Monday Morning Musings

 It is another gray, cold day here in East Texas, so I'm enjoying some hot apple cider this morning. Just for something different. Grab a cup and sit back as I rant just a bit. Then we'll have some fun. I promise.

Photo Courtesy of A BestKitchen.com where you can find a recipe for Hot Apple Cider. Mine doesn't look this good. It is in a Mason jar without those cute garnishes. Still tastes good, though.

Did you watch the Super Bowl last night? I'll admit that I did. I have long been a football fan, although I have to say that my enthusiasm has waned in the past twenty years. Maybe even longer as more and more moral and even criminal behavioral issues arose with players that athletic programs seemed to ignore. They covered up what they could, didn't impose consequences, and basically gave the message that the only thing that mattered was what players did on the field. The game, and winning the game at all costs has become paramount in athletic programs from high schools to colleges and on to the pros.

I just read an article about Keith Frazier, a high school player in Dallas who was given a scholarship to SMU. I wasn't upset about the scholarship. What bothered me is that his school, Kimball High School, altered his grades and attendance records to make him eligible for the scholarship. Shame on the people who were involved. Had these actions not been discovered and revealed, what lesson would Frazier have learned? That it is okay to lie and cheat to get what you want?

There's way too much of that going on in our society without teaching it to more young people.

Another discouraging bit of news I saw over the weekend involved what is happening on some comedy shows on television. I haven't watched sit-coms on TV for years. Partly because I hated when the focus switched from humor to sex - who was having it and who was not - and also because of the irritating laugh tracks. I know when something is funny, thank you very much. I don't need someone to tell me when it is time to laugh.

Yesterday I read a letter to the editor in the Dallas Morning News written by Nancy Friedel in which she lamented the fact that sit coms have now started using theft as entertainment. She cited three shows, "Two Broke Girls", "How I Met Your Mother", and "Mike and Molly", that have used theft as bonding rituals between characters in episodes this year. Friedel asks, "When did theft become a comic plot device on TV?"

My question is, when did the viewing public accept that as okay? Geesh!

Okay, enough of the negative stuff. Here's a joke to start your week off with a laugh.

A new pastor was visiting the homes of his parishioners.

At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, Genesis 3:10."

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter.

Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid, for I was naked."

 If you watched the Superbowl, which commercial did you like the best? The Budweiser commercial with the puppy and the horses was great. I also liked the Dorito's commercial with the kid tricking the dad about the time machine. Microsoft had a nice one called "Empowering", and the new Cheerios commercial was cute.

For those of you who did not watch the game but might like to see some of the commercials, here is a link to 2014's Best Superbowl Commercials on Syracuse.com. You can even vote for them if you care to.

Winning

I must say I enjoyed yesterday's Super Bowl more than I have others in recent history. Unless the Cowboy's play, I usually don't care a whole lot who wins, but yesterday I was pulling for the Cardinals. There was something endearing about the fact that halfway through the season they were the last team anyone expected to take the field on Superbowl Sunday.

From the storybook history of Kurt Warner to the come-from-behind wins in the playoffs that were reminiscent of vintage Cowboys plays and "Hail Mary" passes, it was exciting to watch this team fight their way to the big game. And it was exciting to watch them fight so hard to make up a first-half deficit and come so close to winning in the last few minutes of the game.

What was evident on the field was teamwork and heart. The Cardinals came to the game knowing they were considered a long-shot to win, but they didn't let that keep them from giving it their all.

We can all take a lesson from that, I think. There are times we all face what seems like insurmountable odds to achieve a goal and give up before we even start. Maybe we'd be better off to just put the blinders on and forge ahead. Sometimes winning doesn't mean having the highest score.