As you know, as the MIJC Chaplain, I get to give invocations and other speeches during various parts of the quarterly conventions. Here’s what I said this morning to start our business meeting:

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’ve heard it said time and time again “If we could only capture the enthusiasm that so and so has and sell it in a jar, we’d be rich.” But really, it’s easy to understand how some are overflowing with enthusiasm – they’re doing what they want to be doing and they’re recognized for their efforts.

That’s what this weekend is all about. We are all Jaycees and we should love being Jaycees and as we have fun this weekend, we need to take out collective enthusiasm back to our chapters to help any and all who call themselves Jaycees to be Michelangelo’s, Beethoven’s, and Shakespeare’s.

Let’s bottle up our enthusiasm and show the world just how much fun we have being Jaycees.