It’s Wednesday! Yippee! There, how is that for excitement? No? Sorry – I’m still adjusting to the time change, haven’t had a full cup of coffee yet, and it is all I can muster. At least I know that “someone” will be happy to see me at work today – not that my boss isn’t glad that I show up for work – but her “granddog” is visiting for a few weeks while her kids are out of town and seems to have adopted me as her own. She was there on Monday and immediately remembered me from her last visit and wanted up on my desk. That’s where she sat, in the corner, much of the time when she was there, and sure enough, that’s where she wanted to be. When I got to work yesterday, she’d already jumped up onto my chair, then to my desk and was sitting on her blanket watching for me to arrive. After she wriggled and wagged her greeting, she settled down in her blanket nest on my desk and there she stayed until almost time to go home. She’s a homely little thing, reminds me of Dobby from Harry Potter in a way, but what she lacks in beauty she makes up for in sweet.
Verse of the Day
March 13, 2019
He [Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Before there was an earth, universe, or nature, there was Jesus! He was before they were made. He will be after they are long gone. In fact, his power and his presence are what hold our world, our universe, and our nature together. He is the sustaining force, the enabling power, and the generous preserver of life as we know it. So if he could provide us these things and they are but a faint anticipation of what is yet to be, won’t it be great to see him, just as he is, and share in his glory with him!
Food for Thought
I saw this and thought it was funny, so I decided to share it:
“Security at every level of an airport is absolutely ridiculous. Until you get to the baggage claim. Then it’s just, like, take whatever bag you want.”
Earmuffs Day – What a wonderful invention! I love ear muffs! When my daughter was barely more than a toddler, she had a pair of little bunny ear muffs – SO cute! I dug through a couple boxes of pictures and didn’t run across the one I was thinking of, but it certainly was cute! When it’s really chilly out and your ears feel like they are freezing off, there’s nothing quite as nice as fuzzy pair of snuggly warm ear muffs. Today celebrates this warm invention! On March 13, 1877 the Ear Muff was created by “Big-Eared” Chester Greenwood. He patented the “Champion Ear Protector, which later became known as “ear mufflers”, and was eventually shortened to “ear muffs”. By keeping the ears warm, ear muffs protect people from ear infections and earaches that result from icy cold wind and weather. They come in a large variety of designs and colors so there’s a pair out there to fit nearly everyone’s personality. I realize that this celebration is today because it’s the day of the original patent, but I’m betting more people would celebrate it if it were set back in December or January.
Good Samaritan Involvement Day – also known as Good Samaritan Day is celebrated on March 13th in the United States because it is the anniversary of the death of Catherine-Kitty-Genovese, who was murdered in New York while multiple bystanders did nothing to prevent it. Good Samaritan Involvement Day is a day for unselfish actions to help those who are in need.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is located in the Book of Luke, Chapter 10, verses 25-37 in the Bible. In this parable, a man is beaten, robbed and left on the road. The first two people who pass by – a priest and a Levite – do nothing to help the man. The third person, a Samaritan, stops to help. He binds the wounds and takes the wounded man to an inn and pays for him to be treated. Of course, to the people hearing the parable, they would have expected the priest and the Levite – very respected people – to be the ones who were willing to help, and the Samaritan – a member of a people who were much despised at those times- as the one who would ignore a wounded man. The parable of the Good Samaritan is generally understood as an illustration that “neighbors” does not refer simply to those living around a person or to those of the same ethnic or religious group, but that “neighbors” refers to all fellow human beings. It also stresses love over legalism- in other words caring for fellow human beings takes precedence over following a specific religious or cultural law. While hospitality and concern for others was often shared within cultural groups, Jesus made it clear that these same traits should be displayed to everyone. If we look around our world today, what do we see? Generally, we are not seeing a world filled with Good Samaritans. Every day on the news there is footage of animalistic savages beating up on someone who can’t protect themselves, thugs posing as protesters starting brawls for no reason that they even truly care about, horrible murders, rapes, child molestations and the list goes on. It’s everywhere we look lately. It scares me that the horror is so prevalent and makes me afraid for future generations. There is always hope though, for as long as there are good and loving people in the world, there will be Good Samaritans. Sometimes being a Good Samaritan isn’t about helping someone who is in physical danger, or having a medical emergency, but helping someone who needs their spirits lifted and their souls soothed by an incredible kindness. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to help someone today and maybe if we all do it together, we can help balance out the evil with good.
K-9 Veterans Day – After researching this celebration, nothing I could say would be as great as what I found on the site of the man who worked tirelessly to put this day into reality. I have taken the liberty of copying and pasting his description of this day.
Joe White (04/14/1949 – 10/24/2009),
Founded this movement and this Web Site. His untimely death has not stopped the effort to recognize our 4-legged heroes. His wife (Sally) now carries the effort forward and welcomes any help or suggestions you may have.
Welcome to the national effort to make March 13 K9 Veterans Day. March 13, 1942 is the official birthday of the United States K9 Corps, and so it seems only right to annually honor their service on that date. They served to save, and they deserve to be remembered.
Because of the attacks on our homeland, many more dogs than are normally associated with the term “war dogs” are in the fight, and this campaign will not discriminate against them. The war came to us, and so it has become seriously important to us as a Nation to have our borders, transportation centers, ports, bases, fuel dumps, energy compounds, and many more places, as well guarded as is possible, and for the most part they are guarded by dogs that are not in the military. Police K9s, Customs K9s, Border Patrol K9s, Secret Service K9s, Airport Police K9s, F.B.I. K9s, and others are working daily to protect the homeland, and they should be honored accordingly. Some of those very dogs died at Ground Zero. They have all served to save, and they all deserve to be remembered.
Privately handled dogs are also a part of the war effort in ways that have never been done before. Search and Rescue dog teams worked tirelessly at Ground Zero, and at the Pentagon. Private bomb dog and security dog teams are in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other sites as needed; and they are very much needed, and sincerely appreciated by our troops. And private Therapy dogs are in the hospitals both here and abroad, helping to heal our hero’s. Service dogs are now assisting those who are handicapped by the war to have a more meaningful life. And may we never forget, as well the service of those privately handled dogs who search for the remains that are so important to their families. And, of course, many of our troops will readily tell you of how an unofficial war dog, a mascot, helped in keeping one’s spirits high as the horrors of war worked to depress them.
First and foremost are the military dogs of all our wars, as their service and sacrifice paved the way for the creation of all the other uses for dogs. And we are certainly honored to have current handlers voicing their support for this campaign. Dogs have bled, suffered, and died while serving in all our wars, to include this war on terror, and they have done so in ways that do us all proud. Dogs were there in the trenches of France in WW I, and the slopes of Iwo Jima in WW II, and though many were pure breeds, some others were mixed breeds, and our troops didn’t care either way. They were simply grateful to have one, and they treated them with respect as a fellow soldier. Of course, dogs also served with honor in Korea, and Vietnam, and wherever our Country has called them to serve. And unlike other so-called weapons, dogs served not to take a life, but to save them. They served to save, and they deserve to be remembered.
Our home base is Jacksonville Beach in Florida, and both Jacksonville and the State of Florida have signed proclamations declaring March 13 as K9 Veterans Day, setting the example for the rest of the Nation. That beginning 2 years ago has blossomed into the current effort to get every state, and as many cities as is possible, to also proclaim March 13 as a much-deserved special day to honor our war dogs, and we very much encourage you get your home town involved. Others have already gotten their city committed to making the proclamation, and March 13 celebrations are being planned. And we stand ready to assist you in also getting these things done where you live. Ultimately, we will take the fight to the Congress asking that they officially and forever more, declare March 13 as K9 Veterans Day. And in this day of organized, well-funded, groups against dogs in general, we are fighting back, for the dogs, reminding everyone that DOGS ARE VETERANS TOO.
There are no membership fees required for you to join us in this honorable undertaking, and we are not asking you to raise money for us. You see, just like those whom we seek to honor, who never asked for anything but love, we only seek your heart felt desire to help, and to be a voice for those deserving Veterans who have no voice. Simply drop me an email if you want to be a part of this historical undertaking. And if you are interested, I do sell logo t-shirts, logo stickers, and you can symbolically enlist your own pet in our Memorial Army to help with general expenses. And by all means send me any suggestions, and/or contacts that you may have, and pass us around to everyone you can think of and get on our mailing list for future updates. K9veteransday@aol.com
Sincerely, Joseph J. White Founder
National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day – This is a day for people who suffer from unfortunate superstitions . . . you’d be surprised by how many people still do! Face those fears and open an umbrella inside today! Do you believe in bad luck? Or will nothing happen except that you have to close it again? I remember years ago, my ex father-in-law was incredibly superstitious, and he actually BELIEVED all these horrible things would happen depending on the things we did. I got such a giggle out of tormenting the man . . . and I know that’s not nice . . . but the kids and I all actually had a good laugh behind his back on a fairly regular basis. Routinely opening an umbrella and leaving it open in the corner was one of the ways we did it. He’d flip out every time, and every time we laughed til we nearly split. Nothing like seeing a 3 year old boy, giggling from the depths of his insides, opening and shutting an umbrella as soon as he heard Grandpa’s truck in the driveway. Even the memory of the look of evil glee on my son’s little face, his blue eyes just shining and dimples flashing, puts a smile on my face.
Food Celebration of the Day
National Coconut Torte Day– There’s just something about the sweet, flaky taste of coconut in desserts. Don’t you agree? And it pairs so well with other ingredients! Chocolate? Raspberries? Almonds? Why not all three? Today, March 13th, is a day to celebrate National Coconut Torte Day – A day full of endless possibilities to combine coconut with so many other flavors.
National Chicken Noodle Soup Day – There is something about chicken soup, isn’t there? It has healing properties – or so they say, and I’ve always felt this to be true – it comforts, it fills our spirits while it fills our stomachs. The best chicken soup has always been said to be Grandma’s soup, and now that I am a Grandma, I hope that my Grandkids feel this to be so as they get older. Canned soup is popular with folks who either do not have the time to make it from scratch, or do not know how. Campbell’s first introduced “Noodle Soup with Chicken” in 1934. The name was changed to Chicken Noodle Soup when, during an “Amos ‘n Andy” radio program Amos misread his script and said, “Chicken Noodle Soup”. Campbell’s changed the name within a few weeks. Truly, it does sound better, doesn’t it? As a bit of trivia, each can of soup is said to contain about 216 noodles that, if put end to end, measure 32-34 feet. Why this was important, I have NO idea! That number tells us that Campbell’s creates over a million miles of noodles for soup each year, enough to go around the Earth 40 times. Some extra trivia for your day – soup can be dated back to about 6000 B.C. and was first made of hippopotamus. I think I’ll stick with chicken. Just an FYI, for anyone who LOVES chicken soup and you do not feel like making any, or want something different, as far as getting over a cold goes, I haven’t found any soup – even homemade – that is as effective as Vietnamese Chicken Pho! DELICIOUS!
Well, shoot, I have leftovers for lunch, but I am craving chicken pho all of a sudden. It’s not on my menu for the week, so I’ll behave, but it does sound delicious! I’ll have to plan that for a meal soon, since it is good AND good for you! Right now, I have to go – after all, there is a pint size dog sitting on my desk waiting for me. 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