Jack’s Winning Words 3/17/14
“Many an opportunity is lost, because someone is out looking for 4-leaf clovers.”  (Unknown)  A symbol for St. Patrick’s Day is the 3-leaf clover, with a leaf for Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Finding a 4-leaf clover (1 in 10,000) is considered “good luck.”  Have you been lucky enough to find one?  What other things are said to bring good luck? …rabbit’s foot, penny on the ground, shooting star?  Do you knock on wood?    ;-)  Jack

 FROM HONEST JOHN:  My Aunt Mamie could find four leaf clovers all the time....while everyone with her coukd only see the three leaf ones.====JACK:  So, there really was an Auntie Mame!====JOHN:  My Dad's little sister....and she was one of the nicest persons I ever met....full of Joie de Vivre.....I just loved her.     My Dad's three sisters never married but lived with their mother at home.....my sister Joan took care of Mame and Annie when they were in their 90s....Annie lived until she was 103....My Dad and his brother both married and had children....====JACK:  Well, those 4-leaf covers seemed to work for your Auntie M.

 FROM RJP IN NAPLES:  You will probably smile at the thought of me leading the Republican float in the Naples Parade, dancing to the band in front while carrying the American Flag, throwing kisses to the ladies, salutes to the men and beads to the kids. I literally danced for 2 miles of the parade route. The Naples St. Patrick's day parade is the largest independent parade of any kind in Florida. We had about 60 floats bands etc and about 45,000 people attend. It was great fun. Michigan State U and U of M Alumni were represented with a float as were the Chicago land folks.====JACK:  Did anyone mistake you for Rush Limbaugh?====RJP:  WOW, what are you implying....... Tch Tch Tch. I am exercising my wonderful freedoms of expression while we can. I always loved a parade and have lead many over the years. It is great fun and everyone along the route applauded except a couple of democrats who showed their intolerance by giving me a bad hand signal. I simply waved and smiled.  Perhaps Rush would have also applauded as did some of my liberal friends because I was carrying the Flag. Not as a just a partisan, but an American.
It was really fun and I paid for it physically for a couple of days, but worth it. Come down next year and march with me!!!!!! We can present a bipartisan front!!!!====JACK:  I still know how to pull your chain.

 FROM TARMART REV:  I like that old treasure Scripture: "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."====JACK:  ...or that other old Scripture..."Where you treasure is, there is your heart, also!"

 FROM MICHIGAN LOUIE:  As our mutual friend, Ike Engelbaum, says on his daily radio program: "if it's meant to be, it's up to me."====JACK:  Yes, many opportunities do appear before us.  Some people avoid them, because they're often disguised as problems.

 FROM RI IN BOSTON:  Hunting 4-leaf clovers rivals stopping to smell the roses, if you want to take a relaxing break from the world's woes.  And if you find some 4-leafers you stand to gain good luck as well.  Years ago when I was still a youth, some of my nieces and nephews were visiting my parents, and we were playing on the lawn.  There was a patch of clover growing there and I said to the kids, "let's hunt for 4-leaf clovers", telling them about that source of good luck.  I'm not sure they believed such a thing but they watched as I scrutinized the clover patch.  Within just a few minutes I found 8 or 10 perfect samples, eliciting surprise and pleasure from the kids...and me too!  Of course, we've all lived happily ever after.  Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody.====JACK:  Just as each leaf of the shamrock has meaning, the 4-leaf clover has meaning, too...Faith, Hope, Love and LUCK!====RI:  I didn't know that part about the meaning of four leaves.Regarding what that brings good luck...isn't there some such thing about throwing salt over your shoulder?====JACK:  Notice in the DaVinci "Last Supper" that Judas (3rd to the left of Jesus) has knocked over the salt shaker.  Spilling salt is bad luck!  Throw some salt over your should to blind the devil who is lurking there.  Blinding the devil is good luck!  

 FROM HUNGRY HOWIE:  I didn’t know that the three leafs were symbolic of the holy trinity. See you learn something new every day.  The Eastern European Jews were superstitious and believed in many things such as;  don’t whistle inside a home, don’t open an umbrella inside a home, they believed in golems and the evil eye. For good luck they would pretend to spit three times in your palm(pooh, pooh, pooh) of your hand chanting a good luck poem in Yiddish while stirring the pretend spit with a finger.. My maternal grandmother was like this.  My mother used to do this to my daughters when they were young.  Athletes are also superstitious, growing beards, not changing their socks or underwear.  Isn’t blessing someone after they sneeze a superstition?====JACK:  Saying "God bless you" when someone sneezes has an interesting background.  In ancient days it was believed that one's soul was equated with one's breath, so that when someone sneezed and the breath was exhaled, it was thought that the body was without a spirit (soul) until the next breath was taken.  It was also believed in those days that evil spirits were lurking around, waiting to enter a body at the first opportunity.  Quickly saying, "God bless you," was meant to make sure that the spirit of God got into that person before any spirit of evil.

 FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER:
'm always chasing rainbows,
Watching clouds drifting by,
My schemes are just like all my dreams,
Ending in the sky.
Some fellows look and find the sunshine, I always look and find the rain.
Some fellows make a winning sometime,
I never even make a gain, believe me,
I'm always chasing rainbows,
I'm watching for a little bluebird in vain.
====JACK:  Yes, seeing a rainbow is supposed to bring good luck.  Finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is even better luck.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  I guess today is a good day for the Old Gaelic Blesssing:
"May those who love us, love us--
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts
May he turn their ankles
So we'll know them by their limping!"
I've found my share of 4 leaf clovers, but don't remember outstanding bursts of luck in the ensuing days or hours....But maybe that's because I've been lucky all the time! Count your blessings, name them one by one, or two by two, etc.!!  :-)====JACK:  I'll bet you can sing "Count Your Blessings" right now, without using a songbook.

 FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  We kids used to look for 4 leaf clover in our side lot.  It was huge and we used it as a baseball field.  To this day it is called "Chappel Field".  I don't knock on wood anymore....hurts too much!====JACK:  Some people knock on their head instead of a desk or table.

 FROM KF IN MICHIGAN:  I do believe 'found pennies' are pennies from heaven for good luck. I also have a giant turkey wishbone I am saving for March Madness : )  I should have used it last Sunday! ====JACK:  Save that "bone."  It ain't over til it's over.