Have you ever noticed how one headline gets one person's attention, while someone else doesn't even pause? Here's one I read the other day on the Houston Chronicle website that caused me to stop, look, and listen to what it had to say:
Study: 50-year-old with diabetes dies 6 years sooner. As Scooby would say: "Ruh-ro!" Let me see if I can figure out why I was immediately drawn to this news item. I am nearly 15 years past 50 and I am a diabetic, but the good news is that my grandson told me he thought I would be around for another twenty years and that sounds a little more optimistic than that article. But how in the world are you doing on this fine Thursday, March 10, 2011? Something else came up while we were busy going about our business. Subway restaurants passed McDonald's in total stores worldwide, 33,749 to 32,737. Of course, as grandparents, we typically visit the golden arches for reasons other than the quality of the food, and maybe you didn't know, but Subway's do not have playgrounds. McDonald's 25 billion in revenue is huge but Subway is no slouch with slightly more than 15 billion, and Subway has smaller stores and a much lower operating cost. When asked about this distinction for Subway, the McDonald's spokesperson gave one of those classic corporate sing song responses. He said that McDonald's, over the past two years, has been more focused on becoming better not bigger. They are working on getting better? Please don't laugh so loud, it's still early and you might break something.
Speaking of breaking things, stuff does get away from me more than in the past, it just slips out of my hand. It can be embarrassing and often dropping something isn't the problem, it's the jitter bug juggling act you perform before it hits the floor. I suppose it's better to lose your grip in your hand than to lose it in your head since much is said about folks who lose their grip on reality. If you Google 'lost your grip' you will find a huge number of songs that have been written about the subject. I can't say that I have heard any of them, in fact, I didn't even know they existed. The lyrics of some of these songs are pretty depressing. It's all about losing your grip on someone you love, or something you enjoy, or on reality itself. I never knew that losing one's grip was such a well known subject, in a disheartening and depressing way. I know I sometimes come off looking even more foolish by trying to act as if what happened was not really unintended at all. Everyone knows that you blew it but you do your best impression of illustrating this message: I bet you thought I didn't plan for that happen. But, alas, all the charades aside, Humpty Dumpty typically cannot be put back together again anymore than recovering the spilled milk back into the carton. Or something like that. Might as well learn to laugh at yourself because you might as well join the fun already in progress.
You most likely heard or read about the Michigan high school basketball player who scored the winning basket and then collapsed and died. I read about his memorial service and it appears he was a strong believer in Jesus, therefore, based on his testimony, we know that he is "absent from the body and present with the Lord." (2nd Letter from the Apostle Paul to the fellowship of believers meeting in Corinth, Greece, 2nd Corinthians 5, Verse 8) Given that testimony I just wanted to say this about his passing:
What a way to go! I know that may sound morbid and I would never underestimate the grief felt by his loved ones, teammates, and the entire community where he lived. Early reports indicate he died from an enlarged heart. Based on the reports I read, he also lived with a huge heart for his Lord and for others. One uncle said he never really understood the meaning of the phrase, 'larger than life' until he saw it lived out in his nephew's life. Here he was in the a state basketball final, 3500 screaming fans, and he sinks the winning basket, and then gets to go see Jesus. He also leaves behind a testimony that proclaimed it's not how long but it is what you do with the life you have that really counts. Let me see if I have my checklist completed. Talked about premature death associated with diabetes, check; Talked about Subway versus McDonald's, check; Covered the subject of losing one's grip, check; and then we saw in a young man, 16 years old, Wes Leonard, a testimony to us all. Today my stuff may be all over the place but maybe, just maybe, something in there somewhere spoke to someone, I know it did to me. See you next time and may God be with you all.
Amen. .....More later.
Speaking of breaking things, stuff does get away from me more than in the past, it just slips out of my hand. It can be embarrassing and often dropping something isn't the problem, it's the jitter bug juggling act you perform before it hits the floor. I suppose it's better to lose your grip in your hand than to lose it in your head since much is said about folks who lose their grip on reality. If you Google 'lost your grip' you will find a huge number of songs that have been written about the subject. I can't say that I have heard any of them, in fact, I didn't even know they existed. The lyrics of some of these songs are pretty depressing. It's all about losing your grip on someone you love, or something you enjoy, or on reality itself. I never knew that losing one's grip was such a well known subject, in a disheartening and depressing way. I know I sometimes come off looking even more foolish by trying to act as if what happened was not really unintended at all. Everyone knows that you blew it but you do your best impression of illustrating this message: I bet you thought I didn't plan for that happen. But, alas, all the charades aside, Humpty Dumpty typically cannot be put back together again anymore than recovering the spilled milk back into the carton. Or something like that. Might as well learn to laugh at yourself because you might as well join the fun already in progress.
You most likely heard or read about the Michigan high school basketball player who scored the winning basket and then collapsed and died. I read about his memorial service and it appears he was a strong believer in Jesus, therefore, based on his testimony, we know that he is "absent from the body and present with the Lord." (2nd Letter from the Apostle Paul to the fellowship of believers meeting in Corinth, Greece, 2nd Corinthians 5, Verse 8) Given that testimony I just wanted to say this about his passing: What a way to go! I know that may sound morbid and I would never underestimate the grief felt by his loved ones, teammates, and the entire community where he lived. Early reports indicate he died from an enlarged heart. Based on the reports I read, he also lived with a huge heart for his Lord and for others. One uncle said he never really understood the meaning of the phrase, 'larger than life' until he saw it lived out in his nephew's life. Here he was in the a state basketball final, 3500 screaming fans, and he sinks the winning basket, and then gets to go see Jesus. He also leaves behind a testimony that proclaimed it's not how long but it is what you do with the life you have that really counts. Let me see if I have my checklist completed. Talked about premature death associated with diabetes, check; Talked about Subway versus McDonald's, check; Covered the subject of losing one's grip, check; and then we saw in a young man, 16 years old, Wes Leonard, a testimony to us all. Today my stuff may be all over the place but maybe, just maybe, something in there somewhere spoke to someone, I know it did to me. See you next time and may God be with you all. Amen. .....More later.
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