Jack’s Winning Words 6/2/22

* “Being clever with what you have is better than getting more of what you don’t need.”  (Noor Murad)  This was sent to me by a WWs reader.  Most of us have enough stuff.  What we don’t need is more stuff.  I’ve even started giving away some of my books.  Place settings?  When am I going to have 12 people over for dinner?  I suppose the homeless shelter could use some of the extra ;linens.  Kagawa, the famous Japanese Christian was known for going around shirtless.  When someone would give him a shirt, he’d find someone who had no shirt and give it to them.  Perhaps now might be a good time to start giving away some of your stuff in a meaningful way?  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Just gave away four pair of fairly new dress jeans to a buddy who has lost weight and now is ready for the size I can no longer wear, since gaining new weight and in need of a size above!?!? 0;-/===JACK:  You've taken the Kagawa illustration and given it a new twist...."I saw a man with no pants and gave him mine."

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  we are now trying hard to "purge" but it can be so difficult at times.   but once you do get rid of the stuff,  you really don't seem to miss it very much===JACK:  One of the side benefits of "giving away" is the opportunity to "relive" the experience of having that item for the first time....a pair of (once) comfortable pants...that book filled with new and stimulating ideas.  "Those were the days!".

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  we sure put a lot of emphasis on stuff... does having stuff make you a bad person? greedy? why are we made to feel guilty for having stuff? ===JACK:  I don't feel guilty because of my stuff; I feel blessed.  It's just that I feel sad over the fact that some have to live in poverty when I have so much.  Of course, poverty has various reasons.  At one time in my life I had a taste of being poor, and it wasn't something I enjoyed.===LIZ:  poverty, poverty, poverty... no one in this country really lives in poverty, compared to the truly poor of the world. we have people who make bad choices that we choose to support, perpetuating the cycle of "poverty."===JACK:  What goes through your mind when you read the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus as told by Jesus?

FROM SUNSHINE:  "Wise men and women in every major culture throughout history have found that the secret to happiness is not in getting more but in wanting less."  Elaine St. James===JACK:  There are many things that we can learn from other cultures...and from one another.  I learned from you that "minimalism can be beautiful."

FROM JU IN NC:  Lokk up the New English....freegan===JACK:  I've never heard of that word (pause while I look it up)  "an activist who scavenges for free food (as in waste receptacles at stores and restaurants) as a means of reducing consumption of resources."  Wow!  What an interesting word.  Thanks for furthering my education today.  We're never too old to learn something each day.

FROM GUSTIE:  And we did that.  Even some “stuff” I wanted to keep!!  Ha! ===JACK:  You really know that you're doing a good job when you get rid of stuff that you'd like to keep.  Getting rid of junk is easy.