Something to think about in the New Year. I totally stole this from an email I had gotten.
You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them. Just read this straight
through, and you’ll get the point.
- Name the five wealthiest people in the
- Name the last five Heisman trophy
- Name the last five winners of the Miss America pag- eant.
- Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
- Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and
- Name the last decades worth of World Series winners. How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yes- terday.
These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies. Awards tarnish…
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:
- List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
- Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult
- Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
- Think of a few people who have made you feel appre- ciated and
- Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the
most money … or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.
Something to further consider in the New Year.
One of the positive things I have seen on social media (it can be a force for good) is individuals seeking a BOOK LIST for reading for the New Year. They often ask their friends for suggestions. They make it do-able, limiting the suggestions to twelve (one book per month). I’ve suggested to some of them my favorite book of the past year: SAY NOTHING.
The point is that you should broaden your horizons with reading. As I have mentioned before, I have found AU- DIBLE a helpful tool in this endeavor. I automatically buy one book a month to keep me motivated. (Don’t want all that to go to waste.) Fr. Charlie has been an incredible resource for expanding my range. (If you haven’t figured it out yet, he is kinda brilliant.) Here was my list from last year:
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson (about Eng- land at the beginning of WWII)
Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (about the struggles of a Latino family in the 1980’s)
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (kept me engaged until the final sentence)
Excommunicated Warrior by Nick Koumalatoas (about a soldier’s return to civilian life)
The Nazi Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer (about an assassi- nation plot against Churchill)
An Immense World by Ed Yong (about how animals sense the world)
The Wager by David Grann (about a shipwreck off the coast of South America)
Atomic Habits by James Clear (about how to better one- self)
Say Nothing by Patrick Redden Keefe (about the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland)
Discourse and Writings by Epicletus (a classic about sto- icism)
Billion Dollar Whale by Bradley Hope (about a billion dol- lar scammer)
The Five by Nellie Rubenhold (about the women killed by Jack the Ripper)
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel by Doglas Brunt (about the disappearance of the inventor of the diesel engine)
And I have more that I am working on.
Get a book list and tell me how you did next December.
Father Kevin