Lucky stars will not get the job done, we need the Lord's help!

I'm not sure if Friday, October 22, 2010 has any special ramifications except that it is today, and you and I are here in it, therefore, I suppose we have to soldier on. I tell you, I can't seem to get my ducks in a row so I can take advantage of all the special calendar aligned days of late. First we had the rush of marriages on 10-10-10 (October 10, 2010) and many had it timed for the 'I do' to occur precisely at 10 am. Some said it was to have an easy to remember anniversary. Others believed it to be like an omen of good luck that would infuse their marriage with success. I've been at the marriage game for nearly 46 years and I will tell you from up close personal experience that no calendar quirk will help. It requires the grace of God and if you succeed at all it's only because of the grace of God. I know there are unbelievers who have long marriages as well but when I write I have to give you my perspective and that's the way I see it, The View From Here, and all of that tommyrot. The origin of the phrase tommyrot is unclear with many speculations but we do know it was used as early as 1884 and it has come to mean foolish nonsense. I suppose given that definition then for me that means if the shoe fits, I should wear it? Or, how about, get another one just like it? Another shoe, not another wife. You folks are hard to keep up with. Then we had the other one that happened this past Wednesday. In Europe they always express the day first, therefore, they had them a great 20102010, (20 October 2010) and that set off waves of activities to be timed against this remarkable confluence. Do you ever feel like you are left standing on the platform as the last train leaves the station? I can always wait for next year because 11-11-11 sounds like a winner and then we will have 12-12-12 to look forward to after that. The possibilities are mind boggling or mind numbing or mindless, I'll let you be the judge of that.

Speaking of mindlessness, have you ever seen more political stuff flying around like it is this year? Maybe we should all wear some type of protective gear or maybe return to those drills where we all hid under our desks. We grew up. We learned that getting under a schoolroom desk to protect yourself from a nuclear blast was not necessarily going to do much good. But that was back in the cold war days. Now we have both hot and cold going on with much of it right here at home as the different parties slug it out. They are digging up dirt on each other like there's no tomorrow and according to the polls, that is exactly what it is for many of the incumbents. Pretty soon we will hear about how a fellow actually pulled a girl's ponytail when he was in kindergarten proving that he is against women and unfit for office as well as being a disgrace to the world, or maybe even the universe. No wonder we all become more and more cynical. Some have concluded that all politicians lie but it doesn't matter because no one is paying any attention to them anyway. They can barely draw a crowd these days. Maybe Yoggi was right when he said, "Nobody goes where the crowds are anymore. It's just too crowded." I know we are all a little testy right now. The other day when I said something about hoping this winter would be so cold the politicians would have to keep their hands in their own pockets, that struck a chord with several people. I suppose we would prefer them to spend their time on more important issues like finding out what the people in China call their good plates.

Yoggi Berra is a champion of wordsmithing as I see it. I'm sure he has a fan club that celebrates his exploits as a professional baseball player, coach, manager, and team executive. But you might not know that he also has a fan club that features his many wonderful sayings. Sure, most of the time he mangles the language but in doing so he brings an abundance of smiles while creating a cottage industry of copy cats. So much of what are called 'yogisms' have been attributed to him, the hall of fame catcher mused, "I didn't really say everything I said." My favorite of his has to be the classic, "You can observe a lot by watching." I believe most of Yoggi's stuff comes straight from the heart. Like when he advised, "Always go to other people's funerals, or they won't come to yours." Other folks like to play with phrases and come up with stuff like, "He's a wolf in cheap clothing."  Of course we all love bloopers, that is when someone says something they intended one way but it comes out another. When a student writes, "The constitution was adopted to secure domestic hostility," we understand what they meant but we also can smile. In the case of tranquility versus hostility, I suppose that blooper might more accurately portray where we are today. Maybe we all could take some advice from old Humpy Dumpty, "When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean- - neither more or less." I'll have to keep that in mind as I tip toe through these daily doses of my version of word mangling. This brings to an end another work week and I do appreciate those who express to me how that a word here or there has encouraged them in their journey here. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. Lord willing and the Creeks don't rise, meaning of course, the Creek Indian Nation, I'll see you early next Monday. May God bless. Amen.            .....More later.