what gumption is. Personally, I know a lot of people, including knowing how I've developed gumption sometimes when needed, amazing miracles when people have gotten strong and even stronger than they ever imagined they could be, and it seems to come from faith that God gives in emergencies. If life is going along smoothly and things are really easy, does a person need to do any gumption things? Do people who have easy lives have any chance to have gumption or does everyone's life carry need for gumption? Pondering at the computer here.////FROM JACK: Re-read the quote, and try not to take it literally. There's meaning behind the words...as with many conversations (or e-mails) that we share. BTW, What's your definition of gumption? ////SS: My definition of gumption is either hutzpah or grits or maybe even sassy. You're pretty sassy, Pastor. ////J: That takes gumption...to call a pastor, sassy. I'll bet you've never done it, face to face.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: What about hutspa, or however you spell it? Everyone has had to have a lot of gumption to have lived such a long life. My children and grandchildren have a lot, but I have slowed down a bit. How about you?////FROM JACK: Here in our Jewish community we know it as, chutzpah, a Yiddish word, which means, unmitigated gall. Here's an example: A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time, and as he passed the pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel. This went on for more than 3 years. The two of them never spoke. One day, as the young man passed the old lady's stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him. Without blinking an eye she said: A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time, and as he passed the pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel. This went on for more than 3 years. The two of them never spoke. One day, as the young man passed the old lady's stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him. Without blinking an eye she said: "They're 35 cents now." (That's chutzpah!)
FROM ILLINOIS LIZ: Like.////FROM JACK: An old expression for "like" is..."The cat's meow." Have you ever heard that before?////LIZ: that would be more than "like."////J: Okey dokey!
FROM FM IN WISCONSIN: Dutch treat . . . for one.////FROM JACK: I haven't heard that one in a long time. Yesterday I had a lunch meeting, and we split the check. This morning, at a breakfast meeting, one of us will pay...with no argument. The other will say, "I'll leave the tip."////FM: In my world, “dutch treat” was an agreement between two teens, dating on a regular basis . . . and their agreement that each would pay for their own movie ticket, or the check for the ice cream or coke after the show. I don’t know if it applied to two old ‘codgers’ who were eating together and ‘splitting the check’. And what about the word ‘codgers’.////J: One synonym is "fruitcake," and another is "weirdo."
FROM JFMK IN CALIFORNIA: Joe Btsglk?////FROM JACK: The correct spelling is Joe Btfsplk. He was a cartoon character who walked around with a dark rain cloud over him, symbolizing his bad luck
FROM SS IN MICHIGAN: "swell" comes to mind!////FROM JACK: Neat-o.
“Everyone who has gumption knows what it is, and anyone who hasn’t can never know what it is, so there’s no need of defining it.” (L.M. Montgomery) Just for fun, use gumption in a conversation today and see what response you get. And while you’re frittering away the time with tomfoolery, throw in the words, spiffy, scamp and bimbo. Do you have the gumption to come up with some other words like these? ;-) Jack
FROM WALMART REV: Just- "Forrest Gump!"////FROM JACK: My first smile of the day. Thanks
FROM HONEST JOHN: That guy has come up with a great excuse for his inability to define a word that he thinks defines him.////FROM JACK: I had the gumption to look up the author and found that the "guy" was Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote Anne of Green Gables and many other books and stories. Her mother died when she was 21 months old, and she led a lonely childhood, being raised by very strict grandparents. As a child, her only friends were imaginary ones. When she died, a note found at her bedside which read, in part: "I tried to do my best." Maud, herself, was the definition of gumption. Thanks for getting me to discover the rest of the story.////HJ: Glad to help out. Still think "gumption"is like "common sense". Nice to claim about one's self and a handy way to put others down.////J: Just as time removes some good people, so, it also removes some good words.
FROM CWR IN B'MORE: ....not a 'word' but a phrase...The title for the Prayer Book I'm writing "Lettuce Spray"..////FROM JACK: I'll have to be sure and use a mask when I read it.
FROM MEDD-O-LANE: Yep I have gumption but I forgot where I put it!////FROM JACK: Dagnabbit!
FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Hooch!////FROM JACK: A perfect word from the days of Al Capone. I suppose you know that the WCT got its start in Evanston with their fight against the evils of John Barleycorn. ////BBC: ////BBC: Yes, believe Evanston was still dry when Angelique was born. Most of the restaurants were BYO, even the nice ones, which keeps the tab down.////J: Evanston is also famous for passing a law banning the sale of ice cream "Sundays" on Sunday. The soda fountains got around the law by calling them "ice cream sundaes."
FROM SHARIN' SHARON: I disagree with the part that some people can never know what gumption is. Personally, I know a lot of people, including knowing how I've developed gumption sometimes when needed, amazing miracles when people have gotten strong and even stronger than they ever imagined they could be, and it seems to come from faith that God gives in emergencies. If life is going along smoothly and things are really easy, does a person need to do any gumption things? Do people who have easy lives have any chance to have gumption or does everyone's life carry need for gumption? Pondering at the computer here.////FROM JACK: Re-read the quote, and try not to take it literally. There's meaning behind the words...as with many conversations (or e-mails) that we share. BTW, What's your definition of gumption? ////SS: My definition of gumption is either hutzpah or grits or maybe even sassy. You're pretty sassy, Pastor. ////J: That takes gumption...to call a pastor, sassy. I'll bet you've never done it, face to face.
FROM TAMPA SHIRL: What about hutspa, or however you spell it? Everyone has had to have a lot of gumption to have lived such a long life. My children and grandchildren have a lot, but I have slowed down a bit. How about you?////FROM JACK: Here in our Jewish community we know it as, chutzpah, a Yiddish word, which means, unmitigated gall. Here's an example: A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time, and as he passed the pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel. This went on for more than 3 years. The two of them never spoke. One day, as the young man passed the old lady's stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him. Without blinking an eye she said: A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each. Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time, and as he passed the pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel. This went on for more than 3 years. The two of them never spoke. One day, as the young man passed the old lady's stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him. Without blinking an eye she said: "They're 35 cents now." (That's chutzpah!)
FROM ILLINOIS LIZ: Like.////FROM JACK: An old expression for "like" is..."The cat's meow." Have you ever heard that before?////LIZ: that would be more than "like."////J: Okey dokey!
FROM FM IN WISCONSIN: Dutch treat . . . for one.////FROM JACK: I haven't heard that one in a long time. Yesterday I had a lunch meeting, and we split the check. This morning, at a breakfast meeting, one of us will pay...with no argument. The other will say, "I'll leave the tip."////FM: In my world, “dutch treat” was an agreement between two teens, dating on a regular basis . . . and their agreement that each would pay for their own movie ticket, or the check for the ice cream or coke after the show. I don’t know if it applied to two old ‘codgers’ who were eating together and ‘splitting the check’. And what about the word ‘codgers’.////J: One synonym is "fruitcake," and another is "weirdo."
FROM JFMK IN CALIFORNIA: Joe Btsglk?////FROM JACK: The correct spelling is Joe Btfsplk. He was a cartoon character who walked around with a dark rain cloud over him, symbolizing his bad luck
FROM SS IN MICHIGAN: "swell" comes to mind!////FROM JACK: Neat-o.
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Winning Words 1/8/13
“Don’t waste too much time tryin’ to be a better man, ‘cause you ain’t never gonna be one without a good woman.” (Mark Roberts) I’ve never watched the TV show, Molly and Mike, but this quote is from the episode, “Peggy’s New Beau.” I know that “the dating game” rules change with the generations, but social scientists say that what attracts persons to each other is as old as the birds and the bees. ;-) Jack.
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18 KJV). If it is "not good" that a man should be alone, than his "help meet (mate)" must be good as the alternative consequence. Anyone who knows my lovely bride would certainly agree, without hesitation, that God was right!////FROM JACK: I look back....and smile. I'm glad to have had a part in your (plural) life.
FROM WALMART REV: Blessed to have a wife who has put up with me these 42 years.////JACK: We don't marry a mate who has been raised in a vacuum. We are all the product of the homes in which we have been raised. I've met your wife...and you are indeed blessed.
FROM MY ATTORNEY: My wife says thanks.////FROM JACK: Yours is a perfect example.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: And Iowa bb can only get better with even better athletes.FROM JACK: Are any of the players on this year's team married? How about when you were playing?////HG: Jack, kids don't get married anymore - they just live together. El Stupido, especially for the woman.////J: Yes...more... but not all!
FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Love it! Thanks for the smile. Have seen that research as well. Showed the kids research in the Economist last year that said that scent (beyond what humans can notice) conveys certain DNA/genetic sequencing such that one tends to pick a partner with complimentary genetics even though we don’t notice. Made me wonder if the perfume and personal hygiene industry messes this up or masks the natural selections.////FROM JACK: There's a lot we don't know that we think we know. Darwin seemed to be on the right track, but he was only scratching the surface. Perhaps you know the song..."Birds do it, bees do it, etc."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Never watched the program but whoever said it was right on! :-)////FROM JACK: In the 1600s Voltaire said, "Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law."
FROM TRIHARDER: Hmmm. I wonder how my gay friends would feel about this statement. But, I get your gist. There are women in my life that have inspired me.////FROM JACK: You will notice that the quote is not mine, but that the (politically correct) commentary is mine. What I wanted to say is: "Any success that one might have if often the result of the influence of someone else."////TH: My first and only professional boss was probably my biggest influence. But, I always wanted to make the women in my life proud of me -- and that had nothing to do with financial success (although being a good provider was also important to me). I think what made me most proud in front of my loved ones would be to be warmly greeted publicly by people who I had befriended along the important walks of life.
FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH: Now Jack, I like this and have no problem with it. However, like Bret Mussberger's comment about the Alabama quarterback's girl friend during the BCS game last night, it did get my attention. I do not recall ever having been accused of being politically correct. Indeed, I know I have occasionally gone out of my way to say something I know to be politically incorrect if I felt a comment was deserved, or appropriate by my old school standards. However, I did notice some critical comments about Mussberger this am. I also noted critical network reaction to his previous comments (I think they were his) about the need for gun control, which I have always felt are long overdue. The Mark Roberts comment may find critics from those who would perceive it as anti gay. On the other hand, even when considering the gay community, there would never be the man in the first place without the mother. Not sure why I am sending this other than that both the Mussberger comment and your Winning Words quote for today, caused an immediate reaction in me. Not negative to me, but attention getting because of the society in which we now live.////FROM JACK: Interestingly...within just a few minutes, I have received two responses making the "gay" point. As I said in the previous blog answer, the quote and my answer were simply meant to say that we are influenced by others. I heard Mussberger refer to the qb's girl-friend, but I didn't hear the entire comment. After reading it this morning, it did seem "overboard" and not relevant. ////ME: As I said earlier, no problem for me and I fully understand the context. As to sports commentator's comments, much is not relevant. I find the gun control comment to be both relevant and refreshing, given the sports context from whence it came.
FROM CL IN SANTA BARBARA: Got it. Roberts' comments are not negative to me either, in fact the gay nuance didn't even enter my brain. That said, I'm (gasp!) 68 years old and don't necessarily reflect the mainstream demographic of the US.////FROM JACK: Every person more than a number and is important to the demographic...even if they're 68.
FROM MOLINER JT: MR knew what he was talking about.////FROM JACK: I know more than a few guys who are better because of the woman who came into their life.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: LOVE THESE WW WORDS! I REMEMBER BILL SAYING ONCE TO A GROUP, "I JUST WISH I WAS HALF THE MAN MY WIFE THINKS I AM!" BUT AGREED MY HIGH OPINION OF HIM SPURRED HIM ON TO MEASURE UP!" BILL IS STILL OUR FAMILY'S HERO, AND INSPIRATION...HE HAS A GRANDSON AND THREE NEPHEWS NAMED FOR HIM! ITS NICE TO THINK A FAITHFUL SPOUSE MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE. THANKS FOR THIS QUOTE! I'VE HEAR MOLLY AND MIKE IS VERY ENTERTAINING!////FROM JACK: Yes, it is difficult to live up to the expectations of others, but that's life. BTW, With so many channels to choose from on Cable TV, Molly and Mike haven't made it to our screen. Now, when I go surfing, I'll have to look for them.
FROM CA IN MICHIGAN: AMEN! AMEN! Love this one.////FROM JACK: Did your husband cast his vote?
FROM AW IN ILLINOIS: Guess there is no hope for me, since I am a widower.////FROM JACK: Think of what you might have been without the influence of that good woman in your life.
“Don’t waste too much time tryin’ to be a better man, ‘cause you ain’t never gonna be one without a good woman.” (Mark Roberts) I’ve never watched the TV show, Molly and Mike, but this quote is from the episode, “Peggy’s New Beau.” I know that “the dating game” rules change with the generations, but social scientists say that what attracts persons to each other is as old as the birds and the bees. ;-) Jack.
FROM MICHIZONA RAY: "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18 KJV). If it is "not good" that a man should be alone, than his "help meet (mate)" must be good as the alternative consequence. Anyone who knows my lovely bride would certainly agree, without hesitation, that God was right!////FROM JACK: I look back....and smile. I'm glad to have had a part in your (plural) life.
FROM WALMART REV: Blessed to have a wife who has put up with me these 42 years.////JACK: We don't marry a mate who has been raised in a vacuum. We are all the product of the homes in which we have been raised. I've met your wife...and you are indeed blessed.
FROM MY ATTORNEY: My wife says thanks.////FROM JACK: Yours is a perfect example.
FROM HAWKEYE GEORGE: And Iowa bb can only get better with even better athletes.FROM JACK: Are any of the players on this year's team married? How about when you were playing?////HG: Jack, kids don't get married anymore - they just live together. El Stupido, especially for the woman.////J: Yes...more... but not all!
FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS: Love it! Thanks for the smile. Have seen that research as well. Showed the kids research in the Economist last year that said that scent (beyond what humans can notice) conveys certain DNA/genetic sequencing such that one tends to pick a partner with complimentary genetics even though we don’t notice. Made me wonder if the perfume and personal hygiene industry messes this up or masks the natural selections.////FROM JACK: There's a lot we don't know that we think we know. Darwin seemed to be on the right track, but he was only scratching the surface. Perhaps you know the song..."Birds do it, bees do it, etc."
FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Never watched the program but whoever said it was right on! :-)////FROM JACK: In the 1600s Voltaire said, "Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law."
FROM TRIHARDER: Hmmm. I wonder how my gay friends would feel about this statement. But, I get your gist. There are women in my life that have inspired me.////FROM JACK: You will notice that the quote is not mine, but that the (politically correct) commentary is mine. What I wanted to say is: "Any success that one might have if often the result of the influence of someone else."////TH: My first and only professional boss was probably my biggest influence. But, I always wanted to make the women in my life proud of me -- and that had nothing to do with financial success (although being a good provider was also important to me). I think what made me most proud in front of my loved ones would be to be warmly greeted publicly by people who I had befriended along the important walks of life.
FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH: Now Jack, I like this and have no problem with it. However, like Bret Mussberger's comment about the Alabama quarterback's girl friend during the BCS game last night, it did get my attention. I do not recall ever having been accused of being politically correct. Indeed, I know I have occasionally gone out of my way to say something I know to be politically incorrect if I felt a comment was deserved, or appropriate by my old school standards. However, I did notice some critical comments about Mussberger this am. I also noted critical network reaction to his previous comments (I think they were his) about the need for gun control, which I have always felt are long overdue. The Mark Roberts comment may find critics from those who would perceive it as anti gay. On the other hand, even when considering the gay community, there would never be the man in the first place without the mother. Not sure why I am sending this other than that both the Mussberger comment and your Winning Words quote for today, caused an immediate reaction in me. Not negative to me, but attention getting because of the society in which we now live.////FROM JACK: Interestingly...within just a few minutes, I have received two responses making the "gay" point. As I said in the previous blog answer, the quote and my answer were simply meant to say that we are influenced by others. I heard Mussberger refer to the qb's girl-friend, but I didn't hear the entire comment. After reading it this morning, it did seem "overboard" and not relevant. ////ME: As I said earlier, no problem for me and I fully understand the context. As to sports commentator's comments, much is not relevant. I find the gun control comment to be both relevant and refreshing, given the sports context from whence it came.
FROM CL IN SANTA BARBARA: Got it. Roberts' comments are not negative to me either, in fact the gay nuance didn't even enter my brain. That said, I'm (gasp!) 68 years old and don't necessarily reflect the mainstream demographic of the US.////FROM JACK: Every person more than a number and is important to the demographic...even if they're 68.
FROM MOLINER JT: MR knew what he was talking about.////FROM JACK: I know more than a few guys who are better because of the woman who came into their life.
FROM BLAZING OAKS: LOVE THESE WW WORDS! I REMEMBER BILL SAYING ONCE TO A GROUP, "I JUST WISH I WAS HALF THE MAN MY WIFE THINKS I AM!" BUT AGREED MY HIGH OPINION OF HIM SPURRED HIM ON TO MEASURE UP!" BILL IS STILL OUR FAMILY'S HERO, AND INSPIRATION...HE HAS A GRANDSON AND THREE NEPHEWS NAMED FOR HIM! ITS NICE TO THINK A FAITHFUL SPOUSE MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE. THANKS FOR THIS QUOTE! I'VE HEAR MOLLY AND MIKE IS VERY ENTERTAINING!////FROM JACK: Yes, it is difficult to live up to the expectations of others, but that's life. BTW, With so many channels to choose from on Cable TV, Molly and Mike haven't made it to our screen. Now, when I go surfing, I'll have to look for them.
FROM CA IN MICHIGAN: AMEN! AMEN! Love this one.////FROM JACK: Did your husband cast his vote?
FROM AW IN ILLINOIS: Guess there is no hope for me, since I am a widower.////FROM JACK: Think of what you might have been without the influence of that good woman in your life.
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