Wisdom From Gracie Allen

Orig: 01/30/09

It’s snowing again. And it’s still cold, very cold. And windy. And Ford’s results stink. And the market’s down. And Congress thinks Christmas is in January – even if they don’t think it is politically correct to say that word.
I don’t own a dog, but I’ve thoughts of going out and buying one, just so I could have one I could come home to and kick. Life sucks, and I want it to stop!

You know I don’t mean that literally, but sadly some people do. Suicides are up lately, and so are people who, if not thinking about it, wish that somehow they could end this period of their lives.

Yesterday morning, I read Fr Benedict Groessel quoting (of all people!) Gracie Allen. Gracie said: “Never put a period where God has put a comma”.

Change is happening in all our lives. We’d like to think that we are in control of changes in our lives, but if we are honest we’ll admit we’re not. We roll with the changes in our lives and try to make the best of them, and sometimes, like now, we can’t see a “best”. And we feel much anxiety. We want this time to end. But read Gracie’s quote again. We can’t see the future, but God can. We want this time to end, but perhaps God sees a bigger story here, and this time is just the start of it.

You remember your grammar lessons on sentence constructions. Subjects and verbs don’t complete the full thought in the sentence. In fact, the thought of the sentence is never over before the period at the end. That’s why we all remember the sentence that ends with a comma, followed by: “and then they lived happily ever after”.

God does intend for us to have happy endings, even if there are recessions or depressions - or kissing of frogs - before then. The dreariness of winter and downs of the economies happen, but remember there WILL BE a springtime, and the flowers will smell wonderful again.

Don’t think that winter doesn’t end.

And if you can’t get your mind off it, stop reading the Wall Street Journal and go read a good book. I’m reminded of the one by George Burns called: Gracie, a Love Story. It’s a great book; you’ll love it: you laugh, you cry, you’re anxious, you’re elated, you see trials, you see triumphs, and most of all you see a strong, continuing love through all of it. It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I can see it as kind of being an analogy of the book of our lives, only there God is the author.

Go ahead, buy Gracie -- and sneak a peek at the ending. It is a happy one, just like yours will be.

I hope you are having a great day ","