Football season is almost here, and I wanted to share a story that I actually received last year . . .

The wife of a losing football coach wrote a friend: “Each Saturday as I walk to the stadium, I feel as if my stomach were filled with sharp stones. I’m sure that everyone in my vicinity can hear my heartbeat. As we stand to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” I ask God not to let them boo my husband or the team. I ask Him to let the fans understand that they don’t want to make mistakes. They don’t want to fumble.

“I’ve asked this same God to help me explain to my daughter a television panel show that rips her father apart. I’ve asked Him to teach us how to keep our own sons from being small and petty and vicious . . .”

A big-time college football coach declared: “Winning is not the most important thing—it’s the only thing.” A certain winning basketball coach, whose players were found guilty of “shaving points” for gamblers’ payoffs, derisively referred to losing coaches as “character builders.” And many coaches will cheat, and teach the youth they’re molding to cheat, in any way possible to win.

In big-time college football, cheating in recruiting, in classrooms, in remuneration and on the playing field is customary. “Win at all costs,” the alumni demand. (Most of them take football more seriously than their freedom.) Coaches caught in rules violations are never fired—if they win. Many of the self-styled molders of youthful character have no character. The contract of a football coach with a college is a one-way street. If he gets a better offer, he walks out. If he gets fired, the college has to buy up his contract. The main trouble with America is erosion of morality. Freedom and morality are indivisible.

Our country today needs nationalism, patriotism morality, courage, dedication and religion as never before. And these necessities if we are to survive as a free people—should be taught from kindergarten through college—and even in “Sports.”

—CC—

One of our readers shared the following and I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did . .

Children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, “take only one, God is watching.”—Moving through the line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A boy wrote a note, “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

A woman decided to have her portrait painted. She told the artist, “Paint me with diamond rings, a diamond necklace, emerald bracelets, a ruby broach, and gold Rolex”—“But you are not wearing any of those things,” he replied.

“I know,” she said. “It’s in case I should die before my husband I’m sure he will remarry right away, and I want his new wife to go crazy looking for the jewelry.”

I went to the psychiatrist, and he says, “You’re crazy.” I tell him I want a second opinion. He says, “Okay, you’re ugly too!”

My Hobby? – I have a large seashell collection, which I keep scattered on beaches all over the world.

One evening a young woman came home from a date, rather sad. She told her mother, “Anthony proposed to me an hour ago.” Then why are you so sad?” her mother asked. – “Because he also told me he is an atheist. Mom, he doesn’t even believe there’s a devil.” Her mother replied, “Marry him anyway. Between the two of us, we’ll show him just how wrong he is.”

We had a depression fair in the back yard. A major game there was Pin the Blame on the Donkey.

A passenger in a taxi wanted to ask the driver something and tapped him on the shoulder. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up onto the sidewalk and stopped inches from a shop window. – For a second everything was quiet in the car—then the driver said, “Mister, don’t you ever do that again. You scared the living daylights out of me.” -- The passenger apologized, and said he didn’t know that little tap could scare the driver to such an extent, to which the driver replied: “Sorry, it’s really not your fault, sir, that today is my first day as a cab driver—I’ve been driving hearses for the past 25 years.”

Every time the man next door headed toward Robinson’s house, Robinson knew he was coming to borrow something. “He won’t get away with it this time,” muttered Robinson to his wife. “Watch this” – “Er, I wonder if you’d be using your power-saw this morning,” the neighbor began. “Gee, I’m awfully sorry,” said Robinson with a smug look, “but the fact of the matter is, I’ll be using it all day” – “In that case,” said the neighbor, “you won’t be using your golf clubs; mind if I borrow them?”

A guy joins a monastery and takes a vow of silence: he is allowed to say two words every seven years. After the first seven years, the elders bring him in and ask for his two words. “Cold floors,” he says. They nod and send him away. –Seven more years pass. They bring him back in and ask for his two words. He clears his throat and says, “Bad food.” They not and send him away. Seven more years pass. They bring him in for his two words. “I quit,” he says, “That’s not surprising,” the elders say. “You’ve done nothing but complain since you got here.

A guy shows up late for work. The boss yells, “You should have been here at 8:30!” He replies, “Why? What happened at 8:30?”

—CC—

At a recent church service one of the ladies handed me the following and said I might want to share it with our readers. She was right.

WHAT I NEED

My trial seems a fearful blow

It’s what I need.

It’s brought me down so very low

It’s what I need.

It’s forced me to my

Lord to go with all my want and all my woe,

It’s what I need.

I don’t enjoy it—to be frank,

But it’s what I need. What child enjoys a

What child enjoys a well-placed ‘spank’?

It’s what I need.

My Lord from His cup also shrank . . . But at His Father’s will

He drank, and FOR

HIS WILL, I TOO,

WILL THANK;

It’s all I need.

So, in Thy mercy, Lord, chastise;

It’s what I need.

I know each blow is kind and wise;

And what I need,

Thy purpose I’ll not criticize . . . Within me,

Christ to realize,

For, Lord . . . I’m longing for that

Heavenly prize,

It’s ALL I need.

—CC—

Some of our young people recently went to see “The Ark.” There are no words to describe said one in the group. It was the experience of a lifetime. In fact, it is the only place I would someday like to go. As one writer wrote there are many

LESSONS FROM NOAH’S ARK

Everything I need to know in life, I learned from Noah’s Ark.

ONE: Don’t miss the boat.

TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat.

THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.

FOUR: Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, God may ask you to do something really big.

FIVE: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

SIX: For safety’s sake, it is always best to travel in pairs.

SEVEN: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board along with the cheetahs.

EIGHT: When you’re stressed out, just float a while.

NINE: Remember that the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals!!!

TEN: No matter what storm you face, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting for you.

—CC—

And last of all my favorite story of the week . . .

His name was Fleming and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved. ‘I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”

“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel.

“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.

“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.

“I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin.

Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.