Jack’s Winning Words 2/4/14
“Don’t be so humble.  You’re not that great.”  (Golda Meir)  This is a typical Golda quote.  Another…”You never find a better sparring partner than adversity.”  Born in the Ukraine, she grew up in Milwaukee.  Meir became Israel’s first woman leader in 1969.  45 years later, the USA is still thinking about having a female president.  Golda was humble, and she was great.  She was “The Iron Lady” years before Thatcher.    ;-)  Jack

 FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA:  A Ford colleague of mine in the late 70s had a poster of Golda displayed in her office at WHQ...the text on it said, “Yes, but can she type?”====JACK:  I once asked Mary Barra if she'd be willing to serve as Youth Leader at the church I was serving.  She would have done that, except that her work at GM didn't allow her the time.

 FROM TARMART REV:  Remember both well . . . I'm ready again for such a leader, either a man or a woman of that stature . . . "humble and great"!!====JACK:  Do you have any female pastors in leadership positions in the AG Church?====REV:  We do...both on the younger side (most everyone any more is on the younger side of me)...one is a licensed pastor who assists her husband with our worship and the other is a precious young single lady pastor who heads up our world and home missions outreach and our outreach to the Somalian community here in the Willmar area.====JACK:  I was thinking of the national scene.
====REV:  Yes as well...along with missionaries , evangelists and pastors, we have an ordained regional representative who is a woman minister...a first time in this regard.

 FROM SBP IN FLORIDA:  My Mom worked at Smith's market "on the hill" in Moline. The Smith's were Jewish. Golda Meir was in the area (statewise), came to visit the Smith's on a workday and Mom met her! Mom was awed...especially later when Golda became such an influence.====JACK:  It's always a thrill to meet someone "famous" under ordinary circumstances.====SBP:  Todah!

 FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  Excellent stuff this morning. Love it.   Have a great day, Pastor, I am off to Starbucks working on a video script for SFL.====JACK:  Did you mean SFL, or SNL?====JON:  Most days SFL Stewardship for Life, http://SFLToday.org====JACK:  I thought that maybe you'd get the joke--SNL, "Saturday Night Live," or did you just choose to ignore my sense of humor?

 FROM DOCTOR PAUL:  I saw a one woman play at the JCC last summer on her life. The challenges she faced both within her country and the wars were incredible. I had so much respect for her.  I wonder if Hillary is this generation's Golda?====JACK:  I wonder if Golda would be photogenic enough to be selected as a USA presidential candidate?

 FROM RI IN BOSTON:  That's a great quote from Golda Meir, and very applicable to all of us.  In the context of the universe we are all insignificant.  You offered a couple of other acute observations regarding women...that at this late date we in the U.S. haven't been convinced women are qualified to be President, and that Golda Meir pre-empted Margaret Thatcher as an "iron lady"====JACK:  Are there any famous female architects, or is the glass ceiling still unbroken?  Some church bodies still will not also females to be pastors or priests.====RI:  I don't believe you can classify them as "famous" but there are a few women who have achieved well in architecture.  Some of them got their recognition in partnership with their husbands, not on their own, such as Allison Smithson and Denise Scott Brown.  Those two are an older generation.  More recently there are some women who have advanced in architecture on their own, like Laurinda Spears who was a founding partner of the firm Arquitectonica in Florida.  I've read that Ms. Spears parents had some wealth and bankrolled some early projects for their daughter to get her started, but she took the ball and ran with it.  Her name isn't common among architect achievers but she has accomplished a lot.  Perhaps one of the most recognized these days is Zaha Hadid, an Iraqi expatriate who went to London and impressed enough people to get her going.  She has had a number of major commissions in Europe, and I think there's one in Cincinnati, and they're getting publicized.  While abroad, I looked at some of her work, and it disappointed me.

  FROM PH IN MESA:  this one I love.   Jews seem always to have such a keen sense of humor about the subtleties of life!====JACK:  You've probably noticed that many of the great comedians are Jewish.

 FROM BBC IN ILLINOIS:  Enjoyed this one; thanks.====JACK:  I enjoy listening to the song, "It's hard to be humble, etc."  You can find it on Youtube.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  In my experience, average people are more apt to have low self-esteem, rather than an elevated opinion of themselves. "A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of  us." (Jane Austen) I read a quote yesterday, which seems relevant here: "Many people would be frightened if they looked in the mirror and saw, not their face, but their  character." Good thought!====JACK:  I remember a mother telling of the success that her daughter was having in the business world   Her husband cautioned, "Now, don't brag."  Is it bragging when we tell of the successes of our children...and grandchildren?  Let me tell you about mine...

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  "Oh Lord ain't hard to be humble, when you're perfect in everyway".....great song!====JACK:  Do you remember the expression, "Eating humble pie?"  It means to apologize for making a humiliating mistake.====JUDY:  I'm very acquainted with humble pie as I have eaten it a lot! ====JACK:  Humble pie is a derivation of "umble pie," a medieval meat dish  made out of deer innards (the scraps) that not many people wanted to eat.

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  prefacing people with "first this or that," perpetuates stereotypes.====JACK:  It's better than saying, "last."

 FROM KF IN MICHIGAN:  I just checked out "Iron Lady" again good movie....a good woman from humble beginnings!====JACK:  I was surprised to learn that Meir was called The Iron Lady before Thatcher.

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