FReeper Canteen~HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!~15 June 08

The Canteen Crew ^ | June 14, 2008 | Serving the Best Troops in the WORLD!

[Brad’s Gramma]

 

 

 

 

 

THE LOSER WHO NEVER GAVE UP

For "Sparky", school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school, getting a grade of zero. He also flunked Latin, algebra and English. And his record in sports wasn't any better. Though he did manage to make the school's golf team, he promptly lost the only important match of the season. Oh, there was a consolation match; he lost that too.

Throughout his youth, Sparky was awkward socially. It wasn't that the other students disliked him; it's just that no one really cared all that much. In fact, Sparky was astonished if a classmate ever said hello to him outside of school hours. There's no way to tell how he might have done at dating. He never once asked a girl out in high school. He was too afraid of being turned down... or perhaps laughed at. Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates... everyone knew it. So he learned to live with it. He made up his mind early that if things were meant to work out, they would. Otherwise he would content himself with what appeared to be his inevitable mediocrity.

One thing WAS important to Sparky, however -- drawing. He was proud of his artwork. No one else appreciated it. But that didn't seem to matter to him. In his senior year of high school, he submitted some cartoons to the the yearbook. The editors rejected the concept. Despite this brush-off, Sparky was convinced of his ability. He even decided to become an artist.

So, after completing high school, Sparky wrote Walt Disney Studios. They asked for samples of his artwork. Despite careful preparation, it too was rejected. One more confirmation that he was a loser.

But Sparky still didn't give up. Instead, he decided to tell his own life's story in cartoons. The main character would be a little boy who symbolized the perpetual loser and chronic underachiever. You know him well. Because Sparky's cartoon character went on to become a cultural phenomenon of sorts. People readily identified with this "lovable loser." He reminded people of the painful and embarrassing moments from their own past, of their pain and their shared humanity. The character soon became famous worldwide: "Charlie Brown." And Sparky, the boy whose many failures never kept him from trying, whose work was rejected again and again,... is the highly successful cartoonist Charles Schultz. His cartoon strip, "Peanuts," continues to inspire books, T-shirts and Christmas specials, reminding us, as someone once commented, that life somehow finds a way for all of us, even the losers.

If you follow the comic strip for a while, you will begin to notice one other thing as well. It isn't anger, resentment or in-your-face sarcasm which fuels Schultz's creativity and resilience. It's his faith. In fact, one study of the comic strip, published several years ago, made precisely that point. It eventually became a popular book entitled, "The Gospel According To Peanuts."

Sparky's story reminds us of a very important principle in life. We all face difficulty and discouragement from time to time. We also have a choice in how we handle it. If we're persistent, if we hold fast to our faith, if we continue to develop the unique talents God has given us, who knows what can happen? We may end up with an insight and an ability to inspire that comes only through hardship. (Read Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28.) In the end, there are no "losers" with God. Some winners just take longer to develop!

CAPT J. David Atwater, CHC, USN

 

[MS.BEHAVIN]

You are most welcome, Sir Knight!
Swordplay today?

[fatima]

Happy Father’s Day Jim,You have a wonderful support group ,great Son’s and We thank you,Fatima

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Just got back from Buck’s BBQ!
*groan*
We ate too much!
LOL
Started off with a nice chicken, sausage and crawfish gumbo..
YOM!
The we had pulled pork, cowboy sausage, ribs, red bliss tater salad, beans, coleslaw, cornbread..
Oy!
I can hardly move!

[Lakeshark]

Why thank you ma'am, much appreciated. My daughter just called with the same. That makes 3 out of 4 and the day is young......

*off to grill dinner and dance jig with the lovely wifey*

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Happy Father’s Day!
What a great project involving the kiddos!
It’s gonna be great!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Looking good there, PE family!! Good job Bitty girl, keeping the sawdust away is very important. And excellent work, Spiderboy, of sanding and making sure both sides match.

BTW.....Happy Father's Day PE!!

[MS.BEHAVIN]

Hiya Ma!
Please wish your Dad a Happy Fathers Day for me!
*HUG*

[StarCMC]

HEY!! Two of my favorite mis-behavin’ ladies!! Love you two and THANK YOU!!

[mylife]

I told you!

You cant beat the pulled pork!

[MS.BEHAVIN]

*HUG*
You having a nice day so far?
Did you do anything neat?
(Like REST, for example?)
LOL

[mylife]

Happy Birthday you!

[MeekMom]

[mylife]

Lookin good PE!

[mylife]

The price of wood is crazy aint it?

[MeekMom]

Evenin' darlin'!! ((hugs))

[MS.BEHAVIN]

AW...
Aren’t you sweet!
*HUG*

[MS.BEHAVIN]

LOL
Yes, you did!
They have moved!
The new place is much bigger, and very nice!
They have a new club downstairs, and we are looking into having the Cats play there!
Is that cool or what?

[StarCMC]

LOL!! Had a nice day so far — and tonight I get a motorcycle ride. Just gotta decide where I want to go!! :-)

[mylife]

That would be cool. Dallas Cowboys footballer Randy White had a BBQ place here in town that had blues on tues nights.

Sadly they went out of business.

http://www.randywhitesbbq.com/

[MS.BEHAVIN]

A motorcycle ride sounds great!
Wish it wasn’t raining here, so we could go on one, too!
Have hubby take you out to dinner, maybe?
*hint hint*