Jack’s Winning Words 8/10/18
“Success in life comes not from having the right cards, but from playing the bad ones properly.”  (Joshua Dool)  My card-playing skills are limited to Old Maid and Crazy 8s, but I know that in those games you can win, even with a bad deal.  You may know of someone who’s made a success of life, despite physical, financial and/or social handicaps.  Maybe, it’s luck, but more often it’s because they’ve known how to play the cards dealt to them.   ;-)  Jack

FROM HAPPY TRAILS IN NOVA SCOTIA:  My favorite prof, General Georges F. Doriot of the Harvard Business School, asked one of my fellow students why his paper wasn't turned in on time. He replied, "I wasn't feeling well." The General, who spoke softly but always had everybody's attention, said "Many of the great things in history have been accomplished by people who didn't feel well at the time." Nelson regularly got seasick.  We often hear a saying along the lines of "Health is the most important thing." I have long been inspired by the accomplishments of people who don't have what most of us would think of as health, and would substitute "Attitude". Many of our friends from the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Home (a long-term care facility) in Allentown, PA were inspirational. One man who had grown up there and later gone on to a satisfying career despite significant disabilities, composed a song called "Masterwork in Progress" along the lines that God was continuing to help him become what he could be.===JACK:  Right to the point!  Some time ago we had a e-mail discussion which included a reference to Harry Golden's essay, "The Show Must Go On."  That's worth re-reading, too.

FROM SF:  Hi. Just learning to play canasta. So many rules! New in retirement...canasta, mah jongg, golf, grandkids...fun learning curve! ===JACK:  Who says "you can't teach old dogs new trick?"  I checked..."The idea of it being more difficult to teach things to an older dog has been around since at least the early 1500s. For example, in Fitzherbert's Book of Husbandry, 1534, there's a part that reads:
 "He muste teche his dogge to barke whan he wolde haue hym, to ronne whan he wold haue hym,
  and to leue ronning whan he wolde haue gym; or els he is not a cunninge shepeherd. The dogge
  must lerne it, whan he is a whelpe, or els it wyl not be: for it is harde to make an olde dogge to stoupe (put his nose to the ground for a scent)."  Grandchildren have a way of making you feel young again.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  One of course thinks of people such as Helen Keller, or her teacher,
Annie Sullivan who often felt ill, and had terrible eyesight herself!  But we all know personally, inspirational folks in our own lives who did amazing things. My grandson is named for a man in our church who had severe Cerebral Palsy, could not walk, very difficult to speak, or control his movements, who went to college and graduate school at U of IL earning a Master's 'Degree in Library Science, and worked for many years for IL State Library. He drove a motorized scooter to work, and
everywhere, in all kinds of weather, and when he retired, he volunteered at the Hospital, and in a first grade at one of our schools. My son Fred and wife Judy were close friends and often assisted him.  He loved classical symphony music, and I took him to concerts, as we had season tickets. That's just ONE of several I've know personally to overcome a "bad hand" dealt to them. (I should pay tribute to Jim's mom who was instrumental in all his educational accomplishments, living on campus with him throughout his education!)  I love playing bridge; Also enjoy Euchre, Pinochle, and most card game!!  Our family are GREAT game players! :-) Competitive===JACK:  There was a new seminarian who threatened to quit the sem after playing basketball against me.  When the ref wasn't looking I'd grab  the other guy's pants while guarding him so he couldn't get around me (stuff like that).  "If people who intend to be pastors play like that, I don't want to be a part of it."  His friends explained that I was really a "nice" guy...just competitive.  I wear that as a badge of honor.  BTW, he and I became best friends.  He went on to become a college and seminary professor...and even was on the Winning Words list...as are his children.