Jack’s Winning Words 12/5/13
“What’s the use of worrying?  It never was worthwhile.”  (George Asaf)  This line is from a marching song, composed during World War 1, to boost the morale of English soldiers going off to war.  The worries today are of a different sort.  We each have our own pile.  In his lyrics, George suggests lighting up a fag with a lucifer and then…smile, smile, smile!  The song won’t eliminate worry, but it might ease the mind a bit.    ;-)  Jack

 PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES IN YOUR OLD KIT BAG
(George Asaf / Felix Powell)
Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile.
Don't let your joy and laughter hear the snag
Smile boys, that's the style
What's the use of worrying
It never was worth while
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile.

 EM IN MICHIGAN:  What...me worry?====JACK:  The back bone is connected to the head bone.  Maybe worriers just a need for a minor adjustment.====EM:  Just a little tune-up ====JACK:  That's something that I try to do with my daily postings...a little attitude adjustment.

 FROM DOCTOR PAUL:  You are so interesting! I bet I wasn't the only person who looked up "fag." ====JACK:  You are tuning into my devious mind.

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  "fag"? tsk, tsk. better change that to "cig" or the nsa, blog police or some other gov't agency might close down ww!====JACK:  It was designed to capture your attention.  A word is a word is a word.  Meanings change with the times.  It's interesting that worrying today seems to be like worrying 100 years ago.  So, what's the use?  Lucifer is an interesting word, too.====LIZ:  yes, lucifer evokes an image!====JACK:  It's a great name for a match.

 FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Worry steals today, while casting a shadow on tomorrow. It is Devil's Alchemy , turning our gold into lead.====JACK:  Woody Guthrie took the subject of  "worry" and turned it into a song, "The Worried Man Blues." 
It takes a worried man to sing a worried song,
It takes a worried man tossing a worried song,
I'm worried now but I won't be worried long!
...and in Patsy Cline's song, "Crazy," there's this line that seems to fit:
"Worry?  Why do I let myself worry?"
==== JON:  I believe my mom literally worried herself to death.====JACK:  I'm interested to see if the proposed major study of how the brain works will gain traction.  Many (if not all) human issues are brain related.====JON:
“There were people who went to sleep last night,
poor and rich and white and black,
but they will never wake again.
And those dead folks would give anything at all
for just five minutes of this weather
or ten minutes of plowing.
So you watch yourself about complaining.
What you're supposed to do
when you don't like a thing is change it.
If you can't change it,
change the way you think about it.”
― Maya Angelou

 FROM TARMART REV:  "lighting up a fag with a lucifer . . ." might not fly in today's politically correctness.  Hallmark was criticized of late for changing a word on one of their published Christmas cards which had "gay apparel" changed to "fun apparel". . . I will leave it to you to decipher who was complaining. ====JACK:  "Sticks and stone will break my bones, but names will never hurt me."  Well, maybe a little.  In our Lutheran order of worship, a few years ago we went back to the older version of the Apostles' Creed and began saying, "I believe in the holy catholic Church" instead of "the holy Christian Church."  Some people were upset byv this, until it was explained that catholic meant "for everybody" and not catholic with a capital C, referring to the Roman Catholic Church.  Words are just words, until they are explained.  The Bible is just words, until it is explained.

 FROM IKE AT THE MIC:  My favorite quote about worrying is:"Worrying about tomorrow will do nothing about solving your problems,but boy,it will certainly mess up your today..====JACK:  I like the one.  "Worrying is like rocking in a rocking chair.  It gives you something to do, but you don't get anywhere."

 FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Kind of like complaining - I read where a recent study showed 79% of the people you complain to don't care, and the other 21% are glad it happened to you.  The lesson - don't bother complaining.  Take the lemons and make some lemonade.====JACK:  Maybe it's statistically insignificant, but to have just one person who will patiently listen to you really is significant.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  We all know the truth of you WW today, but hard to implement worry=free living! As Anton Chekhov once said, "It is only by being in trouble that people understand how FAR from EASY it is to be master of one's feelings and thoughts!"  (Take your burdens to the Lord and Leave them there" is good advice, if you are  able to follow it!====JACK:  It seems as though some people never worry.  They just have a good way of hiding it.

FROM FM IN WISCONSIN:  Jack, one of the secretaries in the Minnesota Synod office used to say, “Don’t tell me not to worry about things . . .  most of the things I worry about never HAPPEN!”   And my wife concurs!====JACK:  I'm reminded of Paul's words in Romans 7:19..."For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." ......and the worrying that I would not, that I do."

 FROM PH IN MINNESOTA:  funny how language changes over time.  today,  fag and lucifer, have very different meanings.====JACK:  There are others...Awful originally meant, inspiring; Bimbo, was a little child; a Bully was a sweetheart; Husband meant, owner of a house and had nothing to do with marital status; Nice meant ignorant, foolish, silly.  Thanks for your nice comment on today's Winning Words.====PH: that last line looks and feels like an insult.  surely the good Reverend Jack would never stoop so low! 

ROBERT FROST:  "The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work."

 FROM LG IN MICHIGAN:  Happy New Year, Jack! Though I only met you face-to-face a couple of times--and that was several years ago--you have been a daily companion in my walk of life through your Winning Words. I think you should publish a book (maybe an ebook?) of all your daily wisdom. I want you to know you've influenced and impacted my life. I've forwarded your notes to many friends and family over the years.