Oooooh I am so excited! My son and his family are coming for the weekend! They should be here in a couple of hours and I have soooooo much to do! I should have been working on it all week, but other things took priority, so now I’m racing around like a crazed woman! I am praying for a bit of a miracle. Right now, at my daughter’s work they are really short-handed, so it doesn’t look good for them to be able to come over with Baby R so we are all together tonight. However, I do believe that maybe, JUST MAYBE, someone will take pity on this Grandma and cover their shifts so they can come over to dinner and hang out with the rest of the family. In the meantime I have decorations to put out, Easter bags to complete, lunch to prepare so there is something to eat when they arrive, and things to straighten up!
Verse of the Day
March 31, 2018
He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
I don’t know how Jesus could stand up under its weight. He had my sin, your sin, our sin. He allowed it to be placed upon him so that we would not have to bear the consequences of it all. But in that sacrifice, as horrible as it was, we find ourselves healed — cured of the most awful disease a person can have, a sin-sick soul. He was pierced, crushed, and punished for our sins. In their place, he has left us his transforming peace and a place to belong.
April 1, 2018
The fool says in his heart there is no God.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
At one time or another, most of us raised an angry fist to fate and cursed the darkness. Each of these actions is about as equally effective. But to deny there is a God is something else altogether. To rob heaven of God is to rob ourselves of grace, hope, and future. How foolish indeed to forget that behind a Creation of wonder, order, variety, beauty, power, and pattern is the Creator. He is far greater than his handiwork and we dare not ignore, deny, or dismiss him.
Food for Thought
Have you ever been driving down the road, following the speed limit, or slightly above, NOBODY behind you, when suddenly someone comes out of a side road and pulls out in front of you? You have to hit your brakes, and depending on how close you were to them when they pulled out, this could get a little nerve wracking! Yesterday this happened to me, and it wasn’t the first time for this vehicle. It is a company owned truck and trailer of a local landscaping company, so I quickly called them. Nobody answered, but I did leave a piece of my mind on their answering machine. I hope they took this to heart because it’s wrong to do that to anyone! It could cause an accident! What is your worst road rage inducing pet peeve?
March 31–
Bunsen Burner Day – If you loved chemistry in school, then this one is going to bring back great memories. If you were not a real fan of the subject, maybe not so much. No matter your personal feelings about it, the fact is that the Bunsen Burner is a tool that has been invaluable since its creation to people who work in chemistry labs. This tool was created by German chemist Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, which is why it is called the Bunsen Burner (duh), and it is celebrated today because today was his birthday – born in 1811. So, for those of us who haven’t used one for many, many years – or didn’t care much about them when we DID use them (I admit it – English, Language Arts, Creative Writing, Literature and Home Economics were my favorite subjects) a Bunsen Burner is used to heat substances for experiments. Basically, they are small gas burners with adjustable flames that are controlled at the base to regulate the amount of gas and air that are admitted to the substance being heated. It consists of a vertical metal tube that is connected to a broad base that is weighted so that it isn’t easily knocked over. The base has a nozzle on it to connect with a fuel source, alone with a valve to control the flow of gas and a flue adjuster to control how much air is allowed through one or more small air holes at the base of the tube. The gas mixes with air at the bottom of the tube then rises to the top of the burner where it can be lit with a match or lighter. That either takes you back to good science memories . . . or fills you with happiness that those days are over. I’m happy those days are over.
National Prom Day – We have a new celebration – well, it’s three years old! Today has been established as National Prom Day. It was set up as a day to honor friendship, cherish memories, celebrate history and enjoy the fun and excitement that this milestone event brings into teens lives. It should be a special time that is filled with fun, but there are also safety, peer pressure and insecurity issues that go along with it. Building a community for encouraging confidence, empowering positive decisions and focusing on inner beauty is so important as young adults make the transition from childhood to that of a grown-up world. National Prom Day supports Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), an organization that shares values and is a champion in educating young people. Though SADD’s core focus is on traffic safety, it has broadened its mission to include substance abuse, suicide, depression, bullying, violence, body image and more. PromGirl and its partners will donate a portion of the proceeds for every dress sold on March 31st to SADD. Donations can also be made through the attached link. http://www.nationalpromday.org/
National “She’s Funny That Way” Day – Today we pay tribute to the funny women who make us laugh – whether they are personal friends, actresses or comediennes. So, who can you think of who is super funny that makes you laugh every time you see or hear her? Of course, the one who comes IMMEDIATELY to my mind is Lucille Ball. How can anyone NOT laugh at I LOVE LUCY? My next thought went to Lily Tomlin, another truly funny woman who gets straight to the funny bone nearly every time. Betty White – though pretty dirty for an old gal – hits that funny bone too. So, who are the funny gals who make you laugh?
Terri’s Day – This is a serious one – and one that we all should remember always. On March 30, 2005, Terri Schiavo had her last full day of life here on this earth. Her family and Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life will never forget the last moments they shared with the woman whose former husband won a court order to take her life. She was killed on March 31, 2005 when a protracted legal battle between Terri’s former husband and her family was won by the husband, giving him the right to have her feeding tube disconnected. Doctors had examined Terri and said that she was NOT in a persistent vegetative state, and that her condition could have improved had she been given to access to more medical care and rehabilitative treatment. Father Pavone recalled the day before she died, after nearly two weeks of forced starvation and dehydration. He prayed with her and read her a Bible passage, assuring her about how many people loved her. She had not received a drop of water in nearly two weeks. As he reached out his hand to touch hers, he noted that the vase of flowers next to her bed was filled with water, being nourished, as Terri was deprived of nourishment. Court orders saw to it that nobody could give her some of the same loving treatment that the flowers received. Father Pavone said, “In a culture of death, law is divorced from humanity, and we are all victimized in the process”. Terri’s sister, Suzanne Schindler, wrote an email that LifeNews received, reflecting more on her sister’s death, saying that “We must never forget Terri and the premature, unthinkable death she endured. Today is the 12th anniversary of the death of Terri Schiavo, starved and dehydrated to death by the same people who value killing the innocent ahead of preserving life, and who put God second to the powers of a corrupt legal and government system, IF they include God in the equation at all. Suzanne Schindler said that “Terry never wanted to die, and in fact told us just the opposite, that she wanted to live. As we look back on all she endured, we realize that Terri did not die in vain. For years the “death cult” lurked in the shadows. Now, through the media coverage and public outcry surrounding Terri’s tragic ordeal, the evil of imposed death on the innocent and vulnerable has been exposed. Our family learned, in the most painful way possible, of the existence of this “pro-death culture” as we fought to save Terri.” After Terri’s death, the Schindler family created the Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network to protect the rights of people with cognitive disabilities. It has helped to support more than 1,000 families and has been involved in hundreds of cases where it has helped disabled people get the care and medical treatment they deserve. It is so sobering to think that so many people agree with playing God, taking life, or saving it, as it meets their own whims. Please, value life . . . only God should have the choice of whether we live, or whether we die.
April 1 –
April Fool’s Day/All Fool’s Day – This is the day when so many of us go around playing practical jokes on others – I don’t quite have the imagination to carry many jokes off – I can’t keep a straight face and honestly my ideas never seem very good. Where did this holiday get its beginnings? Until I looked it up a couple of years ago, I never gave it any thought. Here’s what I found . . . there are actually many different theories, but nothing concrete, as to where April Fool’s Day got its start, but the most popular theory involves the French calendar reform from the 16th century. The theory goes something like this: In 1564 France reformed its calendar, moving the start of the year from the end of March to January 1. There were some people, for a variety of reasons, who didn’t want to change, and stubbornly stuck to the old calendar system and kept celebrating the New Year during the week between March 25th and April 1st. Because they didn’t make the change, the new calendar following folks played pranks on them. The pranksters would stick paper fish to the backs of the non-changers without their knowing. The victims of this prank were called Poisson d’Avril, or April Fish — which, to this day, remains the French term for April Fools — and so the tradition was born. Let me know if you get someone, or if someone gets you. I always enjoy hearing a good April Fool’s Day joke that goes off without a hitch.
Boomer Bonus Days – A Baby Boomer is someone born from 1946 to 1964 – the prosperous years after WWII and before Vietnam ended. I missed being a Baby Boomer by one year. So, what does that make those of us who were born in 1965? Boomer Bonus Days is the celebration of the Senior Discount that begins when someone turns 50. Now, I just turned 53 this year, and though I am not yet ready to adopt the title of senior, I have looked for some discounts and haven’t found any. Around here it seems that most of them start at 55! That’s ok. I’m not ready yet.
Easter – See Special Edition
Poetry and the Creative Mind Day – The use of words to create a picture in someone’s mind is art. In much the same way that painting, photography or music is art. Words can make people feel whatever emotion the writer is feeling or make them see in their mind whatever they are looking at in the moment they write about it. This day has special meaning for me because I feel like the only artistic quality bequeathed to me by God is with words . . . and baking . . . but that’s a different day. Today would be a good day to read some works by your favorite poets or authors, really appreciate the talent that went into creating their work.
Reading is Funny Day – This celebration was set up to teach kids that reading is fun and can be funny! It’s a day to read silly stories, riddles and jokes – bringing laughter and joy through reading to kids of all ages. Who among us doesn’t love a funny story? I know I do! Ignite the imagination and instead of watching a comedy on TV, pick up a funny book and lose yourself in the humor.
Saint Stupid Day – This “holiday” is celebrated every April 1st. A parade that starts at noon and makes its way along the parade route with all the participants dressed up in silly costumes. This year’s parade in San Francisco stopped along the way at the Pacific Stock Exchange where they encouraged the people to bring their lonely socks for the “sock” exchange, then to Banker’s Heart sculpture to throw their pennies, and finally they stop at the Federal Reserve, where they hand over their losing lottery tickets. If the idea were only to have fun, this would be something interested to go see, but after further reading I found that the odd costumes, noise makers and satiric signs purpose is to make fun of religion and the “business” of religion. This is offensive, so I write about it to you for information purposes only, since it is one of the oddest celebrations I’ve found, and this whole thing started for the purpose of discussing odd holidays. I won’t be attending these events EVER – as they are an insult to people who have deep beliefs in God.
Sorry Charlie Day – Rejection stinks, doesn’t it? Have you ever been rejected? You’d be in a big minority if you haven’t. Rejection hurts, and Sorry Charlie Day is for all of us who have had someone we care about turn their backs on us, and yet we survived it. Take a moment to reflect on that rejection, then smile and realize that it happens to all of us once in awhile; then assess your current situation – you not only survived it, but I’m betting you’re better off for it. If you cannot yet say you are better for it, take it from me . . . you WILL get through it, and you WILL be able to look back and see where some of these changes were for the good.
This Day in History –
March 31, 1889 – The Eiffel Tower opens in Paris, France.
April 1, 1778 – Oliver Pollack invents the dollar sign $.
April 1, 1856 – Dexter Mason Ferry and partners found Gardener, Ferry & Church Seed Company, now called Ferrry-Morse, the oldest seed company in America.
April 1, 1963 – Daytime soap opera General Hospital first airs on ABC.
Food Celebration of the Day –
March 31 –
Clams on the Half Shell – Well, if you love clams on the half-shell, this is a day you may be thrilled to celebrate! I had to giggle that we are celebrating two different shell fish on the shell and wonder at someone who loves them enough to declare a day just for them. I guess it’s not so odd though – there seem to be days set aside for everything else. If you don’t care for clams, then you may want to skip this one . . . maybe the next celebration will be more to your liking! I’ll take my clams fried or in chowder thank you very much.
April 1 –
Sourdough Bread Day – There is something in the bite and tang of a good sourdough bread that elevates sandwiches to the next level, isn’t there? It makes normally delicious sandwiches even better. Do you know the history of sourdough? It’s really quite interesting. Sourdough bread is made from dough that has a mixture of the normal yeasts and a lactobacillus culture. The culture gives the bread that familiar tang that makes it better than all other breads – well for many uses anyway. It even gives the bread a longer shelf-life! It is one of the oldest, if not THE oldest forms of leavening in human history. I had a pretty good sourdough starter going in the fridge for a long time, but I forgot to feed it and it got icky. I need to start another one.
I hope your weekend is filled with all wonderful things, and that your celebrations are done with a happy heart. God bless you and I’ll see you on Monday!
Celebration lists and information are sourced from the following websites:
www.brownielocks.com; www.holidayinsights.com; www.thenibble.com; www.foodimentary.com and www.verseoftheday.com