An older couple kept their life savings in the pages of the books in their home. At first, they put their savings in the Bible. They didn’t think anyone would think to look in the Holy Bible. They were about to look for a retirement home when they won the Jack Pot, $1,280,196. They were over the moon. This is what happened. They were really feeling lucky, so they made a decision to go to Atlantic City.
They were about to leave the casino because they only had a hundred dollars left, but they thought, why not try one more time? It could be their lucky break. The Borgata was the only casino they hadn’t hit, so they double-stepped it down the boardwalk. It was a beautiful sunny day, warm but not humid. There were a whole lot of senior citizens walking up and down the boardwalk. 
The beach was crowded with families, with little kids running back and forth and laughing. They looked at one another, remembering the days long ago when they would bring their young children to the beach. Oh, those were the good old days. Now, they rarely saw their grown children. They were too busy with their own lives and young children. They were too busy to visit their parents. They barely knew their own grandchildren.
Just as they were reminiscing about their children’s childhood, they reached the Borgata Casino. Howard and Margie gave each other a hug and went through the Borgata’s double doors. The place was packed. Every slot machine was clinging and clanging, and the overall noise level was overwhelming. The machines were percussive, with high bells and bubbly sounds. The sound tended to wake people up. They were all convinced that they would be the lucky ones to win big.
Howard and Margie had considered going to the casinos for years, but they never did. That is until today. When Margie woke up from a dream about winning big at the Borgata. And now, here they were, chomping at the bit. I’m certain that they would win BIG. They couldn’t wait to get started. They looked all around to find a slot machine that wasn’t occupied. Finally, Margie saw one and was off to try her luck. Howard decided to play cards. Howard was determined that he was going to win big at poker. He played with his friends all the time, and he always won. Of course, his friends played with small change and one-dollar bills, and he won all the time. But, the most he won was fifty dollars.
But today, he was absolutely certain that he was going to win “BIG.” Margie said, “Good luck. I’ll see you in a while. It turned out that there were over 6,000 slot machines at the Borgota, and she was overwhelmed. She didn’t know where to begin. The whole atmosphere was overwhelming, the wall to wall people, the smoke, and the noise level was almost overwhelming. There was even a band playing Heavy Metal. Margie thought she might go mad. She approached Howard and said, “I’m going for a walk on the boardwalk. I’ll be back in an hour. “Ok, see you then.” She waved him goodbye and headed for the front exit to the casino. And then she decided at the last moment to play her lucky coin in the next slot machine she saw before she left. And low and behold, she dropped several coins into the Ugga Bugga Multi-Spin Slot.
And the next thing that happened was all kinds of flashing lights and crazy noise. Everyone in the immediate area looked at her and began gathering around her. She had won the Ugga Bugga Multi-Spin Slot. Margie stood there in a trance, unable to move one way or another. Then, she heard someone yell. “You won, you won.” And everyone started clapping. Maggie looked all around. And she was so overwhelmed and surprised she didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. She did a little of both. Howard came running towards her about that time and said, “What’s going on?’
“What’s going on? I won the the jackpot.”
“You’re kidding, how much?”
“I won $1,280,196..”
“You have got to be kidding.”
Then everyone started clapping and laughing. One of the casino employees asked them to follow him to receive their winnings. The rest of the day was a big blur. They were now, at home, finally able to take a deep breath, sit down, and calm down. They still couldn’t believe their luck.
On the other hand, their phone hadn’t stopped ringing since the big win was announced on their local news. From that time forward, their phone hadn’t stopped ringing between their friends, family, and people they didn’t know from Adam calling and asking for money. It was a miracle and a nightmare all at once.
It was about this time that they realized they needed to get a new phone number and perhaps move to another neighborhood. Neighbors who barely waved at them in the last twenty years were knocking at their door and asking for help. It was a nightmare.. It wasn’t that they were selfish; all of these people who rarely spoke to them felt they had the right to ask them for money, even if they had never spoken to them. That’s when they realized they would have to move if they ever had a moment’s peace. They considered changing their last names. It was becoming a nightmare, not a blessing. The phone that never stopped ringing, the strangers that came knocking at their door. It was relentless.
Finally, they decided the only thing they could do was move far, far away. And never tell anyone they meet about the money they have won. For a long while, they discussed where they would move to, and finally, they decided to move to Singer Island, Florida. They had vacationed there once at the Colonades Hotel and loved it. There was a place called the Collonades Health Center, where a chiropractor was located and a place to get massages and facials. It was wonderful. It was a gorgeous place. Right next to the beach. It became their paradise. One they hope would be their forever home.
They found that many people their age lived on Singer Island. And for the most part, they were well-off. So, they didn’t have to worry about anyone coming to their door asking for money since they had plenty of their own money. People came to Singer Island from as far away as Canada. It was indeed paradise—that is if you had plenty of money. They missed their families but not as much as they thought they might. Life was good.
They began to meet new, welcoming people who lived on Singer Island. It was the best possible outcome for them. They looked forward to many years of sitting on the beach, swimming in the surf, and going out with their new friends. Life can be good.
You never know what or when your circumstances will change. No one knows what their future holds. You have to take one day at a time. You keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. Life can be a crapshoot. You never know when some unforeseen good fortune will come your way. Or you will suffer some downfall that you could not predict. Howard and Margie decided to take one day at a time and be as happy as possible. Because they knew better than anyone that you could have happened in their lives, they took one day at a time and looked forward to the remainder of their lives would be happy. Yet, they understood that anything good or bad could happen and would do their best to do what they could one day at a time. We can tilt the odds in our favor of living happily to a ripe old age, but we must have a high degree of awareness and exercise self-control. We must show pride in our lives by claiming responsibility for ourselves and all the choices we make during our lives, both the good and the bad. And then move forward with resolve to do their very best.