Lessons From JJ

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend a dinner and live scholarship auction in San Antonio. It was a fun and lighthearted experience. Let me say, Texans sure spend a lot of money on some very interesting “stuff.” Jim Bob Solsbery, comedian and motivational speaker, was the auctioneer and he kept the dinner guests and bidders entertained and can be credited for the $6000 dollars raised for scholarships.


The first item up for bid was a red metal “flying pig.” Let’s see…red metal pig….Arkansas Razorback fan…I had to have the pig. A friend started the bidding at $20 and after several minutes of back and forth bidding, goaded by Jim Bob, JJ was securely snuggled under my chair. JJ was one of the most interesting items of the evening and it quickly became obvious that my ownership of her was in question. While it is true that I didn’t personally fork over the $55 for JJ, it was clearly understood that she was mine. By Sunday morning I was in a bitter custody battle for JJ. Long story short, I share joint custody of JJ. She is in my possession until August when she’ll have to go back to Texas to spend time with her co-owner. The story of JJ is a storyteller’s dream; a little truth, a little fabrication and a whole lot of exaggeration!

JJ is a uniquely interesting piece of work. Her outside body is red, while the underneath side is yellow and pink. She has flat orange ears, green wings and blue hooves and snout. JJ is welded together from pieces of unidentifiable scrap iron and is a little rickety. I have to be careful with handling her or her co-owner may demand immediate custody, but all in all, JJ has character and a certain charisma.

JJ sits on top of my filing cabinet and each time I look at her I have to smile or at least laugh just a little. But, more importantly JJ, and her evolving story have made me pause and take note of some very important things that I had started to take for granted. Over the last four days, JJ has reminded me of the following:

• Even the most unlikely of us have a purpose
• Odds and ends / bits and pieces come together to make the whole
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
• You can’t always assume that what you want is what you will get
• Life is full of compromises
• There are benefits to sharing even those things you don’t want to let go of
• You are never too old to laugh, make new friends and have a good time
• Never pass up an opportunity to make new friends; you never know who you will meet
• Life is a story that unfolds a little bit each day

I never cease to be amazed by how God works. It took an oddity of art and a weekend in San Antonio to remind me that I have a full and blessed life. Thanks be to God.

Judith Bell 7/28/10
Silk Purses and Sow’s Ear
Copyright © Judith Bell 2010