I beg your pardon--pardon me!

Saturday question—If attitudes were contagious, would folks want to catch yours? I beg your pardon—pardon me! You don’t get it? Don’t make me stop this car and come back there!

I beg your pardon—Pardon me! World famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright built a house for industrialist Hibbard Johnson. One rainy evening Johnson was entertaining distinguished guests for dinner when the roof began to leak. The water seeped through directly above Johnson himself, dripping steadily onto his bald head. Irate, he called Wright in Phoenix, Arizona. Johnson said...You built this beautiful house for me and we enjoy it very much. But the roof leaks, and right now I am with some friends and distinguished guests and it is leaking right on top of my head. There was a pause on the line and after a few moments of silence Wright replied: Well Hib, why donâÂ?ÂTt you move your chair?

Beg your pardon--Pardon me! We are close to 65 and we get all these adds in the mail soliciting us for their supplemental heath insurance. This one company advertised—You won’t answer any health questions—You won’t undergo a medical exam—You won’t be turned down for any pre-existing conditions—You are guaranteed acceptance. Wow! Beg your pardon—Pardon me! All companies are required by law to do this. It just made me laugh. What ever it takes folks. It’s all about the money folks. They didn’t lie or cheat but just worked on the emotions of the easy ones. GerogeTheCrook says-- Cheaters cheat—liars lie… GerogeTheCrook, I know some of each. Some folks are unsalvageable and impenetrable—They need to be cut from the team and you need to recruit someone who you need on your team. Such is life.

My high school basketball coach (i.e. now 75 years old) emailed me this: 3 things in life, once gone, never come back 1. Time 2. Words 3. Opportunities. Oh those opportunities. Beg your pardon—Pardon me! I pray for opportunities, the ability to recognize them (i.e. so they just don’t fly over my head) and the courage to act on them. I liked my high school bb coach, always have and always will. He’s a good man. I remember him coming to see me after my mom’s died at my Uncle George’s house. I was 23 I think. It was very meaningful to me. Folks affect folks. I think he acted on an opportunity. Thanksamillion Coach Black, you’re a good man.

SusieQ prays--Pardon me God but show me the people around me who need my help. Make me a generous person, open with my time and knowledge, quick to include others in my activities. Amen. Maybe God might say—What we have here is a failure to communicate…clearly! Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after. I beg your pardon God!

Beg your pardon God but I think I know more than you! “When the circumstances of your life start to shift (i.e. unravel a bit) at least consider that it might be due to God. When you find yourself in a state of confusion or curiosity about the way things are going, go ahead and ask him if there's something he'd like to say to you.” ~ Bill Hybels Is man good and bent evil by society, or is he born evil, and kept straight by society’s heavy hand? Most disturbing to me about this question is not its answer, but the reason for which it is most often involved. I was at the golf course recently and a friend came up to me and said—How can there be a God; my sister who is expecting her first two grandkids, has taught in a Christian school for 40 years and now has cancer. There are those who deny the existence of God and there are those who have witnessed too much to deny the unseen world, and envy themselves of the love of God. In this folks are the most hopeless of men. For there is not much hope to be found in hating a God, if you believe in Him. And there is not much future in it. LuckieEddie says--It’s a rare human who spends more time looking for truth than protecting their already-held beliefs.

At some point in our life we find out that our ideas did not work, but the God idea does. Deep down in every man, woman, and child is the fundamental idea of God. Faith in God greater than ourselves and miraculous demonstrations of that power in our lives are facts as old as the human race. Am I willing to rely on God or on myself? Pardon me God, I really thought I was really smart and knew more than you. MyFrieandJean says—Experience is a hard teacher, because she gives the test first, the lesson after the test. Such is life.

Pardon me! I beg your pardon! If you have money, smarts and influence, you have a lot of responsibility. Sure there has been injuries and deaths in taking charge, but none of them toooooooo serious! Andthisprettysweetgalsaid—It was when I had my first child that I understood how much my mother loved me. Pardon me! Anotherprettysweetgalemailedmethis--I have a funny story to share ... my cousin has ALS. This summer there was a benefit fundraiser for he and his family. His mom donated quarts of home-canned beef. They were put on the silent auction. Another of my aunts bid and purchased some of the jars. She then turned around and entered the canned beef at the county fair under her name ... and got a blue ribbon! My 1st aunt told me that and we just laughed and laughed. That is a hoot! Beg your pardon!

Pardon me but…Coach Black made me think more of my youthful days. Click on the picture to make it larger. I am the little toe head second from the back in second to the right row. My class (i.e. 4th grade at Roseland, MN) is in the right row. I got to sit with Bob Bruggers (i.e. back of me) and Mike Gort (i.e. ahead of me) who were in 5th graders. They were my buddies. At that time I’m sure I was ranked at least 6th academically in my class (i.e. there were only 6). When I graduated from 6th grade I know I moved up to at least 5th as Sammie Myskens (i.e. third in the row who was the pastor’s daughter) moved and Patricia Herman (i.e. first in the 5th grade row) was held back. Hey, don’t laugh, Donald Hoeskera and Jim Knoll who were the other two boys in my class both got PhDs and I only got a measly MA. Carol Lippert (i.e. the second girl in the 4th grade row) was the first girl I kissed. Yep, it was by the swing set I think in second or third grade (i.e. what an experience). The girl in the back of the 4th grade row was Pat Dykema, my first cousin. Oh yes, pardon me, do you see that I had bib overalls on (i.e. and I don’t think they were in style back then). One more thing, Don Hoeskra was the fist kid I got in a fight with—he gave me a bloody noise—I lost that fight! ANYWAY that was our picture of 4th, 5th and 6th grade with Mrs. Lincoln in good old Roseland Elementary. Oh yes, Bob Bruggers was a very outstanding athlete. He took us to the state bb tournament with Coach Black’s help. He ended up playing pro football. Pardon me folks but he did seem to struggle some with all the glory given him. Bob is still idolized by some in good old Danube/Roseland. I bet the folks in Roseland/Danube maybe don’t even know who Don Hoeskra and Jim Knoll are. Such is life.

I beg your pardon! But successful folks might be different to me than to you. Our friend/neighbor Henry Groenveld (i.e. 81) died this last week. I think he was a very successful guy. He had polio as a boy and it affected his walking. I asked him one time why he had such a good attitude and others just sit on the couch and eat chips drawing disability. He said—I just went forward. Sam Patterson, the old banker in town, asked Henry to work for him out of high school. He and his family thought that was a good opportunity. It was but he wished he had gone to college. Henry worked in a JD implement dealership for 32 years and was the county treasurer for 13 years. He was just a great, real guy with a huge massive good heart (i.e. my kind of guy). And best of all, he was a very humble man who loved the Lord. With Henry there was no gossip, no excuses, not stories, no blamin’ but he just stated everything in the positive (i.e. that’s hard for some folks as they only know negative and demoralizing stuff).

I beg your pardon! Excuse me! Have you noticed that there are very few folks who can handle “theworld’ssuccess”? Look around your community, on the professional sports scene (i.e. Tiger Wood’s world) or in the top management areas. Many mess their life up! It’s all about money and then we find out that it’s not all about money after all. GerogeTheCrook says—As sure as success will destroy a man, it will just as assuredly be imitated. I was told that a guy in a near by town threw a party last week end (i.e. we were not invited). At the party were very prominent politicians and a U of I head coach. I asked how come they were all there? 'Cause this guy maybe donates huge massive amounts of money to those folks. So how much do you think it would take to have them come to my party (i.e. everyone has a #)? It's all about money folks. JoeBlow says--It seems as if the golden rule has change to “do unto others what it takes to get their gold.” Such is life.

I beg your pardon! Excuse me! Here is another of my friends who is a successful person. We had a little church clean up the other day. 12 of us worked about an hour to make the outside look a little better (i.e. it looks like someone is living there again). A friend came and worked his butt off—it was a very hot humid day—he out worked me! He’s 87 years old. He doesn’t sit on the couch eating chips folks; he gets off the couch and does something. He’s a good man (i.e. a real person with a massive huge heart—and a strong back). ItchieBitchie says—The fastest way to find success and happiness is by giving. Life gives to the givers and takes from the taker; the world has a perfect accounting system. It seems to me that givers are happy folks and takers are unhappy. Why is that do you think? Such is life.

Pardon me; excuse me! MissPerfect says—Life has taught me that to fly, you must first accept the possibility of failure—those that don’t are much like a computer when it’s locked up! One more thing, don’t assume the assumption of tomorrow as it might not every come.

Peg your pardon! Pardon me! We can deny reality, but we can’t deny the consequences of denying reality. There is a moment in all acts when there is no turning back; the step over the cliff, the finger committing to the trigger and the hammer falling, the bullet erupting from the chamber, unstoppable…Many folks are mug-rumpers! Yep, they sit on the fence and never commit (i.e. have there mug on one side of the fence and their rum on the other). They teeter back and forth depending which way the wind of the discussion is (i.e. they gotta look good). Ouchy ouchy!

Pardon me! I beg your pardon! If you don’t want problems, don’t be a leader. The problem is when you identify each problem as a problem. When you do that, it often it becomes one of the problems you revisit every week, and it becomes a part of the “sameoldsameold”. Every time you call problems “problems,” you stop all ability to resolve them. Never call problems “problems” again, but call them “opportunities.” When you do that everything changes. Hmmmmmmmmm, suddenly there are no problems, just opportunities. ~ Stay away from energy vampires (i.e. they are toxie waste dumps of an attitude). ~ My nephew-in-law sent me a little sign this week that reads—If at first you don’t succeed try doing it the way your wife told you. ~ And remember—don’t think you are sooooooooo important; Most of the time we are only an extra in somebody else’s soap opera! Such is life.

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

KR’s thought of the day—Everyone wants progress, but few want the chance that progress requires.