Jack’s Winning Words 3/12/21 

“You’re only here for a short visit.  Don’t worry; don’t hurry.  And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”  (Walter Hagen)  I’ve been told that pro-golfer Hagen once owned the house in which I live.  I don’t know about that, but I do know how much the beauty of flowers enhances this world.  Among Special Days, March 12, has been designated as “Plant a Flower Day.”  If you were to go out and plant a flower, which one would it be?  I like Jack in the Pulpit.  ;-) Jack

FROM LBP:  I planted a couple dozen new bulbs last fall that I’m interested to see spring up. I’d have to check the packaging for the specifics, but they looked pretty and are said to be deer resistant ===JACK:  Take a look.  Is your thumb green?

FROM CR:  Jack in the Pulpit, for you for sure!  I have always loved Forget Me Nots.  I've seen snowdrops and purple crocuses already this season.===JACK:  I have yet to see anything poking through the ground yet.

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  It is really a shame that so many do not realize and heed the advice that Hagen was giving in that quote until they are in their senior years (me included). When we are younger we tend to get all wrapped up in our ideas that a “successful” life entails being focused upon success in our jobs and earning more and more money, so that we can buy more and more things. Eventually we realize that things are not really that important and that our relationships are what really matters. Unfortunately, many men tend to realize that after it is too late to enjoy some of life’s best moments – moments and memories of our children growing up that we miss because, “daddy had to work and couldn’t be here”. ===JACK:  i often wonder abour Walter walking through my house...and how lon

he lived here.  He was a good golfer for his time but a kind of philosopher, too.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  He was Head Pro for a while at Red Run in Royal Oak. ===JACK:  I did not know that.  Of course, there's lots that I do not know.  I once used some golf clubs with Hagen's dignature of them.  It didn't improve my game.

FROM QUILTING CAROL:  I truly don’t know who chose this day as “Plant a Flower Day” as I would believe in the upper half of the US it is too cold yet to plant anything outside.  We still have plenty of snow on the ground – melting quickly – but still pretty cold dirt.  If I could plant it would be Black Eyed Susans.===JACK:  "black-eyed Susan," a sigh of spouse abuse!  You can p[l;ant a flower inside, if you want to.===QC:  HA!  I have loved Black-eyed Susan’s since I was a little girl.  No spousal abuse in my family nor here. 😊  We are enjoying Bob’s amaryllis plants that are blooming inside – one pot at a time.

FROM DAZ IN COLORADO:  If we're going to plant flowers on March 12 we better do it inside in Westminster Colorado. The forecast is for 2 feet of snow this weekend. ====JACK:  I'll bet daughter, Linda, liviong in "Hot"lanta could go out and plant a flower.

FROM SHALOM JAN:  OOO!  A bit of "tongue in the cheek" -- eh, Jack?!  If my ashes are scattered in the garden of a church where I did campus ministry in the 1990's, the minister of music there said he would plant "Jan in the Pulpit" flowers.

y favorites of the wildflowers are violets.  Daffodils are my cultivated heralds of spring.===JACK:  You musty have had some good experience in that garden with memories that linger.  The song, In the Garden, describes Mary's Easter memories.  The song has gotten a bad rap because people don't see it that way...and they tend to place themselves in the garden with Jesus.  Let Mary have her memory! ===JAN:  For sure. She text a picture of a cherry tree in bloom a couple weeks ago. Our iris and daffodils are starting  to come up but they're  hardy. 

FROM HOMELESS:  You can't turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again.  Just heard this on the TV, and I thought it was fun.===JACK:  Not only was it, "fun", it is a truism olife.  We CAN start over again.  The cloxk just needs the effort to wind it up. 

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  From what I've read about "The Haig", he lived life to the fullest....made money and spent it all on a lavish and partying lifestyle. While Arnold Palmer is given most of the credit for taking golf ....and the professional golf tournament prize money....to a new level, Hagen had that distinction in his day.  Fancy dress was a trademark of his and he was the first professional to command appearance money at tournaments. I know when he retired from competitive golf he lived in the Detroit area, so maybe that was your house.  If I were to plan a flower it would be one of two....a Rose of Sharon for color from the Spring until late Fall.....or, if I was thinking of golf....and the Masters....an Azalea bush.  They flower for just a short time, but when they do they are spectacular.  Hope things are warming up a little bit up your way.  We have a few things starting to bud out here....Spring and new life ....and Easter...a wonderful time of the year.

===JACK:  I usually don't print all of long responses, but I'm making an exception with you.  Thanks for confirming Hagen's life in Michigan.  Maybe I should put a plaque on my house.

FROM BBIN CHGO:  Jack in the pulpit made me laugh.  This Jack in the pulpit made me gasp!===JACK:  The 2nd "Javk" showed up blank, so I gasped at not knowing what made you gasp.

 

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 3/11/21

“If you’re late, your name will be mud.”  (My mother’s words)  Newscaster Roger Mudd died this week.  He was related to Dr Samuel Mudd who treated John Wilkes Booth  after he had assassinated President Lincoln.  After that, Mudd became a derogatory name, hence the expression: “Your name will be Mudd.”   This commentary also raises the question: “Should a physician treat a patient as a human being regardless of the circumstances?    ;-/ Jack

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  WHAT?!? who would make that judgment call... the doctor himself? or some board designed for that purpose?  “nope. he is a trump supporter.”  you are provocative, as always===JACK:  You are the provocative one...mentioning the name of Truimp.

FRO WILLMAR REV:  Certainly the noted “Great Physician” and personal friend of mine felt that way...If my memory serves me correctly, He even placed some “mud” on someone’s eyes as a healing balm that restored his sight! 0;-) ===JACK:  The Great Physician is also the Great Judge...knowing the right thing to do at the right time.  For us...It is never wrong to do the right thing.  Dr Mudd is one of my heroes.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  just how misguided some people can get when acting on a foundation of lies and distortions. ===JACK:  The Mudd story is one of those "true" ones that sometimes gets lost over time.  I thought that it was worth resurrecting in the light of RFoger Mudd's death.

FROM JU IN NC:  Not only a physician but anyone of us should be able to.  Jesus touched a leper.  A display of the most absolute clean ministering to the most unclean.===JACK:  Have you ever worn one of those bracelets with WWJD inscribed on it?  I guess that they're a good reminded to "do" the Jesus thing.

FRO LBP:  you’re on time, you’re late” one of the band leaders in my HS marching band. It wasn’t good enough to be present, you had to be ready. I can get to the church parking lot at 10:30, but I’m still walking in after the processional. Late! ===JACK:  A great example of..."Your name will be Mudd."  My reference today just wanted to give some of the background to a common idiom.

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  It is quite common to hear someone using the phrase “the new normal” these days and that brings the question of what “normal” is to mind, whether new or old.===JACK:  In Samuel Mudd's day, the normal seemed to be..."Don't treat John Wilkes Booth."  Since Mudd was abnormal, his name has endured.  "Your name will be Mudd."

 FROM RS IN TEXAS:  In my opinion, yes, the physician should treat all as human beings.  Justice is a separate issue.===JACK:  I wonder what medics did in time of War?  Did you see anything like that in Viet Nam?===RS:  From what I saw it was a case of priorities  -  Americans first, South Vietnamese (military or civilians), Canadians, Aussies, etc, second,  and occasionally a Viet Cong or North Vietnamese would get treatment.  The doctors were much more likely to treat the bad guys (if they had the time) than the field medics.  For me it was disturbing to see how many civilians...many of them children.... were injured or killed.  The problem was that you didn't know if that civilian by day was a Viet Cong by night.  

 FROM MY LAWYER:  That’s what the Hippocratic Oath requires. ===JACK:  Therefore, Benjamin Mudd should be honored.  "You name will ne Mudd" ought to be a sign of pridde.

FROM HUNGRY HOWIE:  It’s not a physicians decision to treat or not treat a patient with a life threatening emergency the physician must treat without judgement or choice  A physician may choose to limit the type of patients seen. Practice limited to doses of of the __________. Then Must accept all without discrimination based on anything other than the type of medical problem.   I don’t believe it is ethical to refuse to treat someone who you view as immoral or criminal. That is not for you to imdivually decide===JACK:  Have you ever turned down a patient (refused to treast him/her?)

FROM SHALOM JAN:  Yes!  Lots of physicians on the battlefields during the Civil War treated soldiers of both sides.  They took ridicule and worse for it, but remembered their vow to "do no harm" and leaving any man untreated would have been "harm" in their way of thinking.===JACK:"  I suppose chaplains did the same thing.  I've never met a chaplain who sereved during wartime.  Have you? ===JAN:  My best friend served on the US Iwo Jima in both Desert Storm battles and in the Mediterranean.  I just helped edit a chapter of his for a memoir being put together by/about Black Navy chaplains.  When you need a doctor or a pastor I don't think much counts about denomination, color, gender or anything else! ====]JACK:  In at least two instances I have told people that they would be better served by changing their membership to another congregation.  Subsequently, they also changed churches again.

FROM DAZ (CIVIL WAR EXPERT):  Dr Mudd was pardoned after he helped in the saving of lives at the Dry Tortugas prison during an\ epidemic. in 1869. Some of his descendants tried to get his conviction overturned ( complicated story) one of whom spoke to our Civil War Round Table in Detroit. The speaker was a Dr at a GM plant . One of the many interesting and complex CW stories.===JACK:  "Your will be Mudd" sahould be a badge of honor."  Thanks for "the rest of the story."

 

Jack’s Winning Words 3/10/21

“My life is part roses, part thorns.”  (Bret Michaels)  Perhaps you saw Bret on Trump’s Apprentice program.  He’s a  heavy-metal rock singer and I’m told he is a very generous person.  One of his songs relates to today’s quote.  I like the rose as a beautiful flower, but I don’t like the thorns.  I’m a firm believer that good can come out of bad…if you look for it.  Bret’s life seems to express this, and I know that mine does too. If you see thorns today, remember to look for the rose.  ;--)  Jack

FROM COPPER COUNTRY REV:  I like it!    Sometimes we even need to be thorns.   I'm presently a thorn in the side of a friend in California in hopes that his lovely bud will not die on the vine but blossom into a beautiful flower. ===JACK:  Thorns aren't always bad.  On the farm, once in a while the horse needs the whip.  I remember times when I needed the whip and got it.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  i like this line:  you can curse the rose bush for having thorns or you can bless the thorn bush for having roses.   it's the SAME bush.   blessings on all your thorns and roses:):):) ===JACK:  Yes, it's part of my mantre...When bad things are happening, look for the good.  Often, good comes from bad, if you look for it.===SP:  you are such a wise fellow:):):) ===JACK:  There are values in aging.

FROM JU IN NC:  The rose is such a beautiful flower, God placed thorns around it to protect it.  My life is so beautiful to God, that he put a sword (His Word) to surround it for protection.===JACK:  You certainly have a story to tell about protection.  But, each of us in our own way, are "Safe in the arms of Jesus," as the song goes.

FROM SMILIN' TERI:  Love this one, too.  I like this better than what I tell myself...”every day has garbage; every day has joy.”===JACK:  Garbage or thorns?  The same unwanted things.  There's symbolism in the Crown of Thorns that Jesus wore.

FROM LBP:  There is a reflection exercise I’ve seen at a few places now - rose, thorn, bud. What was good? What was not so good? What are you hoping for? ===JACK:  In real life, roses come with thorns.  It's up to us to "accent the positive (rose) and eliminate the n egative (thorn).

FROM HOMELESS:  I am trying. Today's been an exceptionally hard day, but I have been trying to push for the rose.  I appreciate the reminder===JACK:  I belong to a group called, The Optimist Club.  There are some days when I feel that I belong to the Pessemist Club.  It's hard to be upbeat all of the time.  Eventually I come to the realization that life goes better with optimiswtic thinking.

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  That’s a pretty simple thought and one that everyone can probably say about their own life. We all encounter adversities (thorns) in life and most of us can probably also point to beautiful moments (the roses) in our lives. A good number of us probably spent much of our lives focused upon doing things to avoid the thorns – to reduce the risks that we may encounter. A few spend their lives so focused upon the good things in life that they may become classified as Pollyannas.===JACK:  Some days I have trouble posting things from your blog.  I'm glad today iks not opne of those days (Altho I wish the font was bigger)

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 3/9/21

“Impossible is potential.  Impossible is temporary.  Impossible is nothing.”  (Muhammad Ali)   I followed, with interest, the life of Ali since he had the name, Cassius Clay.  He was smarter than most people gave him credit for,  Read again the quote.  It really makes sense.  Nothing is impossible!  What were the words of The Little Engine That Could?  “I Thionk I can.  I know I can.  Whatever the problem might be, with God’s help and a positive mind, we will be able to meet it with success.  ;-)  Jack

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  AlLI certainly became more mellow as he aged; He often said, " I want to  go to Heaven"! when asked about his charitable works or kind  comments! He did seem to be smarter than we at first thought! It's good to keep  trying isn't it? With all the  challenges of ageing, You gotta believe you can "cope" successfully!  I just completed a pretty challenging 4 days on the road to visit various relatives from Grays Lake (Chicago) to WI to Moline, IL and back home, which at first I deemed "impossible", but it was doable, and fun and very pleasant, every step of the way!====JACK:  Grayslake!  I used to live there and started Shepherd of the :Lakes Church in  that city.  We left in 1969.  In fact, that's where I met Joan.  She and her family were members of the church.  How was it to go back to Moline.  Changes...but still the same old city.  That's how it is with us.  Changes, but still the same old Jackl, the same old Marilyn.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  he did not try to take over the capitol...===JACK:  No he didn't, but he was arrested for refusing to go into the military as a conscientious objector.  His new religion of Islam woulr not allow him to take up arms.  Later on it was discovered that he was serious about his religious beliefs.  He was no longer considered to be a clown.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL: Jack,  do you get Netflix movies on your TV.  pay for view,   very cheap.   anyway,  there is a movie,  true story, about a family caught in the 2004(?) tsunami that hit Indonesia.  it's a great movie and it's called, simply,  The Impossible...   and if you want to see another true story of incredible survival i recommend The Twelfth Man.   another great movie.  ===JACK:  "The Impossible" sounds like some thing that would interest me.  I'm into that sort of stuff.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 3/8/21 

“There’s no excuse for young people not knowing who the heroes and heroines are.(Nina Simons)  I thought it would be easy to identify today’s popular heroes…until I came across the names of Christian Gunter, Robert Kuba and Aitzaz Hasan.  As I read more about their heroic deeds, I had to agree: They are heroes.  Delving further, the names were: Greta Thunberg, Serena Williams and Mike Trout.  Those are what I expected…the kind of hero I had when I was younger…someone who’s a popular icon, an idol..  What makes a modern-day hero, and who is yours?  ;-) Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:    Mine don’t make the headlines and many of them I’ve laid their body to rest. Faithful men and women throughout our community that are truly missed, especially around our church services. I’m trying to invest my time now introducing myself to some young couples I’m sure God’s grooming for the same for another generation to admire. 0;-)===JACK:  As you lay some heroes to rest...You're right to try and cultivate some new ones among younger people.  God's work goes on and is never done.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  Ernie Banks===JACK:  I totally agree.  "Let's play two."  They don't 'em like him anymore.

FROM DR J:  hmmm… my mom would say I was a 50/50 split between her (creative, spontaneous, adventuresome) and my dad (a planner, logical, perfectionist).===JACK:  I only met your father once or twice.  I wish That I'd gotten to know him better.  I met your mother enough times to know that nthe nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

FROM NORM'S BLOG:  Every era has people that are popularly identified as heroes to us all, usually someone who has done something extraordinary or achieved something that is remarkable. We hold them up to be heroes – people that are worthy of emulation. We want to be like them.   But the concept of someone being a hero in anyone’s life is a very personal thing. Many successful people when interviewed will point back to a teacher or perhaps to their parents or a sibling as a key influence in their life – someone who was a hero to them.====JACK:  While I don't agree with him in many ways, Trump is an example of a hero (to many people).

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 3/5/21

“A proud person is actually an ignorant person.  He didn’t know that he was just a drop in the ocean.”   (Lei Feng)  Lei Feng Day is a BIG occasion among Chinese people, honoring a young soldier known for his selfless life giving food to orphans; giving rides to older people).  On “His Day” people do acts similar to his.  They clean up parks, give food to the hungry, act as perfect, caring people.  If you are seeing someone as a role model for the good, who might that be?  ;-)  Jack

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Kerplunk!!===JACK:  You, BIG Rev are more than a drop.  Willmar should really have a day in your honor.

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  ... and live under communist fear and control. ===JACK  There are some good people living in communist countries.  Lei Feng, evidently, was one of them.  But, there certainly are more.

FROM THE SHARK: You, Jack, without a doubt.===JACK:  Surely there must be others.  How about the Pope in Iraq?===SHARK:  I love this Pope, didn’t care for the one before him. ===JACK: I love this Pope, didn’t care for the one before him. 

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Mother Theresa===JACK:  She's a good choice.  The Catholics have even made her a saint.

FROM HOMELESS:  You.===jACK:  Thanks...but put on your thinking cap, but certainly you can choose someone better.

FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  Understand the point but I do not agree completely.  I like feeling proud and telling people when I am proud of them. ===JACK:  I suppose that something is lost in the translation.  Feng was Chinese, and there are difficulties in explaining things in one language and try to make it mean the same thing in another.  There's noithing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments.

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 3/4/21 “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can’t learn in no other way.”  (Mark Twain)  Most of us know enough not to pick up a cat by the tail, but do you know what a hygge is, or what sapiosexual means?  These are just two of the 535 new words added this year to Webster’s Dictionary.  We need words to express our thoughts and feelings.  “Webster’s” job is to keep us aware of new words and to explain them so we can learn. I like the sound of hygge.  Now, what does it mean?  ;-)  Jack FROM QUILTING CAROL:  It is good to take time to learn new things…and words.===JACK:  Yes, and is good to alsays learn something.  I'm learning something about quilting while watching Joan work on a quilt. FROM JU IN NC:  The result of my contact with electric fences will almost eliminate any possibility of a heart attack.  I should be charged up for life.  But let me share a life story about electric fences.  One morning while milking cows I looked out towards the hog pen.  8 inches above the ground we had an electric fence.  A chicken was walking with her head to the ground pecking about for her breakfast.  She walked under the fence and brushed up against it with her back.  I heard a LOUD SQUAWK, then silence.  I had to tend to the cows and went back into the barn.  Later that afternoon while doing the evening milking, I looked out to the pig pen and noticed the chicken still under the fence.  Walking over to her, I prepared to pick her up see if it would be possible for a chicken Sunday dinner.  As I got closer I heard a low moaning squawk A space of 2 inches separated the fence from the chicken.  She had lied there all day fearful of moving and getting recharged.  I stepped behind her and placed my boot firmly upon her bottom. The chicken let out another loud squawk, flew through the air 20 some feet, landed, put her beak to the ground and spent her life doing what chickens do.  After my PTSD, I stayed under the fence of fear, afraid of any more trauma.  Thanks for caring people who were willing to give me a boot back into reality. ===JACK  Two great stories.  Thanks for sharing something that connects with the quote. FROM LBP:  Hygge is an adjective, not a noun, right? That sense of coziness and nesting. I’d have to look up the formal definition but have heard it discussed as folks try to bring a little hygge into their homes :)===JACK:  I, too, have to look up the word.  I've never used it, but I like the sound of it, and I will try to bring it into conversation sometime. FROM RS IN TEXAS:  I looked up both.   Seems we all could use as much hygge as we can get.  As far as sapiosexual, wonder what that says about Einstein?===JACK:  Einstein was just a person like you.  What does it say about you?===RS:  Well, based on my (lack of?) intelligence, perhaps someone who is a sapiosexual might not be attracted to me.....but that's OK,===JACK:  Sometimes you wonder she sees in him/her or he sees in her/him. FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  it should be an abbreviation for Hygiene:):)===JACK:   So...?  I know...You were just making a funny somment.  Ha Ha. FROM EDUCATOR PAUL:  Thanks!!! 2 new words!===JACK:  2 new words for me, too!  FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  I am a sapophile.===JACK:  I had to look it up.  (A sapophile is someone who is attracted to intelligence or, intelligent people.)  I am attracted to people, particularly interesting people.  I don't know what you call that. FROM JSMSA IN SJ:    “Any logic in history is made and unmade. by events and human will. “ by David W. Blight. (From Book( A Slave No More)) The quote we were talking about is the name of the book —-All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. Jack—- my life was easy kindergarten children are happy. I woke up each morning knowing that so I was happy—it was as. simple as that.===JACK:  I remember being in Kindergarten..the room and the teacher.  I also remember seeing a colorful book about Indians.  Ij thosae days they weren't called, Native Americans. FROM TL IN MI:  Thanks Jack for new expressions.  I love them.===JACK:  Try using them in conversation today and see what happens.  Ha Ha FROM AC IN WB:  Hygge is Danish!  When I was in Denmark, everyone was all about hygge.  It’s like a vibe or feeling of warmth or coziness.===JACK:  Since you're a U of M gray you're a smart person.  You'd never pick up a cat by the tail, would you? FROM WILLMAR REV:  ... working on experiencing a little more hygge into my life, beginning today ... 0;-)===JACK:  I looked up hygge once, but have already forgotten what it meant.  Back to Google! FROM PM:  I’ve been checking out books from the library about hygge for the last year/year and a half. :) My house can be pretty chaotic with 3 passionate, rambunctious kids. My brain needs calm and cozy to adjust to the craziness. It has helped greatly through this pandemic, too! It’s fun to learn that’s a new word in the dictionary. I’ll have to share that with my family. Thanks for sharing!===JACK:  Sorry to late in getting back to you *2nd vaccination shot).  I, too, like new words, especially those that have a "fun" sound, like hygge.  I think that we all crave the hygge way of living.

 

Jack’s Winning Words 3/3/21

 “I can explain it to you, but I can’t comprehend it for you.”  (Edward Koch)  I wonder if this quote is from Ed Koch, former mayor of NYC?  No matter.  I see it as words that might appeal to a teacher (kindergarten through grad school).  Philosophy was my college major, fortunately, I had a professor who helped comprehend the complicated writings of great thinkers…and how to pronounce Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, for example.  Did you have a good explainer in your life?  ;-) Jack

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  i did not know your major was Philosophy.  that explains a lot:):):)    all good too (I Think)===JACK:  Yes, I felt that I could understand religion better through the lens of philosophers' thinking.===SP:  very true.  but i was careful not to quote too many philosophers in sermons.   it could be a real turn off for some folks unless the quote was timely and really fit the context of the sermon.===JACK:  If I used a quote, I would put it into "modern" language, as has been done with new translations of the Bible.  

FROM LBP:  That’s the trick isn’t it? What good is “explaining” if the goal isn’t understanding?  Got any tricks for gaging comprehension in your conversation partner or congregants?===JACK:  In my sermons I always tried to connect the scripture up with things going on in the real world.  I tried not to use complicated theology.  I also tried not to put down other religions.  There's a saying, "To have a friend, be a friend."  I tried to be a friend to my congregation, but not showing favoritism.  It's a hard line to walk, but I tried.

FROM JSMS IN SJ:  Jack—now that I know I hit the right buttons I can assure you will be hearing from me quite often. I get up at five o’clock also. As a kindergarten teacher I devoted Ground’s Hog day to the whole six week concept. At the end of day when I asked what would happen if a groundhog saw his shadow? A little boy shouted out—-six more weeks til Easter! Oh well. Happy Wednesday===JACK:  It's been a month and a day since GH Day and Spring is here...at least for today.  That "beast" was wrong when he predicted 6 more weeks of winter.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Does "SERI" count!? 0;-) ===JACK:  Does "recalculating" count as counting? 

FROM JU IN NC:  I do have a good explainer.  He is my instructor from the "school of hard knocks'===JACK:  You learn pretty fast when you pee on an el;ectric fence, or did you have any electric fences when you were growing up on the ranch?. ==JU:   Here are a couple of new words straight out of Jerry's Jargons.kneedlessly ( no longer requiring your knees to bend over to touch your toes because you can't do it anyway).  Pondemic (pondering so much you affect everyone around you).  Enjoy your day.  By the way Quilting lessons from Joan, what a privilege.  She made me a quilt covered with farm scenes, large enough to cover a large king size bed.  It is so beautiful that I plan to live until 200 when the value will be in the billions.  P.S.  I still would not sell it.===JACK:  Here are a couple of new words straight out of Jerry's Jargons. Kneedlessly ( no longer requiring your knees to bend over to touch your toes because you can't do it anyway).  Pondemic (pondering so much you affect everyone around you).  Enjoy your day.  By the way Quilting lessons from Joan, what a privilege.  She made me a quilt covered with farm scenes, large enough to cover a large king size bed.  It is so beautiful that I plan to live until 200 when the value will be in the billions.  P.S.  I still would not sell it.

FROM SMILIN' TERI:  Extra GREAT quote.===JACK:  Aren't words fun?  I smiled when I first read this combination...

FROM BB IN CHGO:  Just love this quote.  It could be any mayor, politician or other.  Thanks for the big smile.===JACK:  We've got to tell "Mitch" that we need more smiles from him.

FROM OPTIMISTIC LOU:  Yes, Jack, this quote is from THE ED KOCH, former NYC mayor!  (Among other accomplishments.)===JACK:  Yes, Mayor Koch, had a sense of humor.  After all, he was (is) Jewish.

 

 

 

 

 

Jack’s Winning Words 3/2/21

“Laugh when you can; apologize when you should; and let go of what you can’t change.”  (Posted by Carrie Goldring)  Carrie is a friend of mine and writes regularly about how to cope after divorce…particularly as it relates to the female.  Divorce can be a roller coaster ride…the biggest concern is money (sock some funds away in private account; close out joint credit cards.  Relaxed exercise helps keep a mind ready for making decisions.  It’s not easy to give up on a dream, is it?  :-( Jack

FROM CARRIE:  Awe!  I’m so toughed.  I hope you are doing well and feeling well – miss all my optimist friends===JACK:  Thanks, Carrie, for your Winning Words and for your positive way of helping people with problems, especially after, or during divorce situations.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  sounds like Carrie got the brass ring but not the Gold ring.  forgive the pun but yes,  divorce can be sooo messy and sooo hurtful at times for all pirates involved. ===JACK: Carrie is really busy.  That can be good, but it can be bad, because of thje broken relationships. 

FROM RS IN TEXAS:  Our daughter's wedding anniversary and thankfulness for her and her family.  The transition from Winter to Spring....life seems to renew itself.==  Our daughter's wedding anniversary and thankfulness for her and her family.===JACK:  It's good to hear about your family.  I hope that the Texas situation continues to improve.  I saw a segment on TV about the loss of cabbage and cauliflower crops. two of my favorites.

FROM JSMS IN MN:  I’m not sure if this message will come through because it is the first time I have ever made a comment. My first marriage ended in a sad divorce after only two years. I firmly decided I would NEVER get married again. Then ten years later God gave me Mike. We started talking because he was wearing a Chicago Bear shirt and I was wearing a Vikings shirt. Oh my—-which team is better? If we open up our hearts and put our trust in God wonderful new dreams can come true. Jack—The Vikings are the better team. Just ask Joan.===JACK:  Yes, you hit the right keys, and your message came through.  Sometimes the bad turns out to be the best...in strange ways.  My football team is the Lions.  I cheer for the underdog.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Good  advice for any situation, actually. Divorce is usually heartbreaking, especially when there are  children involved!  I suspect that most of us have a family member or two who have dealt with this trauma, and are thankful for people like Carrie who help them deal!  In our case, the parents both happily remarried, and remained congenial and able to celebrate birthdays and some holidays together.  Not often the case!===JACK:  You're right.  Hardly any family can escape it.  But, thankfully, help is out there, now, more than in the past.  "Blended" families is now a common expression.  I had many divorced couples in my congregations.  "Love is better the second time around" is a true expression in many cases.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Laugh when you can; apologize when you should; and let go of what you can’t change” . . . even when it comes in old age, when life is not so pleasant anymore . . . when the door to life’s opportunities begin closing and the sounds of work fades away . . . when our legs start to tremble and we become fearful of falling . . . when our shoulders begin to stoop, our teeth stop grinding, our eyes see dimly and we near the grave, our everlasting home . . . when the mourners will weep at our funeral and our dust returns to the earth and our spirit returns to God who gave it-- but it is inevitable!" (adapted from Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 NLT) ===JACK:  Thanks for sharing good advice...BUT, that's your job, isn't it?. 

 FROM INDY GENIE:  Those are some good words to live by!  All of them gifts to ourselves....laughing, apologizing and letting go:)===JACK:  Words to live by...in several situations.l

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Jack’s Winning Words 3/1/21

“March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.”  (Old weather adage)   The lion and lamb  are simply a rhyme and no weather predictor says The Old Farmer’s Almanac, and who’s to disagree with an old farmer?  March is named after the Roman god, Mars.  The month is also known for its many special days…like, today, St David’s Day, and St Patrick’s Day and St Joseph’s Day…and  Corndog Day, Be Nasty Day, Quilting Day…and, finally, World Day of Prayer.  What do you like about March?  ;-)  Jack:  March 6 is also...NATIONAL EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY – NATIONAL DRESS IN BLUE DAY – NATIONAL OREO COOKIE DAY – NATIONAL DENTIST'S DAY – NATIONAL FROZEN FOOD DAY – NATIONAL DRESS DAY – NATIONAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING – NATIONAL SPEECH AND DEBATE EDUCATION DAY – NATIONAL WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE DAY....HOWIE, YOUR BIRTHDAY IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT DAY!!!!

FROM JU IN NC:  March, for me has many memories and feelings.  But the one thing that will always stand out, is that it is the month of my oldest brothers birthday.  I am so grateful for his life.  He is one of the most giving people I ever met.  Not only on material generosity,but time and labor as well.  One thing that stands out for me happened within my sophomore year of high school.  I was going through my yearly ritual of sufferering much pain battleling mathematics .Jack, after working the farm all day, would sit down with me after supper and patiently spend 4_5 hours ensuring my passing grade.  He did this for an entire year.  I can only imagine the stories my other siblings and neighbors could share.  I myself do not have the space here to tell of any more.  But be assured I could. 

===JACK:  There's a book titled, Angel Unaware.  I t sounds as though it might have been written about your brother.  I have a sister like that.

FROM BS IN ENGLAND:  This March there is so much to look forward to.  Schools and colleges  will open March 8th and hopefully  care homes.  Mothering  Sunday is March 14th half  way through Lent. Palm Sunday is the 28th and we will return to worship in our churches. Oh! and I  almost forgot  retail shops and stores open on the 17th.  Wow!===JACK:  I'd almost forgotten that the virus is in the UK, too.  Have you bee3n vaccinated?  I'm to receive my 2nd shot this Friday.  We, too, are looking forward to more openings. ===B:   Yes! I  have had the first jab.   We are much more restricted  than you are in the US.===JACK:  We just had lunch at a restaurant...masks, social distancing and they took name and phone number in case tracing was necessary.

FROM HUNGRY HOWIE:  March is my birthday month.  March 6   it is my personal tradition to declare winter over on my birthday.===JACK:   

FROM MV AT ML:  I like that it brings the hope and promise of Spring, more sun and warmer weather. ===JACK:  I've always thought of Groundhog Day as the start of Spring, but Phil usually fools me.===MV:  I like Groundhog Day. The movie is such a classic as well. My Mom was born February 2^nd.====JACK: We watched the Bill Murray movie on Groundhog Day...Joan for the 1st time, me for the umpteenth time.

FROM HONEST JOHN:  After one celebrates Corndog Day and Be Nasty Day, that person had better really look forward to World Day of Prayer!===JACK:  Maybe Nasty Day should be Pasty Day.  I love both corndogs and pastys.  At of WB World Day of Prayer we've had both a Missouri Synod pastor and a Muslim imam as  leaders.  I felt comfortable with that, because, after all, it is a Day of "World" Prayer.

FROM LBP:  Grandma said that phrase but allowed it to go either way. So if it comes in like a lamb it will go out like a lion. That would suggest that the calm weather this week may mean storms for Easter. The rhyme mast carry no weight but it was a fun way to think that March was going to be blustery. Speaking of Grandma, you forgot St Urho’s day on March 16. :)===JACK:  I know of a church in our area that used to celebrate St. Urhu's Day in a BIG way, honoring St. Urhu eho saved the Finnish grape crops in Northern Minnesota from a plague of frogs and grasshoppers.  There's a statue of him in Menahga, MN. ===LBP:  Ha! Of course it’s a total fiction holiday set up to parallel St Patrick’s day. Too funny! ===JACK:  Isn't it the same with St. Patrick's Day?  Did he really drive out the snakes from Ireland?  In the Minnesota place where I live (part time) there's a place nearby where a chapel is built in thankfulness for ending a 2-year plague of grasshoppers which devastated the farmers' crops.  It's called, The Grasshopper Chapel.  I think that they even have weddings there.===LBP:  Frankly I’ve not investigated the backstory of saint Patrick. Seems a bit lies piper-esque. But who am I to say ===JACK:  ==Speaking of names like Patrick and Urhu, what is the background of Poisson and Bugg?===LBP:  As I understand, Poisson, meaning fish in French, might have been given to a fisherman or someone of similar trade. It’s similar to the English “Fisher.” Now for the Bugg surname, years ago I came across a book of English surnames at the university library. Assuming mine would not be in it, I looked to prove the point. Much to my surprise it was there. Unfortunately, the surname is said to mean “oaf” so it was not a find to boast about. Per a Marie a Claire fluff article about the 7 types of English surnames, thous would have fallen into the “characteristics” type. So at some point I had a great grandfather nicknamed, let’s say, as “James the Bugg/oaf” so as to distinguish him from the other James in town. Yay... Of course that was ages ago. 

FROM PROUD MARY:  I like the crocuses. They remind me of my Mama. She loved them. ===JACK:   Not that you necessarily care to know, but in Classical mythology .Crocus (Greek: Κρόκος) was a mortal youth who, because he was unhappy with his love affair with the nymph Smilax, was turned by the gods into a plant bearing his name, the crocus (saffron). Smilax is believed to have been given a similar fate and transformed into bindweed.  ===PM:  I love mythology and am thankful for you reminding me of the story. You have an amazing mind.===JACK:  ....a God-given mind.  I like to know my customers.

FROM ST PAUL IN ST PAUL:  Selfishly, “My Birthday!” - March 27, 1947-2021 (74) 0;-)===JACK:  I'm surprised that you weren't named, Patrick.  Maybe that was "too" Catholic at that time.

FROM WILLMAR REV:  Actually named after my grandfather and dad, Harry Paul McCullough III ... My dad was disappointed I did not name our son, the IV; however, I never liked the name, Harry ... Our son’s name, Joseph Paul McCullough. 0;-)===JACK:  Harry's not such a bad name...Harry James, Prince Harry, Harry Truman and Harry Houdini.===REV:  Understandable when older, but out on the playground, “Hairy! Hairy!” too, always Paul until the first day of class when the teacher would take a roll call- “Hairy McCullough?” The kids would ask, “Hairy?!” At least that was what I was thinking?!! 0;-)===JACK:  Those playground kids should see you now...right in style with the younger group.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  It  is certainly "like a Lamb" in IL, for March 1st! A high of 60 forecast, tho the wind is still chilly!  March 6th was  Bill's bday, (94 this yr.)and March 9th  was Jan's husband Hal's, March 31st was son Mark's b.day  and the 17th my BFF Donna's 92nd! Great G.son Sage was  born March 7th (7 yrs. so this will be his Golden B.day!) My dear Twin Jan died March 9th, 2010. So March has lots f memories, Some so happy, and some sad ones! I guess that is Life, isn't it ?  I'm hoping March will go out like it came in, like a Lamb!! Here's to Spring!! ===JACK:  WOW...What memories, but the bad is mixed with the good, and it seems as though the good far outweighs the bad....AND what a day for a walk!  Spring is here (at least for today).

FROM ME IN NEWPORT BEACH:  Spring is coming.===JACK:  I didn't know that you had seasons in California.  Do you miss the seasonal changes you had in Northcentral Wisconsin?===ME:  We do have seasons but they are much more subtle.  I miss much about Wisconsin but not the winters.  Other than drought and resultant fires, Weather here is best I have found anywhere.===JACK:  I can do without drought and fires.  I can also do without slush and rain turning to ice.

FROM SHALOM JAN:  I love that March is a time when we are "marching toward Spring"!  Early signs, such as pussywillows, have always given me joy.===JACK:  Pussy Willows....I love them, too.  God must have been in a fun mood when He made them.