Good Morning! I wish I could tell you that I’m miraculously more energetic this morning, but if I’m being honest, I’m not. I did sleep better last night, but I woke up with that distressing feeling of not having gotten enough rest. I have a lot to do today, but I may take a short nap to try to get through the day without falling over. More high iron food today to try to build up my system, followed by more work in the office to get it ready for guests to sleep in there. At this point I feel like this project may never be done.
Verse of the Day
March 21, 2018
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Trust. Can we trust in God? Is the Lord really faithful? While we may wish to have been alive when Jesus walked the earth or Jeremiah spoke fearlessly God’s hard truth, we are especially blessed to be alive today. We stand at the end of an incredible stream of God’s work. We can look at history and know him to be profoundly faithful to his people. We can launch out into the future with boldness because we know God is already there!
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Food for Thought
Today is National Common Courtesy Day – have you noticed that courtesy isn’t really all that common any more? Seriously! How often do we see horribly rude behavior online and in person? How many people cut us off in traffic then flip us off like we were the problem in the first place? How about the ones who park themselves in the middle of the aisle with their shopping cart and don’t move out of the way when someone needs to get by? Or interrupt us when we are at the counter, taking the clerks attention from us and putting it on themselves? What about the people who can’t even be professional and courteous on the job – ignoring emails, slamming doors, making it difficult to do our jobs because they are putting up road blocks where none belong? And that’s stuff done in person! The behavior on line is completely out of control – as if anonymity gives people the right to be rude. It’s time we all step back and start treating each other better. It’s actually past time.
Credit Card Reduction Day – How many people do you know that are buried in credit card bills and can’t find their way out? The interest keeps racking up and if they can’t afford to pay off the balance each month, or at least pay more than the minimum payment, that balance isn’t going to come down for years and years. Credit card companies don’t want people to pay more than the minimum, or course, because they benefit from all of the interest, so your misery is their profit. Today you can start doing something about this, and it doesn’t necessarily mean paying off your balances. It can start slowly by just whittling down the balance a little at a time. Here are a few things you can do to start the process of liberating yourself from that debt. 1) Make an extra payment on your balance. 2) Pay more than the minimum payment each month, even if it’s just a few dollars. 3) Limit new purchases, until you are paid in full. 4) Once you pay off one, put the amount you WOULD have paid on that one to another card. 5) Try to double your payment once in awhile. Those balances will come down and you’ll find yourself free of the debt, even if it takes awhile.
Fragrance Day – Well, this is a celebration I personally protest, but I know there are many who will appreciate it. Perfumes have been used for hundreds of years, and in ancient times they were used to hide body odors. I’ve run across people who still seem to think that perfume or cologne is a good alternative to showers. I tend to disagree. At the time that perfumes were used for masking body odor, baths were taken infrequently, and after a few days people began to smell less than pleasant. The perfumes made the atmosphere more pleasant. I know there were social and superstitious reasons that they didn’t bathe as often, but seriously, taking a bath would have been a much better solution! Today most people shower every single day but perfume is used because people like to wear a scent that they like and identify with themselves. As someone who suffers from multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, perfume is toxic poison to me. People have come into my office wearing some horrifying concoction and it sends me into headache and nausea mode nearly instantly. It’s not the smell either! Some perfumes smell quite lovely to me . . . it’s the chemical compounds IN the perfumes that hurt me, and people who also suffer from this syndrome. I always tell people to please, avoid perfume and use essential oils instead – they are natural, chemical free and don’t typically harm others because of their lack of chemicals.
Kick Butts Day – Today is the 23rd Annual Kick Butts Day! Today is a day that is designed to stand up and speak out against tobacco and the control it has over so many people’s lives and health. It is a day to take control against tobacco and for people who are addicted to smoking to take control of their lives, their health and their wallets. it is a day to kick smoking out of their lives. It can be done . . . so please, do it today. It isn’t just your life you may save, but the lives of everyone who you expose to the toxic poison that is 2nd hand smoke. I have to voice a personal opinion here that people who puff away endlessly on those vapor E-cigarettes are exposing themselves and others to just as bad poison, if not worse. Studies are starting to show that exposure to the vapor is just as bad as smoke. Just because it doesn’t smell as strong doesn’t mean it is safe. Just a thought to keep in mind.
Memory Day – What day is this? Oh yes, Memory Day! Today we celebrate the gift of our memories . . . before we forget and the day is over of course! From the time we are little we play memory games like Concentration, to work on our memory capabilities. Every day we do things from memory, from singing along to songs on the radio, to performing our jobs. We all understand how damaging disease’s like Alzheimer’s, and other types of dementia, are to both their victims and the loved ones of the victims. Today would be a great day to support one of the wonderful charities that help research to find a cure for dementia. Another sweet thing you could do is take someone who suffers from memory issues on an adventure – they may not remember it all of the time, but the memories may filter through and give them a smile now and again. YOU will remember – and that’s just as important.
National Common Courtesy Day – There are days that I feel that common courtesy is decidedly UNCOMMON. Simple things like saying please and thank you, holding a door open for someone, and just considering the feelings of those around you, seem to be non-existent in our world! Why? Don’t parents today teach those things? It doesn’t seem so. These were things that we were taught from the time we were born, and the things that I instilled in my own children. I would hope and pray they do the same. Everywhere around me, every single day, I see examples of self-entitled, rude and obnoxious people of all ages just running roughshod through life spreading their unpleasant attitudes everywhere they go. Please, today is Common Courtesy Day – say please, say think you. Let someone hold the door for you, or vice versa. BE NICE TO EACH OTHER! Maybe today will be a seed for more days of the same. Let’s take polite behavior out of the shadows and put it back where it belongs in our everyday lives.
National Healthy Fats Day – This is the 1st Annual celebration of this one and it fits right in with the low carb way of eating that so many people are doing these days. It celebrates the traditional healthy animal fats – pure lard, beef tallow, duck fat, goose fat and similar healthy fats. They are enjoying a renewal within America’s kitchens, restaurants and food culture in general. There were so many years when junk science was telling us that these fats were bad for us, but we are finding out that this is truly not accurate and with this reintroduction of these fats into our diets, people’s cholesterol numbers, diabetes and overall health is improving. Fats make food delicious – it improves the crispiness in fried foods, thickens sauces, gives food flavor, makes baked goods flaky and moist. Artificial trans-fats, such as Crisco and vegetable oils, are being found to be bad for us and to increase the very health issues that we have been trying to eradicate. Authenticity in cooking has returned and I, for one, couldn’t be happier. Bring on the butter!
National Single Parent Day – Raising children is tough. It’s tough with two parents in the home, but when there is a single parent situation going on, it’s much harder! We all know someone who is a single parent, and today is a great day to support and appreciate them, making their day special so that they realize their efforts aren’t being unnoticed.
World Down Syndrome Day – Down Syndrome is the most common genetic condition, with one in every 691 babies in the U.S. born with a form of Down Syndrome. It can occur in all races, ethnicities, economic levels and as well as any age of the parents. Physical traits of Down Syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes and a deep single crease across the center of the palm. All individuals without Downs Syndrome are unique, and all individuals with Down Syndrome are also unique and may not possess all of these characteristics, or even none at all. I had the blessing of being able to work with special needs children when I was in high school, and a more loving group of kids I have never met. That extra chromosome these children possess gives them the most loving demeanor, they are quick to smile, they have lovely senses of humor, they laugh with an infectious giggle that just makes everyone around them want to laugh and smile also. They love to cuddle and like all children, they love to play. I have to admit I do have a pet peeve about so many children that I have seen with Down Syndrome, and the peeve isn’t with the children. It is with their parents and caregivers. Just about every single one of these children I have seen are dressed in the sloppiest of clothes, most of the time they don’t even match. Their hair is left to be either a tangled mess, or is cut in the most unflattering style. WHY? They are human beings and as such why are their parents doing this to them? It’s especially apparent when these children have siblings without Down Syndrome. The children without Downs are dressed in stylish, new clothing, alongside the child WITH Downs that is obviously in clothing that is thrift store, unmatched and doesn’t fit! The child without Downs has a stylish, well groomed appearance and the one with Downs looks like someone gave them a hair cut with a weed eater. WHY? If this is your child you should be proud of who they are, with or without Downs. I have no issue with bargain hunting, thrift store and 2nd hand shopping. It’s frugal and economically intelligent, but in doing so you can make sure the clothes FIT, match and are unstained! And for gosh sakes, comb their hair and cut it in a stylish manner. They are human beings, and as such have equal right to being treated like others, by their parents, siblings and society. Spend any length of time with a child with Downs and your life will be blessed and enhanced beyond your wildest dreams. The innocence, simple sense of humor, love and affection can completely bowl you over with what is important in life.
This Day in History –
1963 – The infamous Alcatraz prison is closed.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National French Bread Day – The French actually have a law that dictates the ingredients for their bread. But that’s only because French bread is sacredly tasty in so many ways.
French Bread With Pesto & Peppers
Mushroom-Gouda French Bread Pizzas
Baked Cinnamon-Sugar French Toast
I think it is more than time to get busy in my office . . . right after a bite of lunch. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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