Ahhhhh, there are mornings that just don’t start out the way we want them to, especially when the sun is shining (even though the weather guessers were calling for rain) and it is a day off from work. I forgot to take the garbage can out to the curb so I was hurrying because I thought I heard the truck coming – I didn’t, but I THOUGHT I did – and somehow, though I’m still trying to figure out how, pulled the can harder than usual to get it over a ridge and at the same time slipped on a slick spot that was created from a little mud and a little pollen puddle that happened when the slight sprinkle we got overnight came together to make a hazardous spot. Down I went, onto my left knee and left hand. I laid there, stunned, by the side of the street, starting to cry, knowing I was hurt and also knowing that Hubby couldn’t hear me calling him to help me, and wondering how on earth I was going to get myself up. I have bad knees on a good day without falling down, and my wrists are weak from an accident years ago, so getting up off of the ground WITHOUT a messed up knee is difficult . . . I couldn’t stay there and feel sorry for myself, so I managed to drag the fallen garbage can over to me, scooted myself around onto my backside while I assessed the damage to my left knee, then got myself slowly over onto my right knee and to my feet. At that point Hubby figured out it was taking me a long time to take the garbage out and ran out to help me to the house. And now, I am sitting here, leg elevated, ice pack on my scraped up knee – which is swelling to quite an impressive size at this point – and starting to feel some aches in my left wrist. *sigh* This is NOT what I had planned today at all. It’s moments like these I just want my Mom – yes, we can still want our moms when we are in our 50s – to give me her special sort of sympathy. Hubby is taking care of me before he goes to work, but seriously, nobody quite fixes things as well as a Mom can. Yep, I am feeling sorry for myself right about now.
Verse of the Day
May 9, 2018
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies… She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Give honor to whom honor is due! This biblical principle is most certainly true of women, and especially those who are godly mothers. Let’s make sure we praise the key women in our lives today!
Food for Thought
Sometimes it takes falling down, getting banged and bruised, then picking oneself up again to realize that really can do it if we have to. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good thing to have someone there to help us out when we fall.
Bike to School Day – The first annual Bike To School Day was held in 2012. The idea behind it builds on how popular and successful that International Walk To School Day is each October. It encourages a bicycle focused celebration during the month of May. The National Center serves as an information clearinghouse for the federal Safe Routes to School program, which assists states and communities to help kids safely walk and bike to school. Safe routes throughout communities ensure that children arrive to their destination and home again. Now, where I live, the kids wouldn’t be able to bike to school – we are at least 20 minutes from the nearest school by bus, which wouldn’t allow the children to enjoy this day, but the kids who live in town may very well be able to do so safely and with a great sense of community. Especially today. The sun is shining, it is going to be a pleasant temperature and the perfect spring day to enjoy biking to school. . . or anywhere!
Donate a Day’s Wages to Charity – The organization One Days Wages (ODW) came up with a really neat concept. The idea is for people to pledge one single day’s wages to the cause of their choice. Think about it. How much to you make in one day? For some of us it is a little, some it’s a little more, but when it comes down to it, in the grand scheme of things, that one single days wages can make a world of difference in someone’s life who is in need. The following is a copy and paste from the website www.onedayswages.org . I wanted you to see their actual pledge for yourself.
This is Our Pledge
100% of your donations (minus credit card fees) go directly to fund efficient and transparent organizations around the world that are both nominated by ODW members and respective boards and go through our thorough grant process. When you donate, you can choose which organization/cause to support or give to a general fund to be allocated to grants and projects by the Board of Directors. All donations received that exceed 100% of a partnership’s campaign goal will be redirected to our general giving fund to be allocated to grants and projects around the world at One Day’s Wages’ discretion. Because we grant out 100% of your donations, we raise money for our administrative budget separately. If you would like to help support the mission of ODW by supporting our administrative budget, you can donate here. One Day’s Wages is a registered 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible, as allowed by the law. It’s a really wonderful concept, you can choose where to have your donated money go, and its one of those places that actually uses the donated money for the charities and not for their own pocket lining “fees”.
Lost Sock Memorial – It stands to reason that this day would follow No Socks Day! After all, we stripped those socks off of our feet and flung them aside. Never know where those socks may land once we give them a toss! Today though, we take it a bit further and we acknowledge that drawer of mismatched socks we have hanging out – the ones we never throw out because we are just sure we are going to find the mates some day – need to go away. Quick tip – if you’ve had those socks for a year or more – you aren’t finding the mate. It’s likely your washer or dryer ate it. Now you can hold out hope, but why bother? Today you can be free of all those sad, mismatched socks, and take the opportunity to just get rid of them. It’s time . . . go on . . . get rid of them . . . I mean it!
National Night Shift Workers Day / National Third Shift Workers Day – Today we take some time to remember and appreciate the people who work hard through night while we are snuggled down in our beds sleeping. I grew up with my Dad usually working nights. We had to be pretty quiet during the day so he could sleep – which made summers a little muted in the house. We really only saw Dad on the weekends. Working nights really takes a toll on the sleep patterns, which can actually be very dangerous for the worker. They keep to a sleep during the day, work all night schedule during the week, then on the weekends they try to adapt their bodies to being awake during the day for the family. It’s exhausting! My son is a law enforcement officer who often works the night shift. He does the same thing. He is awake through the night to work, then tries to adapt to accommodate other people on his days off. I worry! He can’t afford to be too tired. We need our night workers though – there are just some jobs that need to be covered 24 hours a day. So, night workers! This day is for you!
National Sleepover Day – Well, this one was new last year, and I missed it! How many of us have fun memories of sleeping over at a friend’s house, or having them sleep over at ours, giggling, eating snacks, giving each other makeovers and talking about boys? I know that I can remember my very first sleepover at a Sunday School teacher’s house when I was about 7 years old. I wasn’t ready and had to call my Mom to come and get me. I remember crying and looking out the window and just wishing she would show up on her own so I didn’t have to tell the teacher I didn’t want to be there. In the end, not wanting to be there beat out not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings and I called Mom. Nothing ever looked so good as her headlights coming up the driveway! Anyway, this one was created by bare Minerals cosmetics and Cosmopolitan magazine as a way to celebrate bareMinerals claim that their makeup is so pure you can sleep in it. I guess they are having New York’s biggest sleepover in Times Square at 3 p.m. where people attending will receive bareMinerals makeovers, Instagram-worthy moments that include customizable pillowcases, a giant bed and much more. Doesn’t sound like my cup of tea, but if you are there, check it out and see what’s going on? Could be interesting! In the meantime, it’s a school night, so a sleepover probably isn’t a great idea, but planning one might be!
Occupational Safety and Health Day – Today we recognize the efforts and commitment of occupational safety, health and environmental professionals to protect people, property and the environment. Occupational safety and health professionals make sure that millions of workers who go to work each day return home safely. They help identify and reduce workplace hazards while reducing employer costs and maximizing the contributions of all workers. Safety professionals set guidelines for safety to include engineering, education, psychology, physiology, enforcement, hygiene, health, physics and management. These guidelines, when followed, can reduce injuries on the job, reducing accidents and even deaths to workers. I know that sometimes I read lists of rules that come across my desk, and I have to almost laugh. Some of the things that are listed as unsafe should be common knowledge to EVERYONE because they are so simple – don’t put caustic substances in your eye, for example. DUH! But I have to remember that for every seemingly oddball rule, someone, somewhere has hurt themselves by that very thing. So, to the people who have to investigate these incidences and make up the rules, thank you for working hard to keep the workplace safe.
Receptionists Day – This day is separate and different from Administrative Professionals Day because they perform a completely different and very important function. The Receptionist is the first person someone sees or speaks to at most companies. That means that customers will get their first impression from that person. This can be a lot of pressure, and it means that people in this position need to be appreciated by their employers. I have heard people say “I’m ONLY a receptionist.” ONLY? No, only doesn’t cut it. Some of the most stressful jobs I’ve had have been in the position of receptionist and dealing with frustrated, irritable people on the phone and having to smile and be polite through the process. Be proud of what you do – it’s a very important job! Employers – please recognize your receptionists today – maybe give them a special thank you, flowers would be nice, but at least a word of appreciation for all they do.
School Nurse Day – This is National Nurses Week. All nurses are honored this week, but today we are specifically going to let School Nurses know that we appreciate them. When many of us were kids I’m sure that being a school nurse was a challenge, but these days it’s nearly impossible! I remember growing up, especially as I got to the point of being in Junior High and High School, I carried painkillers with me. I’d get headaches, there were female issues that caused discomfort. If a friend had cramps, I’d give her a couple of Motrin. No problem. NOW? Having pain killers at school is a punishable offense. If a child has asthma and KNOWS how and when to use their inhaler, they can’t! If a kid is taking antibiotics as prescribed by their doctor, they can’t take them on their own. It’s ridiculous! The nanny state has taken over to the point that kids can’t take care of simple things themselves, but have to depend on going to the school office to get what they need . . . but only with a parent’s written note . . . and all of that is up to the school nurse to moderate. So, put this into perspective. You have a middle school with 300 students – and that’s a modest estimate of the number of students in many middle schools – and of those students say 100 of them have regular medication they take, or potentially would need to take – for asthma, allergies, infections, etc. Every one of those kids has to have their parent take the medicine to the school, with a permission slip and a doctor’s note in many cases, and leave it in the office. When the time of day comes for the child to take their medicine, they have to hot foot it to the office, check in with the nurse and be given what they need. Now, of the remaining 200 kids, say another 100 of them occasionally need painkillers for headaches, cramps, injuries, etc. These kids also have to have the required permissions slips and medication dropped off in the office to leave with the nurse. So there’s the nurse, going to work each day, with a steady stream of students throughout the day coming to the office to be given their medicine. That alone is enough to keep the poor nurse running like a crazy person, but you add to all of that the kids that are injured during the day. Maybe they’ve hurt themselves in P.E., cut themselves in shop (or whatever they are calling it now), fallen down and skinned a knee, gotten into a scuffle with another student, maybe had a sudden nose bleed . . . I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Please, if you have a kid in school, whether they see the nurse every day or not, please show that poor nurse some appreciation! There’s such a load on their shoulders that you wouldn’t want them to suddenly quit! A big thank you should do the trick, and a coffee shop gift card or two wouldn’t hurt as a little bonus.
This Day in History –
1869 – A “Golden Spike” was driven into the railroad tracks at Promontory Summit, Utah, connecting the tracks of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads, creating the first Transcontinental railroad.
1886 – The syrup for Coca Cola is invented by Atlanta Pharmacist John Styth Permerton.
1899 – The lawnmower is patented.
1926 – Americans Richard Boyd and Floyd Bennett become the first to fly over the North Pole.
1960 – The Birth control pill is approved by the FDA.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Butterscotch Brownie Day – Though butterscotch isn’t my favorite flavor, I know many people LOVE it! I did a quick search and couldn’t easily find a low-carb version of this super sweet treat, but I did find a “regular” recipe on Allrecipes.com. If you make some, send me a picture! I’d love to see the treats you come up with!
National Moscato Day – Ah, yum – Moscato – an absolutely lovely, light wine. I have had the chance to taste it on several different occasions when hubby and I went on a couple of wine tasting weekend field trips. The Moscato’s peach, honey and citrus overtones come with an affordable price tag for some Vineyards, which is one reason this wine is so appreciated. Another is the light flavors – from dry to sweet, from light bodied to full bodies. Did you know that the Muscat grape is one of the oldest known grape varietals? If you get the chance to do a taste testing of this lovely grape, please enjoy it. Hmmmm . . . I wonder if we have any of this in our wine rack? Most of our wine is red, but there is the occasional delicious white “find” in there.
Usually at this point I tell you I’m off to get things accomplished and have a very full day . . . I’m not even going to try to fool myself into thinking that this morning. I’m going to stay here, on my backside, leg up with an ice pack on it and hope to heaven the swelling goes down enough to be able to get around a bit this afternoon. And to be thankful it’s my left knee and not my right one, so I can still use my right leg to drive to work tomorrow. May your day be more coordinated than my has been so far. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.foodimentary.com www.thenibble.com www.verseoftheday.com