Developing a Joke Part IV

    An Inuit boy said to a polar bear: what's a Nootka?

    The bear replied: "I don't know. What a nootka with you?"

 Developing a Joke Part III

    The Nootka boy said to the Tlingit girl, also called Klingit, that the Nez Perce were a bunch of southern nincompoops, who did not know how to survive in even a foot of snow! He explained how he had met some Pierced Noses, and they talked like they had pine cones in their mouths.

    Meanwhile, the Haida grandpa told the Kwakiutl grandma about the crazy Inuit way up north, who lived in months of endless days and endless nights, and there were some white people who lived like that, but that they ate less caribou and whale blubber. How could people do that.

    The grandma blanched.

 Developing a Joke Part II

    What did the Nootka boy say to the the Tlingit girl?

    The same thing the Haida grandpa said to the Kwakiutl grandma!

    Plop.

 Developing a Joke

    What did the Nootka say to the Tlingit?

    The same thing that the Haida said to the Kwakiutl!

    Okay, maybe people do not like that one.  I will keep working it.

Jealousy versus Grace: It is Some Kind of Race

 Jealousy versus Grace: It is Some Kind of Race

    Jealousy, not a kind nor easy feeling.

    Grace, a powerful and sweet salve that heals almost all.

    

    Jealousy bites, and nags, can grow like a cancer.

    Grace smooths over and heals, it enlarges the spirit and soul.

    Jealousy, why do you enter my thoughts? Be thee gone!

    Grace, come into me, envelope me, take control of my weaknesses...

    Jealousy interferes, interrupts, causes interludes of sadness or envy.

    It lingers and causes doubts, or fears, or even anger.

    Not healthy, this jealousy thing.

    Grace must enter and uphold, overcome the pangs of envy or feelings of unworthiness.

    Grace can come and suck out all the jaundice wounds of worthlessness, or of feelings of coming up shorter than the one that you are jealous of...

    There are always those that are faster, stronger, wiser, smarter, wealthier, cooler, even kinder.

    All of those people exist. They are better than you.

    Objectively, subjectively. Many of them have the grace and power that you seek.

    Another reason to be jealous and feel less than?

    Irony, sad and sweet.

    Thus, we need grace, and truth, and love. Acceptance.

    Love yourself, accept your faults. 

    Do your best. Let God do what He does, best.

    He is the apex of grace, His Son brought it all. 

    They offer it all.

    We, the weak vessels, must accept them and absorb it.

    For those with little or no faith, you must still find grace.

    With the capital G or no, grace must be found.

    We seek it, to overwhelm the negativity and scurrilous thoughts, feelings, emotions.

    God must prevail, say we believers. We proclaim it.

    We must pray more earnestly. Look to the Son and live!

    Eternal grace. Grace become word. 

    Word. 

    Grace is stronger, more real, perfect.

    No one can be jealous of that.

    Let Him hold you and carry you.

    And I will not envy.

    I am not jealous of the jealous God.

    I wish for and receive His grace.

    Amen.

 The World Cannot Be Good Enough for All, and Neither Can I

    Bad things have happened, are happening, and will happen. And that is just me and my family.

    Reading up on J.D. Salinger, we see a lot of pain and suffering. He went through a lot in England, France, Luxembourg, and Germany. It went from bad to worse. He survived physically, but mentally and emotionally, or spiritually, he was very much damaged. But we were the bad guys; we made it back to fight for another day. Most of the millions of troops made it home. Around 400,000 did not. Many stories of woe and sadness.

    Many of those who fought went through too much. Europe, Africa, the South Pacific, into the Philippines and Japan. 

    

    The civilians of those battle-reft lands were savaged and brutalized, and suffered so much. Maybe the Russians never healed enough; perhaps they fight into Ukraine because of those unhealed wounds from generations past. Not just the Great War, World War II, against the forces of Hitler and the Germans, but past wars, and even more recent. Like Afghanistan. They lost four or five times more than our coalition troops in less than half the years.

    The land where empires fall. Hard to change, even in the 21st century.

    Me, I did okay there. I survived, and sometimes thrived there. We were fortunate, most of us. Some were killed, maimed, and wounded. It was a war.

    But, we hold out hope for them and us. We can be okay enough, even excel, to greater heights.

    We have to overcome the challenges and setbacks.

IU Men Basketball: The Grit is Back? Nick Dorn and a Few Play Like they Care, they Can

    Wow! Or, wow. I am relieved the IU men survived at UCLA, and made it a gritty win. They were choking near the end, like their recent home win versus vaunted Purdue, but they survived, outlasted, just did enough for the victory. One injured point guard, and three others fouled out. 

    Nick Dorn might be the answer. Hello. You are a breath of fresh air, my Hoosier friend. Thank you!

    Maybe this Indiana team has enough to do it. They had Nebraska down, and Michigan State. They may have the right moxy.

    Perhaps I gutted them as gutless too soon, a few blog posts ago. Maybe they have enough talent, strength, and character to do some March Madness run?

    Who knows? They do have some pieces to do some great things. They need to be there and play as they can. Bot giving up. Yet.

    We shall see.