This is Pastor Tim’s article which appreaed in the Evening Leader on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025.
I did something wonderful yesterday and I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about it. I lost 2 games of big Euchre and I have never had so much fun losing a couple of card games in my life. Let me explain.
I was walking through Otterbien doing some rounds and saying hello to some of the folks from Wayne Street. I came around the corner and found a couple of my parishioners playing a card game. I went over to say hello and they quickly wanted to deal me in. I really didn’t have time to play, but it happened so quick that I had cards in my hand before I realized what was happening.
It has been a while since I even played cards but it came back to me pretty quickly. I have a college degree from a University here in Ohio, which means that I have a minor in Euchre. We played a lot of cards in the mid 90s when I was in college because there were no cell phones in those days.
So they dealt me in and I got the worst hands I have ever seen in my life. I would like to apologize to the poor lady who got stuck with me on her team. She laughed at how bad I was doing. She was a great sport. The cards dealt to me were so bad that I think I only called trump 3 or 4 times in 2 games. On the flip side, the guy from my church I was playing against got all the hands. He got at least 3 loners, it may have been more because I lost count.
The bottom line is those three Otterbien folks had quite a laugh at just how bad I was doing. I am actually not convinced they believed I even knew how to play it was so bad. But they laughed and laughed and the more I complained about cheating and how bad the cards were, the more they laughed. A nurse led a group through who were taking a tour of Otterbien and they even stopped for a few minutes to enjoy just how bad my hands were. It is really something when the cards you are getting dealt are so terrible that people have to stop and stare like they are watching a train wreck.
Needless to say, I lost in commanding fashion and the people standing around watching just loved it. Not sure how often laughter goes down the hall at Otterbein, but it did yesterday.
Truth be told, I did not have time to sit there for almost an hour to play those card games. I went into Otterbein with an agenda and being terrible at Euchre was not part of the plan. But you know, I feel like losing those two games so soundly seems like just what the doctor ordered.
I drove away from Otterbein with a bruise on my pride, but a big smile on my face. Even I had to laugh at how terrible it was. This is a blessing I would have missed at my normal pedal to the metal pace I live my life. It is amazing how many important things we don’t have time to enjoy, However much good I did by enticing those folks to laugh at me, they did much more good for me by lifting my spirits. Had I not taken the time, I would not have known what I missed, but since I did take the time, I know I would have missed a lot.
Don’t let your schedule or your agenda cause you to miss some of life’s unexpected yet very important moments. I know that this lesson was taught to me on purpose because I don’t take the time I should, but yesterday, I got roped into a card game I did not have time for and given the fact that I am writing about it over a day later tells you how much I enjoyed my failing attempt to play Euchre.
If any of you want to try your hand at Euchre, I suggest joining my friends at Otterbein. They were all very quick to invite me back, particularly the people on the other team. I can not say for certain that no one is cheating, but I can say for certain that you will be blessed by spending that time you don’t think you have.