Hard to believe that August is already here! It feels like the summer is racing by us at breakneck speed – and if this ridiculous heat continues I know I am going to find myself thrilled to see it go! I’m not much of a summer person anyway, this just confirms that feeling. Today I will be heading home from my couple of mother/daughter days I’ve taken with my girl. I know she’ll be happy to see Baby R, and I’m betting – knowing what a busy little guy he is – that my parents will be happy to hug him good-bye and go home for a nap.
A very happy birthday to my friend S! I hope your day is filled with happy surprises!
Verse of the Day
August 1, 2018
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Where can we go to remain secure from the onslaught of bad ideas, evil influences, and false hopes? We can go to God and his Word. While people can be disloyal and misguided, God’s love is proven through history and through Jesus and his truth stands forever.
Food for Thought
I discovered that Moose does not like door to door religion peddlers any more than I do. Hint: If you hear a dog trying to snarl and bark his way through the front door at you, don’t bother knocking. Turn around and walk away. Geesh!
Lughnasa – I don’t typically focus on non-Christian holidays, but sometimes they have a certain historical significance that I find to be quite interesting. Lughnasa is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically it was observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. It was originally held on July 31- August 1st, which was about halfway between summer solstice and autumn equinox. Over time though, the celebration shifted to the Sunday that was closest to this date. Lughnasa also corresponds to other European harvest festivals, like the Welsh Calan Awst and the English Lammas. Named after the god Lugh, this celebration is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and to be of pagan origins. There were huge gatherings for the festival that included religious ceremonies, athletic contests, feasting, matchmaking and trading. Some of the religious rituals involved sacrifices on mountain tops. These customs were kept up until the 20th century – being known by various names like ‘Garland Sunday’, ‘Bilberry Sunday’, ‘Mountain Sunday’ and ‘Crom Dubh Sunday’. The custom of climbing hills and mountains for Lughnasa has survived in some areas, but it is now called a Christian pilgrimage. Interesting how so many pagan holidays have been re-vamped as Christian to make them more acceptable to the general public – and have been since Christianity was born.
National Girlfriend’s Day – Where would we be without our friends? (Ladies, I’m specifically talking to you right now.) Girlfriends are there for each other, through thick and thin. We can laugh together, cry together, and even be angry at each other and know – if it’s TRUE friendship – that none of that matters, and when the air clears we’re still there for each other. We each know who our real friends are, so celebrate them today! They are precious and to be appreciated. The ones who treat you badly, don’t talk through problems or misunderstandings, and basically turn their back on you weren’t friends to start with, and never knew the true meaning of friendship.
National Mountain Climbing Day – I’ve heard it said that everyone should climb a mountain at least once in their lives, that it is an exhilarating experience that rewards the climber with a hug sense of accomplishment. And I’m sure it does! I’m not overly fond of most heights though, and we found out that mountain climbing is REALLY expensive. Even if you already have the gear, it’s many thousands of dollars to actually climb a mountain to its peak. I’d rather just hike in the foothills. That gives me a great sense of accomplishment and just costs us fuel and our lunch and snacks that we take along in our backpacks.
Respect for Parents – This day isn’t so much about celebrating parents as it is showing them respect. It must have been rather important for God to have included it in the Ten Commandments, right? We are to give them honor and respect for the positions they have in our lives as our parents. And don’t get me wrong here – this is not a day to absolve parents of any wrongdoing they do to their children and demand that kids (even adult ones) overlook those wrongs. It is to remind us that our parents are to be treated with respect for the position they hold in our lives. I know that for myself, my parents have given up a lot over the years so that my brother and I could have the things that they didn’t have themselves as children. It’s just something that parents do – or should anyway – sacrifice for their kids. It’s part of the job. The least they deserve from us in return is respect and honor – after all, it’s something God told us very specifically to do!
Rounds Resounding Day – We’ve all either heard songs being sung in a round, or we’ve been a part of a round, and let’s be honest, it just makes even the most basic of songs so much fun! It’s pretty too! Today we sing the praises of Rounds Resounding Day. If, by chance, you don’t know what singing rounds is – it’s when you sing songs, or parts of songs, with different voices taking up different parts of the melody. Popular songs to sing in a round would be Three Blind Mice and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. They are often sung while sitting around a campfire at a kid’s camp. It isn’t just for kids though – serious composers have written many songs in this format, with the oldest published English part-songs dating back to the 17th century. Recently you may have heard a cappella groups and barbershop quartets putting a fun and different spin on singing in the round. This celebration was started in 1987, specifically to promote singing in harmony! Have fun with this one! How can you NOT have fun when singing songs this way?
Spiderman Day – (also October 14) –There are a lot of kids out there who would have absolutely no idea that Spiderman didn’t just materialize in the movies but started as a comic book character about 50 years ago! Over the years the character has evolved and is recognized around the world for being a crime-fighter and is now a member of The Avengers! Go Spiderman!
Start Up Day Across America – This one started in 2013, founded by Representatives Jared Polis and Darrell Issa. The intention was to open the communication channels between small business owners and their representatives, showing the people who make policies the various difficulties that small business owners face. By creating this platform for new businesses to talk with their lawmakers, concerns, needs and difficulties could be discussed, and solutions found to help new businesses prosper.
US Air Force Day – This day was set up on August 1, 1947 by President Truman “in recognition of the personnel of the victorious Army Air Forces and all those who have developed and maintain our nation’s air strength”. August 1 was picked to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Aeronautical Division in the Office of the Chief Signal Officer of the Army in 1907. Air Force Day immediately came into being after the National Security Act of 1947 was signed, even though the status of the air element of the military wasn’t certain, so even though this day is called Air Force Day, the very first celebration was staged by the Army Air Forces, and not by the US Air Force.
This Day in History –
1790 – The first U.S. Census is completed. There were four million people in the U.S.
Food Celebration of the Day –
Raspberry Cream Pie Day – It is definitely raspberry season, as we can see by all of the raspberry celebrations that will continue through the month. Today is about raspberry cream pie, and I thought I’d celebrate this one for my friend S’s birthday! Hubby and I are starting out today on a new low carb eating plan, which means that EVERYTHING has to be overhauled. You have NO idea how many carbohydrates are in foods until you really start digging in to your nutrition, so this one started out as a bit of a challenge. I found a recipe for a low carb strawberry frozen pie and swapped out the strawberries for raspberries on www.ibreatheimhungry.com. I waited until I got home after work to load the picture of the pie. I didn’t want to freeze the whipped cream, so waited until time to serve it to take a picture. It was delicious and definitely one I’ll make again!
As we go about our day, please say a prayer for the brave men and women fighting the fires in various states that are burning. May God extinguish the fires and send these heroes home to their families. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com