"If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade."

I have often taken strength from this phrase and because of a situation that occurred this week I came to fall back on it. That got me thinking as to the origin of it.
 
The phrase was initially coined by Christian anarchist writer Elbert Hubbard in a 1915 obituary he penned and published for dwarf actor Marshall P. Wilder. The obituary, entitled The King of Jesters, praises Wilder's optimistic attitude and achievements in the face of his disabilities: "He was a walking refutation of that dogmatic statement. His was a sound mind in an unsound body. He proved the eternal paradox of things. He cashed in on his disabilities.”  

Although the expression was coined by Hubbard, many modern authors attribute the expression to Dale Carnegie who used it in his book How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Carnegie's version reads: "If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade." Eight years before Carnegie's book brought the phrase back into the mainstream, a poetic rendition of the phrase entitled The Optimist appeared in a 1940 edition of The Rotarian
 
"Life handed him a lemon, 
As Life sometimes will do,
Assuming he was through. 
They came upon him later, 
Reclining in the shade 
In calm contentment, drinking 
A glass of lemonade."
 
I wonder how we can apply this to our own lives today. We never know when we will get handed a lemon. For some it is the ending of a relationship, for others a change of jobs, not of their own choosing, and for others a business or personal loss. Whatever the event, circumstance or situation, how we choose to deal with it can, and often, makes all the difference in the world. 
 
As Rotarians we have the community within in our club. The fellowship and the friendship that is fostered is amazing to me. Thank you all for helping me to make lemonade from the lemons that are a part of our life experiences. 

On Wednesday the president from the West Shore Rotary club will be talking to our club about a project that he would like our club to be involved with. It is a great way to help a group of people make lemonade from the challenges that they have been dealing with. 
 
The president will be talking with our club about an organization called, Youth Challenge. I invite all of you to join us this Wednesday morning.
 
Cheers,
Dave Clements