Jack’s Winning Words 8/8/18
“Experience informs us that the first defense of weak minds is to recriminate.” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)  Recriminate means to blame someone else.  No one really knows, but we’re told that the Great Chicago Fire was started by Mrs (Mame) O’Leary and her cow, and so a song was written, Put the Blame on Mame.  People recriminate in many places.  I liked the sign on Truman’s desk: The Buck Stops Here!  Strong minds admit mistakes and move on.   ;-)  Jack

FROM TRIHARDER:  I have great misgivings when I see all of the tragedy, especially that which involves genocide. "Gd's plan"? Too hard for me. ===JACK:  I believe that, ultimately, God’s will is done.  Today is only one part of a complicated puzzle.  The Holocaust, too.  I remember, in my own life, a particularly depressing time which seemed contrary to the will of a good and gracious God.  Ultimately, it made a tremendous difference in my life.  It’s sort of like the T-ball player who was asked the score of his game.  “17 to nothing.”....“Wow, that’s too bad.”....“It’s only the first inning.  We haven’t come to bat, yet.”===TH:  I know that many concentration camp victims (survivors) emerged as atheists, faith destroyed, after having lost all -- family and earthly possessions; while many emerged with faith in Gd restored. Both views  warranted.===JACK: When the Jews complained that God had abandoned them in the wilderness...and that they'd be better off as slaves in Egypt...would you call that, atheism?  Given time....we see that the wilderness experience was bad turned into good.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  good words for this day,.  thanks...===JACK:  I try.  That's why I call them Winning Words rather than Losing Words.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  A Prime example of these WW sits in the Oval Office in Washington
today! I remember the song  blaming Mame, a very catchy tune, and very popular at the time! It takes a certain amount of courage to admit or accept blame. A strong  sense of self helps you do that, and go on.  Adversity reveals character!===JACK:  I think that recriminate might have the same root source as crime and criminal.  Mmmm