Good Morning and a very Happy Birthday to my friend, my office mate and boss! Growing older with you for the last 13 years has been a lot of fun, filled with laughter, lots of venting to each other, many tears, followed by more laughter. Thank you for sharing your special day with me for all of these years.
Yesterday was a success when it comes to arranging paperwork. I am as ready as I’ll ever be for getting the taxes finished this weekend and not a moment too soon! I never wait this late in the year. Yikes!
Verse of the Day
April 12, 2018
Jesus said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
“I’ve just got to find myself.” Won’t ever happen. We do not “find ourselves” or “find our life” by pursuing it. We find it by losing it in something, or someone, greater than ourselves. We find our life by losing it to Jesus and the work of his Kingdom.
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Holy Humor / National Humor Month
The $20 and the $1 Joke
Two well-worn bills arrived at the Federal Reserve Bank to be retired – a twenty and a one. As they traveled down the conveyor belt, they struck up a conversation. The twenty reminisced about the interesting life he had, traveling all over the country. “I’ve been to the finest restaurants, Broadway shows, Las Vegas , Atlantic City ,” he said. “I even want on a Caribbean cruise. Where have you been?”
“Oh,” said the one-dollar bill, “I’ve been to the Methodist church, the Episcopal church, the Lutheran church.”
“What’s a church?” asked the twenty.
Food for Thought
It must be exhausting to be so joyless that it is a full-time job to make everyone around you miserable. Perhaps instead of feeling anger towards these folks I should feel pity?!
Big Wind Day – I would like everyone, for just a moment, to think of the strongest wind you have ever experienced. Now think of the strongest wind you have observed while watching storms on the news. Wind is pretty impressive and leaves us with a sense of the enormity of the power of nature. Nothing we have ever experienced comes close to what the staff at the Mount Washington Observatory experienced on April 12, 1934. On that day the fastest wind ever recorded on the surface of the Earth was recorded at 231 miles per hour. Though this record was topped in 1996 in Barrow Island Australia when an unmanned instrument station recorded a new record of 253 miles per hour during Typhoon Olivia, the record at Mount Washington is still the fastest wind speed observed by man. As I was reading the excerpts from observer Alex McKenzie’s book, “The Way It Was”, which tells of his experience of documenting and living through a 231-mph wind, I couldn’t help but think what a determined and brave group of people manned that observatory that day. I would be an hysterical puddle on the floor – I hate strong wind that much – but these men stuck it out, even going outside to remove ice from the anemometer that had accumulated. Amazing. Please click the link here to read the full story as written by the scientists themselves. It is humbling to see how dedicated to their research they were.
D.E.A.R. Day (aka Drop Everything and Read) – I couldn’t find what the inspiration was for this celebration, or who started it, but they sure must have loved to read. Today is the day to just stop what you’re doing, curl up on the couch or big cozy chair, and get lost in a good book. I prefer it when this happens on a weekend! It’s a cloudy, rainy day so if you are fortunate enough to be off work today, it may be a good day to dig in and celebrate! If you haven’t gotten lost in a good book recently, take the chance to remember how wonderful it is to immerse yourself in a great story and let your imagination go – it is so important! Kids are losing the love of books as electronic devices take their place, audio books are more popular, and the tactile experience of holding that book, turning those pages in anticipation of what is on the next page . . . that’s magic. Celebrate this one at least for a little while today. It’s so worth it.
International Day of Human Space Flight / Russian Cosmonaut Day – On April 12, 1961, aboard Vostok 1, Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the 1st man in space. This day was decreed by the USSR’s Supreme Council, and marked the beginning of the space race. While Russian (at that time the USSR) put the 1st man in space, the United States went on to be the first to put a man on the moon. As I read about this guy I tried to imagine the overwhelming feeling of knowing that he was the very first – think about that for a second – the VERY first person to go out into space. It would have been wildly exciting, but how petrified must he have been? They didn’t know if he would come home, they didn’t know what was out there. They just knew how important it was to reach new heights of scientific achievement and this guy was willing to be an instrument to that end. Pretty amazing stuff when you really give it some thought.
Walk on Your Wild Side Day – If you’re an adventurous sort, then today is the day to walk on the wild side – way outside the usual box you probably usual take. It’s the day to be unpredictable and do something a little crazy! It’s work day, so I’m not sure what sort of craziness most of us would be willing to get up to, but if you think of something, share it with me! I have zero imagination this early in the morning.
This Day in History –
1900 – By an Act of Congress, Puerto Rico becomes a U.S, territory.
1934 – Mount Washington Observatory records the highest surface wind ever measured, anywhere on earth— 231 miles per hour!
1961 – Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Grilled Cheese Day – National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day – Here’s a tip for browning your bread perfectly: Slather the outside of each slice with mayonnaise, not butter.
- Your Basic Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Grilled Cheddar & Bacon on Raisin Bread
- French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese
- Grilled Cheese with Sauerkraut on Rye
- Wild Mushroom & Brie Grilled Cheese
- Black Bean Grilled Cheese
- Caprese Grilled Cheese
I have to say, I am enjoying having it be daylight when I leave for work now – it makes it SO much easier to force myself out to the car, even if it is raining. Have a fantastic Thursday! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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