From the Cotton Patch to the Country Club

The two most important investment decisions a person could make, if it were possible,

would be to, first select his or her parents and second, to select his or her boss. The first

is, of course, absolutely impossible, and the second is very difficult.  Most ordinary people

simply have to play the hand they are dealt. The vast majority have no special talent to distinguish them from the crowd that is vying for every available job.  Yet, in the United

States many of these people have become successful through hard work and managing

their resources. Each person has a unique story of how success was attained, and some are

worth sharing.  This is one such story.

Much of the time the playing field is not level. Some people have better opportunities and more talent than do others. To measure what a person has accomplished it is helpful to take a look at the person’s background, because lifelong characteristics are formed early in life. Also it is a fact that investing is about more than making money, however, making money is the way it is perceived by the general population. When you mention investing it is believed money is the primary objective. In the broad sense it can mean any activity that affects a person’s life. Money is very necessary in our society. Anyone who believes otherwise should try to get along without any. It has been said that money cannot bring happiness. But there is no rule or law that says a rich person cannot be happy. I believe it is better to be rich than poor. Leading a useful and satisfying life is the result of

I believe in God the Father almighty and in Jesus Christ his son. My mother taught me to pray and when I was young I prayed once in awhile. I know I have had a guiding power in my life, but it was the complete despair that I felt that night in the basement apartment on Litchfield Street in Wichita, Kansas that He touched me. There was no blinding light, no voice in the dark no nothing. What happened was that I went back to work and missed only a few days due to illness in the almost forty years I worked before retiring. Things began to go the way I planned them. I had many successes and I came to realize when the change began. Now prayer is a daily event. My prayers are mostly thanking God for His blessings. I believe I could not have achieved the business success I had without the help of my Creator. That is the only logical explanation I can give myself. There were many of my peers who were smarter and certainly better educated than I, yet many of them remained as mechanics or at low level jobs all of their working lives. After I retired I would wonder, how did it all happen?  The Grace of God, that is the answer. And I must say, I didn’t deserve it.

When we were first married Verna and I would talk about all the things I did not understand. I would tell her that, in the middle of a sleepless night, I felt as if I were on the verge of discovering a great truth; like what is the meaning of Life? She, the most practical person I’ve known, would say, “I worry about you.” Needless to say, I never discovered that great truth and I came to realize that answers to what I was seeking were not available. The questions pile up and the smart people I know have no answers. One basic question is: Why are so many people starving in a world where there is plenty? Another one that no one can answer is: Why does the human race continue the senseless slaughter each other? From there one can go on to the really big questions: the holocaust, the limits of space, creation, life after death and on and on. With all these things I don’t know there are some things I know for sure. People should try to avoid doing something they will regret all of their lives.  And I also know for sure I have a lot more yesterdays than tomorrows.

When we moved into our new home we became members of the Crestview Country Club. It has two excellent golf courses and it’s easy to get a tee off time just about any time you desire. Our home is about one half block from one of the courses and it is a short ride in our golf cart to the clubhouse.