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Rev. John Bressler - You are here for a unique purpose. Find what that is
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John Bressler

I have heard pieces of this story, but I am using some info from another source to fill in the gaps. Credit given, but I can't remember who wrote what, so no plagiarism.

Somewhere in the 1850s – plus or minus a few years – two Kellogg brothers were born. John was the family genius and was given all the opportunities and backing available. He eventually graduated from medical school and was quite successful as a surgeon as well as the head of an exclusive resort and a best-selling author.

Younger brother Will was considered to be a slow learner, not motivated or a people person and was pulled from school at the age of 13 by his father, who gave him a job as a broom salesman for the family business. At the age of 20, his older brother hired him to work at the resort doing everything from shining shoes to running errands. I suppose he would have been what we call today a "gofer."

I forgot to mention that the resort was also a health spa, which provided special foods to the guests and these particular foods were considered to be for the promotion of well-being and long life. One of those foods on the menu was boiled wheat pressed into thin sheets. I would have called it okra. I am glad that I was not a guest there. Anyway, old dumb – as many thought – Will noticed that the older dough, when pressed, turned into flakes rather than sheets. He even suggested that the flakes be toasted. The guests enjoyed the flakes and they became one of the best items on the menu and even requested that this cereal be sent to their homes after they left the spa. The brothers found they had a remarkable mail-order business. Will made enough to buy out his brother's interest and set out on his own. He also proved to be a business genius. He turned a simple discovery into national-demand Kellogg's Corn Flakes and became a very rich guy.

While this story of Will Kellogg is certainly unique, it is not unusual. We have all heard of someone who rose from rags to riches. 

This is not luck. In most cases, it is due to the determination of someone who had a dream, willing to work very hard and persist in the face of great odds and even harsher criticism. Well, yeah, some dreams are mostly fantasy and fail, leaving the dreamer sad and unfulfilled. But who is to know the outcome of any dream and who has the right to judge the journey? At the same time, how many have been so discouraged they refuse to try? How many have been so frustrated because of the lack of vision by those who cannot put in the effort? How many have been ignored because they were thought to have no skills?

I truly believe that every person has been put on this earth for a purpose. I also believe that every person is a gift from God and has a contribution unlike any other. 

We may not be intelligent enough to know what that gift may be or what the contribution might be, but if we keep living a good loving life, it'll happen.

What might just happen in the world of ours if we all simply enjoy life, and help others, one day at a time?

Thanks, God!


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