Jack’s Winning Words 9/8/15
“The last suit that you wear, you don’t need any pockets.”  (Wayne Dyer)  It’s ironic that when Dyer died recently, he was scheduled to present a seminar: “The Holy Land & Beyond, a Spiritual Journey.”  He was famous for advocating positive thinking and avoiding the trap of negativity.  His lectures were immensely popular on PBS.  He was easy to listen to; what he said seemed so right.  When he was buried, I wonder if there were pockets in his suit?    ;-)  Jack

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  maybe you don't even need any underwear.   or shoes.   do you recall that some undertakers in small town America also sold second hand clothes and they also built the caskets for burial.  the funeral industry has "progressed" a lot since those days...====JACK:  I understand that when priests are buried the casket is fully opened and sometimes tilted upward.  Dyer was restating an old saying..."there are no pockets in a shroud."

FROM TARMART REV:  Made me think of Sinatra with "a dime" clutched in his hand for a perhaps needed phone call . . . I'm considering a small "electronic shock" that will cause my eye to wink, along with a quivering smile!!====JACK:  It's said that Sinatra was buried with 10 dimes in his casket.  He never wanted to be caught unable to make a phone call.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  HE WILL BE MISSED!!  PROBABLY HIS SUIT DID HAVE POCKETS NEEDED OR NOT!  ALL SORTS OF THINGS GET PUT IN POCKETS AND CASKETS AT FUNERALS....ONE I REMEMBER IN OUR CONGREGATION WAS A BOWLING BALL AND SHOES !!  BEING CREMATED ELIMINATES THE CLOTHING NEED ENTIRELY...WHATEVER THE METHOD, WE KNOW WE TAKE NOTHING MATERIAL INTO THE NEXT LIFE. NO ONE EVER SAW A UHAUL  TRUCK FOLLOWING A HEARSE TO THE GRAVE !  SOMETHING TO REMEMBER...====JACK:  One of our ELCA pastors owned a Harley Davidson motorcycle.  He conducted a funeral for a biker.  The funeral home parking lot was filled with motorcycles.  The procession to the cemetery was led by my friend on his Harley, with the other cyclists following.  The hearse was a 2-wheel trailer pulled by a motorcycle.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  I didn't know he had died.  He was a very positive thinker.  I'm sure he had no pockets.====JACK:  Today, I read this interesting story.  "In 2012 Dyer made an autobiographical film, My Greatest Teacher which dramatized a defining moment in his life, when Dyer had visited the grave of his father, who had abandoned him as a young boy. While the intention that day had been to exact some form of vengeance on the man he felt had sent him down a dark path of rage and alcoholism, at the gravesite he was overcome by feelings of love and forgiveness. He credited this experience with changing the trajectory of his life. The date of this experience was August 30, 1974. On the exact same day, 41 years later, Dr. Dyer passed on."