We added a Wise Words page to our blog in hopes of contributing encouragement and inspiration during positive happy times as well as emotionally hard times --
Frustration - anxiety - and disappointment can easily creep in and take over our positive outlook with the waiting of the fruition of this investment and especially if one is experiencing a financial crisis or an emotional trauma --
A strong mental attitude is a great tool when faced with either of these - Wise Words are a great aide in strengthening the mental attitude --
Please take a few minutes to read over the quotes and allow them to sink in so you can ponder on them and be encouraged and strengthened by them --
We certainly appreciate and welcome comments on our Wise Words Page and enjoy posting them for others to see -- Thank you in advance for taking just a few minutes and sharing your thoughts on our Wise Words Page
Reminiscing, Reflection, and What Really Matters
.Reminiscing, Reflection, and What Really Matters
Into a Cloud
Ryan Kelly | November 13, 2019
MY GREAT-UNCLE, Jerry Kelly, was an American pilot in the Second World War. On Oct. 20, 1944, he was flying a close-support mission over Germany when his P-47 Thunderbolt was hit by anti-aircraft fire. After he radioed that he had smoke in the cockpit, his plane began losing altitude and was last seen disappearing into a cloud. Jerry was 20 years old.
More than 71 years later, a UPS carrier delivered a blue box to my home. The box contained a treasure trove—220 handwritten letters Jerry wrote home from the war. The box was a gift from my dad’s cousin, Phil, who spared no expense in shipping costs and tracked the package every hour to ensure safe delivery. Given my strong interest in Jerry’s life, Phil decided I should be the family guardian of the letters.
I’ve read each letter more than once. I now know Jerry better than most people I deal with every day. People I regularly interact with don’t work out their deepest thoughts and feelings in handwritten letters, and—even if they did—they wouldn’t let me read them.
Jerry’s letters have provided me with many valuable life lessons. Here are seven of those lessons:
1. Saving money brings focus to life. As a pilot, Jerry made a good wage and spent less than he earned. On Oct. 8, 1944, he wrote a letter to his mom expressing the satisfaction he felt from seeing his bank account balance reach $1,200, equal to $17,500 in today’s dollars. Jerry planned to study accounting at the University of Utah upon his return from the war.