Jack’s Winning Words 11/22/13
“No matter how tall the mountain, it cannot block out the sun.”  (Chinese Proverb)  Something I enjoy about flying is when the plane breaks through the clouds into bright sunlight.  A friend would often quote, Longfellow’s “Rainy Day” poem.  “The day is cold and dark and dreary…Be still, sad heart!...Behind the clouds is the sun still shining.”  Some days may be dark for you and me.  But, rainy days aren’t forever!    ;-)  Jack

RAINY DAY by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

 FROM MICHIZONA RAY: We have been studying the Psalms recently, and this reminds me of a prevailing theme that portrays the rainy and dark times of what seems to the psalmist as God's forsaking his chosen people. They ask "for how much longer" will Your absence of favor last. I suppose there is always "Son-shine" in heaven; while the things of the world "cloud" our regular access to the warmth of His favor. ====JACK:  The Book of Ecclesiastes says that there's a time for everything...to live and to die..to laugh and to cry...for rainy days and sunny days.  It's raining outside today, but tomorrow the sun will shine. ====RAY:  It's usually sunny here! Thankfully!====JACK:  You can't drink sunshine.====RAY:  True; but you can bathe in it!

 FROM HONEST JOHN:  Sometimes it seems like some of those big semis on the road block out the sun.   Always glad to get away from them....but soon his cousin is there to do the job.====JACK:  My brother-in-law had a VW hippie bus and would tailgate semis, believing that he'd get better gas mileage that way.

 FROM PEPPERMINT MARY:  there is a great children's book entitled, "ming lo moves the mountain".  i think you'd like it!====JACK:  Does it have pictures and big print?

 FROM IKE AT THE MIC:  Great message! you should present that as invocation at an Optimist Club breakfast meeting...."The world of achievement has always belonged to the optimist".. ====JACK:  I really like the Longfellow poem.  He did good work!

 FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Always an optimist. It seems there are always breakthroughs.  I am taking two course at OLLI at USF.  One is about DNA-way out of my comfort zone , and the other is about the Civil  War.  The DNA class is held in a new USF School of Medicine in down town Tampa where they teach about robotic medicine.  The Civil War teacher blows my mind with all of his knowledge and presentations.  He is a real Civil War buff and makes everything so interesting with his power pioints and maps.One thing that I have noticed, though,.I am getting to be the oldest in all of my classes, even though I don't feel old.  The rest of the class is now of the Viet Nam era.====JACK:  Civil War buffs only know second-hand information.  Don't worry about being the oldest.  As long as you've got all your marbles, you can still be in the game.

 FROM RI IN BOSTON:  Ah yes, that radiant sun, how it lifts our spirit.  There's so much drama when the darkness of a summer storm passes and bright sunshine suddenly breaks through.  Flying above the clouds as you described is a special experience.  Like Longfellow, the poet Radcliffe Squires saw the beauty above the clouds too: "I see how the cloud bank is really a landscape where sunlight makes rainbows.  I see white valleys whose white streams flow into snow meadows where pearly cattle drift.  I see pale mountains where ghostly eagles fly."  There is so much of wonder all around us that we generally fail to recognize.  It's raining in Boston today...but not forever!====JACK:  What differentiates our planet from others (and makes it habitable) is the rain and the sunshine...in just the right amount.

 FROM TARMART REV:  Another good word to begin my day with!!====JACK:  Did you ever sing this  song?
 Climb, climb up sunshine mountain
Heavenly breezes blow;
Climb, climb up sunshine mountain
Faces all aglow.
Turn, turn from sin and doubting,
Look to God on high,
Climb, climb up sunshine mountain
You and I.
 ====REV:  That and "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!"

 FROM CS IN WISCONSIN:  Think this really applies to me lately.  Had knee replacement surgery on Oct. 28th, with complications.   Thing are getting better, but it takes time.  I’m looking forward to the sunshine after all the cloudy miserable days!!!!====JACK:  Do you remember when people, who weren't feeling well, would say, "I got the miseries!"?  Sorry about your miseries.  "The Doctor" says: "Try reading Longfellow's poem again."

 FROM RP & CP IN FLORIDA:  Thank you. We needed that today.====JACK:  "Look for the Silver Lining" is more than just a good song.

 FROM NORM, THE REALTOR:  Inspired by your post this morning - ====JACK:  A ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds on this day.  Thanks.

 FROM JR IN CALIFORNIA:  YOU ARE SUCH A UPPER FOR ME.====JACK:  A Chinese Proverb and a Longfellow poem and the Holy Spirit of God make "the magic" happen.

 FROM KF IN MICHIGAN:  The winter solstice is in 4 weeks, which means after that the days (daylight) will be getting longer (more sunshine), and then spring is a mere 90 days after that;-) & I have indoor gardening to do with over-wintered plants). My little circle of life!!====JACK:  As the saying goes, "What goes around, comes around."  One of my favorite holidays is Feb 2, when I watch the movie, Groundhog Day and wonder what it would be like to be Phil Connors.  For me, Feb 2, is the day that announces: .Spring is coming!

 FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER:  Thanks. I needed that today.====JACK:  Thanksgiving is next Thursday.  I like that holiday.

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  Three of our church family live in the Brightmoor area. They invited us to a community meeting--requested our support as they made a proposal to those gathered. I didn't know what to expect--so many people have moved out and so many empty houses, etc., but the 45 or so people gathered were so upbeat, some living a long time there, some newer like our our three friends, there is a lot of need in that community but with neighborhood people like the ones we met last night, willing to buckle down and support and help all their neighbors to make the community viable long-term--well, it was just very hopeful and sunny. Maybe we'll be able to help somehow too.====JACK:  MLK jr gave a speech of hopefulness, saying, "I've been to the mountaintop, and I've seen the Promised Land."  Some neighborhoods look pretty dismal, but with upbeat residents, like you describe, the sun will shine again.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS: My twin sis  and I used to sing "Look For The Silver Lining" (and try to find the sunny side of life!")  Now a "golden oldie"!  Liked the Longfellow poem, which was new to me. It's been raining for 3 days here in IL after all of our tornadoes (I lost a huge dead tree which took out my electrical lines (and my computer for 3 days...)  but now it is cold enough for snow. Going to Chicago for Chicago Chorale Concert this weekend where it will be even colder!!====JACK:  That's an optimistic song with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Buddy DeSylva.  Judy Garland sang a great version of it

 FROM JR IN ILLINOIS:  I remember a filmstrip I showed in my sixth grade classes about China that quoted a similar proverb: “The mountains can not grow higher, so bit by bit we can make them smaller.” ====JACK:  I recall something similar in describing eternity.  Once every 1000 years a sparrow would come and remove a grain of sand from the mountain.  When the mountain was no more, that was the first year of eternity....or something like that.