Winning Words 2/21/13
“My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence.”  (Edith Sitwell)  People have some strange hobbies.  A 79-yr-old rides roller coasters.  A man gives away $10 each day to some needy person.  Angelina Jolie collects daggers.  Hobbies often tell something about the individual.  A look at the life of Dame Edith can explain her wanting to be alone.  I’ve had hobbies, but none involved silence.  How about you?    ;-)  Jack

 FROM HONEST JOHN:  When I get up in the morning, I don't put in my hearing aids until after breakfast, paper and coffee...the silence is golden.////JACK:  I wonder what it was like for Helen Keller?

 FROM WALMART REV:  Silence would not be on list . . . sitting at Wal-Mart working the crowd with a welcoming smile might be in order . . . or would that be work!?////JACK:  I remember waking up one Sunday morning with laryngitis. ////REV:  This myasthenia gravis I carry in my body manifested itself almost five years ago now and caused my tongue to go limp where I could not formulate any words . . . my first impression before any treatment was that my days with any public speaking was doomed. I'm very thankful it was treatable and able to be maintained with medication and finding little discomfort, beside constant fatigue, in regards to any speaking assignments.////JACK:  It might have been Mark Twain who said: "I never trust anyone who makes a living with his mouth."

 FROM LS IN MICHIGAN:  Thank you!  for this message .... my dad was always challenged by his friend "Meyer, get a hobby, you have no hobbies..."  his hobbies were reading, listening to music and silence.  Who knew he HAD hobbies and these in fact are mine and now because of YOUR MESSAGE I have the answer to those who ask the question of me and challenge me that I do not have hobbies!  Have a beautiful day////JACK:  Winning Words is a wonderful hobby which keeps me in touch with people like you.

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  About 10 years ago, a Pastor introduced a group of us to contemplative/centering prayer. Off and on I've tried to develop a discipline of praying like this. Actually, part of the method is to think a mantra word over and over to help get rid of distracting thoughts so you can hear God. The mantra word I used was "silence" but unfortunately haven't been able to stick with the discipline. How has Edith Sitwell been able to stick with her hobby of silence? Reading and listening to music are two long-established hobbies for me too.  Interesting WW again today.////JACK:  Sometimes it's hard to find silence.  Buy ear plugs?  Go into the closet?  Join a Trappist monastery (or a convent)?  Here's a song I like.

THANK YOU LORD (Kurt Kaiser)

Early in the morning
While the world is still,
Before the daylight streaks the sky,
I would know his will.
I commune with him, my Savior,
And listen carefully
And seek the strength I need from him
While praying quietly.

Thank you, Lord, for hearing me.
Thank you, Lord, for knowing who I am.
Thank you, Lord, for seeing me.
It's so easy to get lost these days
In the shuffle and the noise.

Why not try to do this
When you wake up in the night
With problems racing through your mind
And sleep becomes a fight?
Try this simple method,
It soon will gain control
And rest will surely come again
And calm down all your soul.

Thank you, Lord, for hearing me.
Thank you, Lord, for knowing who I am.
Thank you, Lord, for seeing me.
It's so easy to get lost these days
In the shuffle and the noise.

 FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Mostly  I enjoy learning new things and meeting new people and and seeing new things.  It's a wonderful world that we live in.////JACK:  That's a hobby of mine, too.  This morning, as Public Safety Chaplain, I sat in on a couple of briefings.  A learning experience.

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  We are a family of hobbies:  from pocket knives, to scrapbooking, to marbles and on and on.  But there is nothing quite like turning off the t.v. or radio and just listening to nothing.  Lovely!////JACK:  I wonder how many people have the hobby of collecting pictures and stories of outhouses?  Is there a "Society" for this kind of person?////JUDY:  There is an organized collector's group for outhouses.  It's based out of Canada and they are trying to save the old structures worldwide.

 FROM BM IN MICHIGAN:  As a kid, roughly from age 8 to 14, I was a pretty serious coin & stamp collector.  I still have the collections.  In addition, when I was twelve, I thought about saving newspapers & magazines, which I thought would have some historical significance.  That started in June, 1953, with the headline “Truce Signed”.    This collection has grown to somewhat gigantic proportions, filling file cabinets & boxes.  I still add to it.  You can imagine what Margie has to say about that.////JACK:  I wouldn't be surprised to see you turn up on a TV episode of HOARDERS one of these days.  Have you see the show?////BM:  I have not seen the show, but everything I have, other than a few items, is in “containers” and not in any regular living area of our house.////JACK:  Google:  Hoarding - Buried Alive TLC.

 FROM HR IN MICHIGAN:  More people should seriously consider the hobby of silence, I can think of a few including myself.////JACK:  If that were brought up at one of your meetings, I wonder what the vote would be?

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Defintely  Reading!!  I treasure the time I can spare to sit and read, usually at night. Funny you mentioned Outhouses...Bill's dad had quite a collection of funny and bizarre   Outhouses, and cartoons regarding them...He had them bound into soft-cover books and gave them to business  clients! (Construction business)   As I recall it was quite entertaining! ////JACK:  You might be interested in reading a small article, "The Specialist," which describes someone who knows how to construct outhouses.  The author is Chic Sale.  You can Google it.

 FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER:  I have a friend who collects signatures of Trolls. She hangs out under bridges and overpasses. While waiting for trolls to pass by, she counts automobiles and has gotten pretty good at identifying cars by the sound. Her favorite automobile sound is the 1967 Ford Mustang convertible. The trolls have begun to accept her and sometimes listen to cars with her. The seen to favor the Volkswagen Microbus, introduced in 1955, and is probably the forerunner of the SUV craze. She is planning to exhibit the troll signatures at the 2020 World's Fair in Greenland. Has 12 signature so far. Since she has taken the vow of silence, it is hard to communicate to the trolls what she wants. She hands them pad and pencil but they generally draw pictures. She is going to exhibit those also.////JACK:  I have some friends who are police officers.  They sometimes give rides to the trolls in their pet-troll cars.

 FROM CL IN CALIFORNIA:  I do like silence and being alone with my thoughts.  I think this comes from my traveling years and spending hours and days alone in the car.  This is still today my thinking and planning time.////JACK:  Willie Nelson sang..."On the road again Goin' places that I've never been Seein' things that I may never see again And I can't wait to get on the road again."  But what about the "down" times, the periods of silence, when you're alone with your thoughts?  The Gideons put the Bible in hotel rooms for a reason.

 FROM AW IN MICHIGAN:  Silence may be used as an umbrella term to encompass activities that are done routinely during quiet such as reflective thinking, playing a solitaire card game, walking alone, exercising alone without music. Some people find silence difficult to deal with, while others enjoy moderate doses of it. ////JACK:  You're right.  Sometimes, when I'm writing a sermon, I like to have music playing softly in the background.  One CD that I like is, "Mozart For The Mind."  It seems to help.