Today I am celebrating Friday, the beginning of a long weekend, and freedom of speech. What? Where did that come from? Well, I’ll tell you. Like anyone could stop me, right?
On Wednesday a convict escaped custody in our local area. Was this in the news? No, it wasn’t. How do I know about it? A friend of mine was working when a Deputy came in and told them that they were searching for an escaped criminal. The businesses locked their doors, closed their gates, and law enforcement did what they do – they searched for the criminal and by all accounts, caught him. Was THIS in the news? Nope, not that I saw. How do I know this? Facebook of course. I am a member of a local community page, one that I only am a part of so that I can see road conditions, local emergencies, local crime sprees and a plethora of bear, cougar and peacock sightings. Another member commented, very negatively, how unsettling it was to see a Deputy jump out of his truck with his gun drawn and drag a handcuffed guy out of the bushes in front of her. What followed was a ridiculous barrage of animosity and hate towards law enforcement, imagined police brutality and so much whining and discontent. Of course, as the mother of an L.E.O. I commented why this was happening, based on what I had heard from my friend and praised the hard and good work of the Deputy. What did I see last night? Every single one of the positive comments towards law enforcement had been deleted by an administrator of the group. Seriously, maybe they should try to hide their obvious bias just a little bit. What does a deputy’s mama do at that point? Well, she posts her own post about how disappointing it is that local people’s attitudes and censorship make me angry. After close to 150 positive responses commenting was turned off, and somehow keyboard social justice warriors managed to call me a terrible person in multiple ways. Their opinions about me don’t matter because, simply and bluntly put, I just don’t care what they think. They matter less than the dirt I clean out from under my nails after working in the yard. With their attitudes toward those who put their lives on the line to protect and serve, I genuinely wonder who it will be they call when they get into trouble? My speech is just as protected as anyone else’s, regardless of whether someone approves or not. Don’t allow your voice to be silenced. Speak out for what is true and right, because when it comes down to it, that is what shows us that we are truly free. We are coming up on Memorial Day, honoring the lives of those who didn’t come home from fighting for that very right, and all of the others we are so blessed to have in our nation. Speak up, be bold and don’t ever let your voice be silenced.
Verse of the Day
March 24, 2019
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
God will not falter! In a world where justice so seldom prevails, God is our only real assurance that justice will ultimately triumph. The hope for all lands and all peoples is for Jesus to return and bring with him God’s truth and justice. Maranatha, come O Lord!
Aviation Maintenance Technician Day – Now HERE is a group of individuals who deserve to be appreciated! These folks keep our aircraft in tip top, flight ready shape and to under appreciate the work they do to keep us safe would be really a sad thing. Yes, there are still airplane accidents, but if you consider how many flights head into the skies every single day, they truly have a good track record!
Brother’s Day – Brothers are interesting creatures, aren’t they? On the one hand they can be annoying and frustrate us to pieces, but on the other hand, we can’t help but love them. My brother falls into this category. We don’t see each other very often, we don’t have all that many interests in common, but when I am with him, I can’t help but feel that love for my “baby” brother that I had for him while growing up. If you haven’t seen or spoken to your brother in a while maybe you could reach out today to let him/them know that they are loved.
Don’t Fry Day – (Friday before Memorial Day) – The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention has declared the Friday before Memorial Day, May 24, 2013 to be “Don’t Fry Day” to encourage Sun Safety Awareness. This is an important reminder to protect your skin while enjoying the outdoors. There is no single step that can fully protect you from overexposure to UV radiation, so try to follow as many of these tips as possible:
* Do Not Burn or Tan * Seek Shade * Wear Sun-Protective Clothing * Use Extra Caution Near Water, Snow, and Sand * Get Vitamin D Safely. This weekend is usually the first truly warm weekend when so many are outside doing sun related activities, and the risk for ultraviolet (UV) damage of the skin increases. Skin cancer is on the rise in the United States, and the American Cancer Society estimates that one American dies every hour from skin cancer. This is so sobering! I had no idea the numbers were that high! This year alone the American Cancer Society estimates that there will be more than 76,250 new cases of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, and more than two million new cases of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers in the U.S. Fortunately, if it is found early, skin cancer is highly curable, and is preventable.
International Tiara Day – How many of us grew up pretending to be a princess, dressing up and prancing around the house pretending to be a royal? We all deserve that feeling now and then, and with that feeling comes deserving to also have a tiara. It reminds us that we are special and intelligent, pretty and graceful, all of those things we always dreamed we would be someday. This day was picked for this fun celebration because it is Queen Victoria’s birthday and celebrating it could be very fun! Put in a tiara and perhaps have a fancy tea party for your friends! How fun would that be? A fun side note about tea in Victorian days . . . tea was served between lunch and dinner, which was about 9 pm. In 1840, Anna Maria Stanhope, one of Queen Victoria’s ladies in waiting, was too hungry to wait for dinner so she had a light meal made up of cakes, bread and butter, and tea, delivered to her room. She started inviting her friends to these teas and when the Queen heard of them, she started having tea in the afternoons as well. When Miss B comes to visit us this summer, I am planning a fancy tea for us, and this will just have to include a tiara! She will be 5 this year, which is the age I was when my Grandma K first had fancy tea with me in the antique tea set she left for me when she went to heaven. I think that Miss B is old enough to have that same honor in the set that she will inherit on the day I join my Grandma K. I want her to know the stories behind it and for it to be as special to her as it always has been to me.
National Cooler Day – This is a brand-new celebration and one I actually celebrate often. The heat of summer is here, unless you are in parts of Colorado and are still dealing with snow, and coolers are wonderful to have on hand for everything from keeping your drinks cool on the road trip that we’ll discuss in the next celebration, for camping, or in my case, whenever I go on a marathon grocery shopping trip. I don’t want the meat and dairy I get at the 1st stop to go bad before I am finished with the last stop and on my way home, so into the car the cooler goes. While we think of the cooler as part of our everyday lives, they weren’t around until the 1950s, when the first “portable icebox” was invented. I remember my Grandma K calling her refrigerator an icebox. I asked my Mom about it and she remembers as a kid having an actual ice box in the kitchen. An ice delivery man would deliver blocks of ice regularly to keep things cool. Fascinating, isn’t it? Anyway, that made its way to a portable version and picnics were changed forever! Coolers help us keep our food and drinks cold when we do outdoor activities, but seriously they can save lives too. After disasters they can carry hot or cold food to people who have lost power, which is HUGE for everyone affected. They go along to sporting events, to fund raisers and to parades. People, who travel with medication, can take a small cooler with them to keep their medicines at a controlled temperature. It isn’t just functional for keeping things cold or hot. It can double as a table or a seat, anchor a blanket on the ground or, in a pinch, be a place to prep food.
National Road Trip Day – Memorial Weekend has been the kick-off weekend for summer, road trips, camping and all things vacation for a very long time. Did you know that 2/3 of people who travel for leisure – a whopping 64% – plan to take vacations in the summer, and road trips are perfect for long weekend getaways. I know this is true for us – we load up the motor home and take off to have a good time with books, music, wonderful food cooked in the open air and prepare for relaxation and time to breathe. The best road trips include great snacks, happy passengers – which really comes into play when children are along – a good plan, maps for if you get lost and GPS lets you down and making sure your vehicle is ready for the road. This makes me want to start planning our next trip! That’s how I will be celebrating this one.
National Wig Out Day – (Always Fri. before Memorial Day)- This is a fun celebration! In 2006, two sisters – Kate & Alice Clark declared this to be National Wig Out Day. They inspired the residents of Bellingham, WA to go to work wearing all types of crazy wigs, and after work they gathered downtown for a big party. What a spontaneously wonderful thing to do! I don’t have any wigs, but this one may actually be fun enough to buy a few wigs!
Food Celebration of the Day
National Escargot Day – Escargot may seem like the creation of adventurous modern chefs, but snail shells have turned up in archaeological digs — this delicacy has been around for millennia! I am not an adventurous eater when it comes to things that crawl on the ground, or slimy things in general. In my mind, snails fall into this category along with oysters, octopus, etc. You get the idea. When we went on our cruise one of the things on the menu was escargot. I figured there was a benefit to trying it on the ship. 1 – if I didn’t like it, I didn’t have to eat it and 2 – it wasn’t costing me any extra to try it. So, I did! Honestly, it was chewy like rubber bands, albeit rubber bands that had been cooked in lots of butter and garlic. I got through it, didn’t die from it, and now I don’t have to do it again. It wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be though, so it shows that sometimes it really is all in our heads.
I figure if I spend today getting things done in the house, I’ll have time to get things done outside the house with Hubby this weekend. That’s the plan anyway. God bless you, if you are traveling today, be safe and I’ll see you soon!
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Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com