As I sit here waiting for my tea water to heat up, I can hear the wind starting to gust a bit outside, and of course I feel my stomach start to tighten up with each one. I hate that something as fiercely beautiful as a windstorm is something I can no longer enjoy or appreciate – at least as long we have one single tree within reach of our house or vehicles. Sad really, since I used to really love a good storm. Maybe I will again someday, but today is NOT that day!
I was appalled yesterday to find that none of my celebration lists had the Holocaust Remembrance Day on it and considering that it has always been on there before, I was a bit shocked. It may very well be time to find new lists. I will be sharing this one a day late because it is so important to remember, and in light of the horrifying news that a very high percentage of millennials do not even know what the Holocaust was, and if they do, how many were murdered, I shake my head and cry for the future, for if we forget the past we have a high risk of repeating it.
Verse of the Day
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
“I blew it!” Come to think of it, we’ve all blown it! We don’t measure up. We’re not divine. We might be decent, but decent won’t save us. Only the divine, the truly righteous, make it past the grave and into glory. Thank God grace is freely given and the price for our sin was paid by Jesus. While I “blew it,” he renewed it!
Holy Humor Month / National Humor Month
Three Sisters
Three elderly sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, shared a house together. One evening, the 96 year old sister went upstairs to take a bath. As she put her foot into the tub, she paused. Then she yelled down to the other two sisters and asked, “Was I getting in the tub or out?”
“You dern fool,” said the 94 year old. “I’ll come up and see.” When she got half way up the stairs she paused. “Was I going up the stairs or down?”
The 92 year old sister was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea and thought, “I hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood.” She shook her head and called out, “I’ll be up to help you both as soon as I see who’s at the door.”
Food for Thought
Not enough time for deep thoughts today – all I’m thinking about right now is that clear cutting isn’t such a bad idea.
Yom Hashoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day – This day is observed as Israel’s day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the horrifying actions by Nazi Germany and its allies, and for the Jewish resistance in that time period. In Israel it is a national memorial day. It was inaugurated in 1953 and signed into law by the Prime Minister of Israel – David Ben-Gurion – and the President of Israel – Yitzhak Ben-Zvi. It is held on the 27th of Nisan (April/May), unless the 27th would be adjacent to Shabbat, in which case the date is moved by a day. In other countries there are different commemorative days to remember this horrifying time in history. I was so amazed and moved when I saw that every person in Israel stops and observes 2 minutes of silence in honor of the people who died – a horn blasts throughout the entire country, cars move to the side of the road, people get out and everyone stands. That is incredible and wonderful is so many ways, even though the reason behind it is not. In spite of modern day revisionist attempts, we must NEVER forget, and do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again.
Blame Someone Else Day – We all know someone who loves playing the blame game . . . key government officials who do it daily! I don’t think I need to mention names. These people won’t get much out of this celebration because for them, pointing the finger at someone else is a way of life. For those of us who take responsibility for our actions, this day could be fun! Just point at someone else – for today only – when there is a mistake or error you don’t want to fess up about. Don’t forget though that while you’re pointing the finger at someone else, they may be pointing the finger at you! Remember, they get to celebrate this one too. This one ties directly into first Friday the 13th of 1982. Anne Moeller of Clio, Michigan was having a heck of a day. Her alarm did not go off, so she overslept. Because of that she was late for appointments all day long. According the story I saw, she spent the day spreading the blame around, and making excuses for being late. Yep, sounds like a good start to setting up a holiday to me
Friday the 13th – This is a fairly rare occurrence – when Friday lands on the 13th. It usually only happens twice a year, but can happen three times – all of this ONLY if the 1st day of the month is a Sunday. If you are superstitious, then Friday the 13th is a day you might face with fear. For these people, this would be an unlucky day, a day when bad things might happen. For you – don’t walk under a ladder, or let a black cat cross your path. It could lead to something bad simply because you think it will! The number 13 has been seen as an unlucky number, but do you know why? I didn’t until I started looking into this today. Though nobody is sure HOW this was determined, in Biblical references it is believed that Cain killed Abel on Friday the 13th. Since our calendar wasn’t in existence then, this may not be entirely accurate. What we do know is that the ancient Babylonian Code of Hammurah omitted the #13 in its list of laws. Written in 1,700 B.C., it seems to suggest that ancient Babylonians thought the #13 was unlucky. Another interesting thing I read was that if you live in fear of the #13, you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia. Here is some Friday the 13th Trivia that you may find to be interesting:
Many buildings and skyscrapers do not have a 13th floor.
Many people will not allow 13 people at the table. If there is exactly 13 people present, a second table is set up.
Skippers would not go out to sea with a crew of 12. Including the captain, that made 13 people.
Ancient Mayans of Central America were the most advanced culture in all of the Americas. They considered the number 13 sacred.
Embrace this day – don’t live in fear of it – and like any other day, have fun with it!
Make Lunch Count Day – This one is a pretty awesome celebration that makes a great deal of sense. Many American workers eat lunch at their desks one or more times per week, not allowing themselves time away to breathe and get away from their work. The truth is that getting up and walking away can increase productivity and efficiency. Give your brain a break, OK? Get up and walk away, make your lunch count by getting away from work for a little while.
Scrabble Day – I love playing Scrabble. Usually I play with my Mom because nobody else really wants to play. She is the master of double and triple word scores and making the best use of those “s” and blank tiles. She wins most often, though I can hold my own pretty well. It’s fun though. We laugh our way through the game, most of the time with Mom celebrating her leading score enthusiastically throughout . . . until she beats me with an astoundingly high score. Scrabble was created in 1938 by Alfred Mosher Butts, and it is sold by Hasbro, Inc. The best way to celebrate this one is to just dust off the old board game and play a few games.
Thomas Jefferson Day – Today we celebrate the birthday of Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States from 1801 – 1809. He was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for promoting his ideals of Republicanism in the United States. Two major events during his presidency include the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Jefferson was a political philosopher and knew many intellectual leaders in Britain and France. He distrusted cities and financiers (smart man), favored states’ rights (again, pretty smart) and a strictly limited federal government (smart? how about GENIUS?). He also supported the separation of church and state and was the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In his pre-Presidential life Jefferson practiced law and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. He wrote a Summary View of the Rights of the British America in 1774, which was intended as instructions for the Virginia delegates to a national congress. The pamphlet was a powerful argument of American terms for a settlement with Britain and helped to speed the way to independence. It actually marked Jefferson as one of the most thoughtful patriot spokesmen. Jefferson, considered to be the best writer in the Declaration Committee of Five, wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, which after a few alterations remained largely his work.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Peach Cobbler Day – Pie dates back to the Middle Ages, but cobblers were invented by early settlers in the American Colonies, who cooked them in pots over open fires. There aren’t very many good ways to make this keto – actually none since peaches are not low carb, however the cobbler part and the added sweeteners could be low carb, so it’s possible to make it a LOWER carb. That can be reduced even more by using some low carb berries with the peaches, reducing the amount of peach in total . . . hm. . . I may have to pick up a small bag of frozen peaches.
- Peach Cobbler
- Oatmeal-Cookie-Topped Peach Cobbler
- Grilled Peach Cobbler a la Mode
- Old-Fashioned Peach Blueberry Cobbler
- Peach Cobbler With Almond Crumble Topping
- Mini Peach-Berry Cobblers
Ugh – the gusting hasn’t stopped. It is supposed to be this way all day. Time to say a prayer, take a big breath and head out the door. Hope I go home to power tonight – I can make dinner just fine without it, but it’s much easier with it. Have a great Friday! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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