Year: 2018

Murdo Girl…Words of Wisdom on..Friendship

Mary Francis McNinch

Everyone seemed to love the angel stories and I have been given three more examples so heartwarming, that I must share them. I will intermingle them with other stories. I have also received several requests to write about topics in My Uncle Charles Francis’ book, Words of Wisdom.

The first topic is Friendship…

Aristotle, (384 – 322 B.C.), a pupil of Plato, viewed friendship among the highest virtues, It was an essential element in a full, virtuous, and worthwhile life. For Aristotle, there were three kinds of friendship:

*Friendship of pleasure: two people are wonderfully happy in one another’s company.

**Friendship of utility: two people assist one another in everyday aspects of life.

***Friendship of virtue: two people mutually admire one another and will be on their best behavior in order not to jeopardize their relationship. 

Victor Hugo, distinguished French writer and novelist, composed this analogy.

“My coat and I live comfortably together. It has assumed all my wrinkles, does not hurt me anywhere, has moulded itself on my deformities, and is complacent to all my movements, and I only feel it’s presence because it keeps me warm. Old coats and old friends are the same thing.”

Oscar Wilde on Friendship…

Oscar Wilde (1854 -1900), the Irish poet, wit and dramatist, was a major literary talent in every way.

“If a friend of mine gave a feast, and did not invite me to it, I should not mind a bit, But if a friend had a sorrow and refused to allow me to share it, I should feel it most bitterly.”

George Washington gave this advice to his nephew, Bushrod Washington in 1783…

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few; and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. Friendship is a plant of slow growth.”

I will add one simple thing I am trying harder to put into action.

In order to have a friend, you have to be a friend. 

This topic was suggested by Valerie Halla, aka Lav…Here are a few photos of Val with her good friends. I’m not sure who she’s with in that third picture…

Murdo Girl…The why of Connie’s Story

Mary Francis McNinch

The third angel story…

Mary Francis McNinch's avatarThose 70ish Girls

There is something I have been wanting to share with you and tonight, I feel like writing about it.

I have been thinking about Connie’s Story and how it evolved. I started to recall the times I had admired someone else and/or their things hi, and wanted to emulate them. You might think I’m psychoanalyzing myself and you could be right, but I doubt I’m the only person who has struggled with finding their own identity. My first memory of admiring someone else’s style was when I was five years old.

I wanted Lois Lillibridge’s shoes.

I borrowed them and I loved them so much I couldn’t bring myself to give them back. I asked her if she wanted the pink canvas shoes I had and she said, “No.” Then an awful thing happened. Her dad died and Lois and her mom and sister were moving away from Murdo.

I’m…

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Murdo Girl…Only time will tell

Mary Francis McNinch

Mr Swinson lived to celebrate his 100th birthday. Today is his heavenly birthday. This is a wonderful story his daughter, Sherri, told me.

Mary Francis McNinch's avatarThose 70ish Girls

Do you believe in Angels? There is a saying, “To those who believe, no explanation is necessary. To those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.”

Please know that I’m not trying to persuade anybody to believe one way or the other, but today, Tuesday and Thursday, I would like to share three very heartwarming stories..and they’re all true.

THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK

Back in the 70’s Sherri Miller’s Mom and Dad bought a grandfather clock at an auction in Presho, SD where they lived. As it turned out, the clock belonged to someone who lived just a couple of blocks from them, so they ended up hand carrying it down the street to their house, where it still resides.

1-Grandfather clock

The clock soon became Mr. Swinson’s pride and joy and he seldom let anyone else touch it. His beautiful clock had to be wound each week before the weights were…

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Murdo Girl…Lessons from animals

Mary Francis McNinch10 Comments

I picked another topic from Uncle Chuck’s book, Wisdom well said. I ran across …lessons we learn from animals. But first, a little more background.

When he retired, Charles Francis decided to make good use of his library of stories and quotes. He started an Internet business he called ‘The Idea Bank.’ People purchased a membership and could go into the site, pick a subject, and get stories and quotes to add interest to their speech or article. Many speech writers enjoyed the convenience of Uncle Chuck’s well organized, unique, and large volume of information. To say he was well-read is a vast understatement.

The three Francis brothers…from left, Bill, John, and Chuck. Their father died when his sons were 10 (John), 7 (Bill), and 2 (Chuck).

I like this poem about accomplishment, author unknown.

There once was an oyster whose story I’ll tell, Who found that sand got under his shell;

Just one little grain, but it gave him much pain, For oysters have feelings although they’re so plain.

Now, did he berate the working of fate, Which had led him to such a deplorable state?

Did he curse out the government, call for an election? No. As he lay on the shelf, he said to himself,

“If I cannot remove it, I’ll improve it.” So the years rolled by as the years always do,

And he came to the ultimate destiny – stew. But this small grain of sand which had bothered him so,

Was a beautiful pearl, all richly aglow. Now this poem has a moral – for isn’t it grand

What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand. What couldn’t we do if we’d only begin With all of the things that get under our skin.

Teamwork and ego…

The sin (and danger) of excessive pride (or an excessive ego) is admirably demonstrated in this simple fable:

A frog asked two geese to take him south with them. At first they resisted; they couldn’t see how it could be done. Finally, the frog suggested that the two geese hold a stick in their beaks and he would hold onto it with his mouth.

So off the unlikely threesome went, flying southward over the countryside. It was really quite a sight. People looked up and expressed great admiration at this demonstration of creative teamwork.

Someone said, “It’s wonderful! Who was so clever to discover such a fine way to travel?”

Whereupon the frog opened his mouth and said, “It was I,” as he plummeted to the earth.

I’m adding these pictures of two pages of topics. The first one of you to mention a topic in their comment will get some suggestions from the book in the next blog. You can make the photos larger by tapping with your finger.

Murdo Girl…Wisdom well said

Mary Francis McNinch1 Comment

When we were culling and moving, I came across a great book written by my dad’s brother, Charles Francis. I promise you have never seen a book like this…unless you have seen this one. 

Pick a subject…any subject. Do you need ideas, quotes from specific people whose names your readers will recognize? What subject? Funny stories, anecdotes to make your point or what else? Well…you name it and then you can find it in this book.

To demonstrate, I will pick a topic. As you know, I recently embarked on a new adventure. To be successful, I must overcome my fear of failure, and my tendency to panic and talk myself into giving up, etc. I want to feel motivated and I want to use humor. In ten minutes, I had everything I needed to start.

I looked in the table of contents where everything is cross-referenced under different categories. As most of you know. I was raised on humor. Here was Uncle Chuck’s best quote explaining humor…

“Humor endows us with the capacity to clarify the obscure, to simplify the complex, to deflate the pompous, to chastise the arrogant, to point to a moral, and to adorn a tale…”

Who said it? The late US Senator, Sam J. Ervin, Jr.  who, at the age of 76, headed the Senate Select Committee investigating the Watergate scandal.

On Panic…

Once upon a time, a young donkey asked his grandpa, “How do I grow up to be just like you?”

“Oh, that’s simple,” the elder donkey said. “All you have to do is to remember to shake it off and step up.”

“What does that mean?” asked the youngster. 

The grandfather replied, “Let me tell you a story…”

“Once when I was your age, I was out walking. I wasn’t paying attention and fell deep into an old abandoned well. I started braying and braying. Finally an old farmer came by and saw me. I was scared to death. But then he left. I stayed in that well all night.

“The next morning, he came back with a whole group of people, and they looked down at me. Some of them even laughed. Then the farmer said, “The well’s abandoned and that donkey isn’t worth saving, so let’s get to work.’ And believe it or not, they all started shoveling dirt into the well. I panicked. I was going to be buried alive!

“After the first shovels of dirt came down on me, I realized something. Every time dirt landed on my back, I could use it and step up a little bit higher. They kept shoveling and I kept shaking the dirt off and stepping up. This went on for some time.

“Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…’ I kept repeating to myself for encouragement. I fought the panic by shaking it off and stepping up. And it wasn’t long before I stepped out of the well, exhausted but triumphant.

“So no matter how difficult the situation, no matter how bad things get, no matter how much dirt gets dumped on you, just remember – shake it off and step up. You’ll be alright.”

Like almost everyone on both sides of my family, Uncle Chuck graduated from Murdo High School. He also wrote a book called, Murdo Man. It’s different from my stories. He goes more into the history of Murdo and the Francis family.

I will tell you more about this great man, later.

 

Murdo Girl…They call it passive aggressive behavior

Mary Francis McNinch4 Comments

It seems my “Woe is me because my school didn’t offer Home Economics,” blog brought out some “feelings” for some of you. I should have remembered the reactions I got the one or two (or six) times I have mentioned that in my senior year, I won the “Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow” award.

Truthfully? Some of the previous winners feared for their lives. It’s amazing to me that forty or fifty, or in some cases, sixty years later, some have not forgotten the experience of losing.

Those who thought they should have won because they were actually proficient in cooking and sewing found it hard to swallow when some of my fellow winners and I, who literally could not boil water, walked up onto the stage on awards night to receive the coveted pin.

It’s not our fault the test was multiple choice, right winners? Who knew that “All of the above,” was actually the correct answer so many times. Could it be you talented homemakers take things too literally or think a little too deeply?

Oh…did I already use this picture?

I’ll never forget my mother running through the door, letter of notification in hand, to tell me I had won. It was a proud moment. I think in some way it validated her decision to let Santa bring me that used sewing machine. You’re welcome, Mom…

Still…I am very proud of the victory. I lost the pin years ago, but I was re-awarded and given a new pin in 2016. A couple of good friends, one a fellow winner and one who claims they didn’t give out the award when she was a senior, gave me a new pin and a collage representing my life thus far. Betty Crocker/Mary Francis played the saxophone for nine years, but sadly, no awards.)

**By the way…If you lost your pin or have never gotten over losing, you can buy a pin on Ebay.

Murdo Girl…Is it legal for Santa to bring used stuff for Christmas?

Mary Francis McNinch4 Comments

On at least two occassions, jolly old St Nicholas brought used merchandise to my house. I think I know why. He is a wise Santa and he knew the thing I just had to have was only a momentary desire that would pass in a flash…hardly worth the investment of the new version of whatever I had my heart set on.

The funny thing is…I wasn’t embarrassed or offended when I got something used. Once I got a pre-owned sewing machine. It was a real clunker too. I remember setting it up on a big table in the open area of the basement house. I also remember sitting there with my dress pattern, my pink fabric and a zipper, wondering what to do next. Mom had asked me if I wanted some help. I soon regretted my impulsive answer. “I can do it by myself!! There’s nothing to it!”

After sitting there for a while and ripping out several miss-placed rows if stitches, I decided being a seamstress was not my calling. Mom made me stick with it until I finished the pink dress. I never could get one of the sleeves in correctly. I had to hold one arm back like I was about to throw a bowling ball down the lane for it to hang right.

Mom sold the pink bowling dress at a rummage sale.

There is a very good reason why I can’t sew, knit, iron, cook, or clean house. Murdo High School did not offer a home economics class.
Believe me…the world is full of challenges if you are one of the unfortunate few like me, who was never availed the opportunity to take home economics.

Thankfully, I was able to teach myself how to make chocolate chip cookies.

I’m not sure about what happened to that used sewing machine. The table it sat on was in the way everywhere you went in the house. Maybe Mom sold it with the bowling dress.

Murdo Girl…Never going back inside

Mary Francis McNinch6 Comments

I boldly go where all can see.

I can’t be slowed by vanity

I think about the faults I’ve got

I’m grateful for the ones I’ve not

I exist here day by day

Isn’t that the only way?

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Perfection isn’t possible

 And if it were, we’d all be dull

I’d rather bring you cheer instead

Of filling you with dreadful dread

I’ll make you smile, just look at me

I’m lit up like a Christmas tree.

Kip said trees did not belong

In tiny homes, but he was wrong.

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I have to stay outside, you know

But isn’t that where most trees go?

MG sits and sips her tea

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She looks slightly upset to me

I think she thought she won the fight

but it becomes as clear as night

Does it? Could it hurt her pride?

She has a tree, but not inside!

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Up above the moon shines bright

Together we’ll shine through the night.

MG loves me this I know

I just heard her tell me so.