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January 23, 2010

Life's Like That - Jan. 24, 2010

By Jerry Bullock The San Marcos Record Sat Jan 23, 2010, 01:25 PM CST

Good morning. Some of you tell me you start your Sunday morning off with Life’s Like That. I don’t think I have ever told you thanks. Some of you have been reading this column since I started writing it … that is about 28 years. That amounts to 1,456 articles, averaging 500 words per article or 728,000 words total. According to statistics the average American male speaks 7,000 words a day (13,000 less than the average American female). It has been argued that the difference is because the woman has to repeat everything she says; Lucille subscribes to that theory. Be that as it may, I figure I have written about 104 days worth of words. Just what that has to do with anything is debatable.

It reminds me of a Hodja story from our time in Turkey. The Hodja is a holy man who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Hodja is also the hero of hundreds of stories told to Turkish children. In this particular story the Hodja went to the mosque for his weekly message to his congregation and could think of nothing to say.

“Who knows what I am going to say today?” he asked. Of course, no one volunteered to tell him. So with a look of disgust he announced, “Your ignorance is disgusting.” And he walked out of the mosque, leaving them looking puzzled at each other.

The next week he again asked his congregation, “Who knows what I am going to say today?” About half the congregation, still stung by the previous week’s tongue lashing, raised their hands. “That is much better,” said the holy man. “Now you who know what I am going to say; please tell the others.” Again he walked out of the mosque.

The third week when he once more asked, “Who knows what I am going to say today?” they all raised their hands. “This is wonderful,” he said. “You have learned so much in just three weeks.” Again he walked out and left them.

All right, who knows what I am going to write today?

If you have stayed with me all these years, about two-thirds of you could probably raise your hands. As I look back I see a repetition of themes. Self control, loving one another and being compassionate, putting faith in God, giving thanks for God’s comfort in any situation – all of these have found their way into many of the articles.

I appreciate the kind words I am often given; many times a person I meet in a store or restaurant will tell me they are regular readers. Frankly, that has been what has kept me writing. The best compliment came from one of my daughters who volunteered to read through my file and pick out some articles to put in a planned book. After she read them she wrote, “We kids always thought of mother as the smart one and dad as just sort of laid back. It was amazing to find out he is so much smarter than we thought he was.”

God willing there will be a Best of Life’s Like That on the bookshelves. Now you know what I was going to write today. You have learned a lot since we started.

Jerry Bullock has written his weekly column for the Daily Record for more than 20 years. Jerry is a retired Air Force colonel, an ordained Baptist minister, professional counselor, military historian, speaker, and writer. He is a native Texan tracing his Texas roots to the days of the Republic.

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