Did You Hear About My Worst Mistake?

Archie Brown was challenged to write a piece about his worst mistake. Here is what he wrote for the challenge.

I could tell about the time when I was 12 years old and lied to my dad about someone stealing my gym clothes, but that is probably not the worst mistake I have made. I could tell you about a time when my daughter was two and I was explaining to her when she should not do what she had just done ever again. I held her by both arms and spoke very sternly to her. The next day I saw where there were bruises on the inside to both of her arms where I had been holding her attention. But I don't want to you about that.

So I think I will tell you about them long ago. I had bought a doughnut shop, the same one which had worked as a high-school boy. The first year-and-a-half of the business, we did very well. Then the union workers of the chemical plant in our community went on strike. I was invited to cross the picket line and take doughnuts in to the salaried personnel that were running the plant during the strike. I was promised I would be guaranteed to sell hundred dozen doughnuts a day for the duration of the strike. I declined to take the offer, for couple of reasons.

First, I had grown up in a union home it and it would've gone against my conscience to cross a picket line, even though by that time my dad was salaried and in the plant. Second, I was fairly certain that the strike would not last for long and I did not want to alienate friends and customers if I crossed the picket line.

But the strike lasted for 13 weeks. Those union workers had a very hard time it recouping from the strike. We found out that donuts are a luxury, if you don't have money you don't buy doughnuts.

I could have made enough money during the strike to a pay off my business loans and would have been able to weather any storms after the strike. But because the decision I made not to cross the picket line, my business fell off by a more than 65%. We worked very hard for more than a year to try to make a comeback. But it was not to be and we the lost business. In some ways that was a mistake. But that decision led to other decisions that took me back to school, tio getting my degrees, and led to my life in ministry, rather than rolling in the dough.

I guess I was meant to be a holy man and not a hole-y man.

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Did You Hear About the OLD TIMER Blog?

Archie Brown has begun a new blog, called Old Timer. It is going to focus mostly on the baseball season, primarily the Houston Astros and their success and setbacks. There will be some posts about other important activities, such as his grandsons' soccer and baseball teams, NBA playoffs and personal recreational events. GO take a look and leave record of your passing!

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Did You Hear About The Price of Gold?

Just like almost everybody else, Archie Brown had become concerned about the slipping value of the dollar in the world market. He has also taken notice of the price of gold, which is at an all time high. Of course, gold has throughout history been held in high value, because of its rarity and its beauty. Gold holds a great fascination in men and women everywhere.

Archie is thinking it is time he get in touch with Monex, to see about making an investment in precious metals. Monex is a leader in the precious metals investment field, and Archie trusts them to help him make a wise decision about his purchase!

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Did You Hear About the New Blogger Book Club Forming?

A good friend of Archie Brown's has decided to put together a
Book Club gathering of bloggers each month. She will post a book for any one who is interested in participating to read by the 25th of the month. Then each participant will post his or her report on the book on their own blog, with a link to the book club site. My friend will include links back to the various posts so that the participants can peruse the other posted reports.

The book to be read for the month of April is To Kill A Mockingbird. Archie has not not read it since high school, so he will pick up a copy at the library and give it a reread.

The whole idea sounds like fun to Arch, and of course, the more the merrier!

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