Thanks for the song, Ebbie: It's quite a song and a serious warning to all of us... not just those other people who are judgmental and hypocritical. One thing I firmly believe is that if someone is:

   1. Blessed
   2. Lucky
   3. Fortunate
(Take your pick of words depending on your belief) along with that
(1, 2 or 3) comes a responsibility to be more loving, more generous and more sensitive to those who are not so (1, 2 or 3.) My word of choice is "1." And my response to that belief is that I am "Blessed to be a blessing." Whatever goodness is in my life is there, not because I am so terrific or deserve it, but so that I can share it with others. The more my life is blessed, the more humbled I am. There is no way to take pride in something I am not responsible for.

This morning, over our barberry hedge, I was talking to my neighbor, "Poppa" George. We were talking about long life and he was commenting on someone on television who has lived to be 100 who takes full credit for it, because he has lived healthily. I believe that we should all take care of our health because I look upon it as something not to be taken for granted. That said, I've known people who have lived the most responsible life, eating healthily, excercising and avoiding all those things that can shorten our health, only to die very young. To me, nothing is guaranteed... certainly not health, and definitely not financial security. The only thing that is guaranteed in life is insecurity. Whether someone believes that they are "blessed" or "lucky" or more commonly, "Deserving," disaster can be lurking right around the corner.

I wrote a rather heavy-handed song back in the early 60's called Words Of A Bum. I have thankfully forgotten most of it, but one line applies here:

"The difference between a bum and a good man is like the line on the beach between water and sand."

I am also (pick 1, 2 or 3) that I know very few Christians who are as smug and judgmental as the one in the song. I know that they exist. Being judgmental is a human weakness that knows no religion or belief, or financial level. It's something I have to be on guard against, every day.

Jerry