Wise Words from a Wise Man Tip of the hat to the Rev. Jesse Spurlock, former pastor at Highland Park Baptist Church in Midwest City, who provides food for thought in the weekly bulletin at the church where he pastored for 18 years.

Studies have shown that practicing gratitude makes for a better life. Positive emotions, better health, greater resilience, and stronger relationships all flow from practicing gratitude, according to Harvard Health Publishing. A grateful person and an ungrateful person might possess all of the same things on paper—a nice house, a happy family, good health—but grateful people are far more aware of all the good things they have, and as a result, they’re able to actually enjoy life and its blessings to a greater degree.

Profound proclamations concerning life When you stand in front of a classroom of children for 57 years as I so enjoyably did, you encounter all sorts of questions, mostly about your personal life and sometimes about whatever topic we might have been discussing in class. Many of the questions were very provocative, others nosy and some inspired me and others to think up some answers to use as ready replies.

My son came home from school one day With a smile upon his face. He decided he was smart enough To put me in my place Guess what I learned in Civics II That’s taught my Mr.

Will Rogers and Harry in New York Harry and I served on the same ship once upon a time. The USS Johnnie Hutchins out on the East Coast. He reads my weekly column faithfully there in Hoosac Falls in upstate New York. I guess Harry still goes to church just across the line over in Vermont — about 8 or 9 miles from his house. His pastor up there is named Mary Beth. She, too, reads my stories in the Allen Advocate, and I added her name to my list. Thanks Rev. Mary Beth. Heck, I should make her my Vermont correspondent. Not many other Advocate customers up that way, but welcome.

July is National Hot Dog month and July 23 is National Hot Dog Day July is National Hot Dog month. It is estimated that Americans eat over seven billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That’s approximately 818 hot dogs consumed every second.

I do not function well in isolation. Never have, never will! I am a people person and my recent seven-week quarantine played tricks with my psyche.

When you stop and ponder this awesome and orderly universe that God has placed us in, some very remarkable facts become evident. For instance: EGGS: The eggs of the potato bug hatch in 7 days Those of the canary in 14 days Those of the barnyard hen in 21 days The eggs of ducks and geese hatch in 28 days Those of the mallard in 35 days.

How did we ever survive??? This is certainly not new and many of you are already rolling your eyes and sighing to yourselves. I know, you’ve heard it all before along with the walking (three, four, five) miles to school in the (12 inch, 24 inch or waist deep) snow.

We Oklahomans recall with pride the fact that noted humorist Will Rogers was from the Sooner State and didn’t mind telling about his heritage to people in Hollywood, Washington DC, the South, overseas and any other place where people would listen. Some of his most famous quotes involve the unpredictable Oklahoma weather.