What a rainy, windy, gross morning! It’s such a drastic change from yesterday afternoon! We didn’t feel much like it, but we took the break in the weather to finally mow the lawn for the first time this year. It isn’t a thorough job, in that we didn’t weed-eat all around the edges, but we did take the top off of it and revert it to green from an expanse of yellow dandelions. I have lived on this side of the state most of my life and I am still perpetually shocked by how quickly our weather can flip-flop from good to bad and back again. It’s a good day to have a hot bowl of soup – doesn’t that sound good?
Verse of the Day
April 10, 2018
At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Jesus did not die for us because he had some high hopes for who we are or what we would be. No, he died for us because he knew exactly who we are and what we would be without him. Praise be to God; we are now God’s righteousness because Jesus took our sin upon himself and gave us God’s grace and righteousness in its place (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).
Holy Humor Month / National Humor Month
The worried housewife sprang to the telephone when it rang and listened with relief to the kindly voice in her ear. “How are you, darling?” she said. “What kind of a day are you having?”
“Oh, mother,” said the housewife, breaking into bitter tears, “I’ve had such a bad day. The baby won’t eat and the washing machine broke down. I haven’t had a chance to go shopping, and besides, I’ve just sprained my ankle and I have to hobble around. On top of that, the house is a mess and I’m supposed to have two couples to dinner tonight.”
The mother was shocked and was at once all sympathy. “Oh, darling,” she said, “sit down, relax, and close your eyes. I’ll be over in half an hour. I’ll do your shopping, clean up the house, and cook your dinner for you. I’ll feed the baby and I’ll call a repairman I know who’ll be at your house to fix the washing machine promptly. Now stop crying. I’ll do everything. In fact, I’ll even call George at the office and tell him he ought to come home and help out for once.”
“George?” said the housewife. “Who’s George?”
“Why, George! Your husband!..Is this 223-1374?
“No, this is 223-1375.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I have the wrong number.”
There was a short pause and the housewife said, “Does this mean you’re not coming over?”
Food for Thought
I was mowing last night and happened to spot a couple of little frogs in front of the lawn mower, hopping as quickly as they could away from me. The bigger of the two managed it without much trouble, since the grass was pretty tall, but the itty bitty one was really struggling. I put the lawn mower in neutral and got off, scooped up the little frog and just watched him for a moment. He was so tiny, and sweet! His little heart was racing, and I could tell he really wasn’t happy being on my glove. I put him over to the side of the yard and watched him hop to safety then went back to my mowing, wondering how many little frogs I may have accidentally murdered in my quest to get the grass to a manageable level. I hope none. I always feel sad about something like that because though I know I wouldn’t do it on purpose, it still makes me sad to think of killing an innocent creature even on accident. And that makes me wonder what kind of monsters lurk inside of the people who DO hurt children and animals, on purpose and with such cruelty? I don’t want to ever understand it because it makes my stomach turn. Be kind – to those around you, to the children, to the animals . . . by being cruel we are no better than the monsters that lurk in the shadows.
ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Day – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded on April 10, 1866 in New York City by philanthropist and diplomat Henry Bergh. Mr. Bergh had been appointed in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln to a diplomatic post at the Russian court of Czar Alexander II. While he was there he was horrified to see work horses beaten by their peasant drivers. On his way back to America, he visited the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals in June 1865. This visit awakened his determination to secure a charger not only to incorporate the ASPCA but to exercise the power to arrest and prosecute those who violated the law. He brought back strong and persuasive arguments with him and on April 10, 1866 the New York State legislature passed the charger which incorporated the ASPCA. Nine days later the first effective anti-cruelty law in the United States was passed, which allowed the ASPCA to investigate complaints of animal cruelty and to make arrests.
Equal Pay Day – In 1996, the National Committee on Pay Equity set up the first Equal Pay Day to raise awareness of the gap that is between men’s and women’s pay. This is always celebrated on a Tuesday in April because Tuesday represents how far into the week women must work to earn in a new work week to earn the same pay as men did from the previous week alone. I thought these statistics were interesting: In 2012, full time working women earned a median wage of $691 a week compared to $854 for men. In 2012, full time working Asian women has a median wage greater than women of all other ethnicities. Earnings for women with college degrees have grown by 30.8 percent since 1979, while wages for college-educated men have only grown by 16.3 percent in the same time period. It doesn’t make sense for women to still be dealing with this issue in this day and age. The gap is getting smaller, but it’s more than time for equality with our pay.
Golfer’s Day – I’ve never known an avid golfer that wouldn’t think that every day should be Golfer’s Day, but for today, it truly is! Golfer’s everywhere are grateful that someone invented what they say is an addicting, yet relaxing hobby. There is only one proper way to enjoy this day . . . IF you’re a golfer . . . by playing golf of course! If this day lands on a weekday then the truly dedicated golfer would either call in to work sick, or possibly disinterested. I used to be the administrative assistant to the President and Vice-President of a company – they were beyond enthusiastic when it game to golf. Every single sunny day – and many rainy ones – they’d call in to tell me that if anyone asked they were “in the field”. I wouldn’t lie for him, and told him so. To get around the truth a little, I’d say that he was “in A field”. Technically it was true. He was in a very well manicured field with lovely water features and sand traps. As for me, I’ve never played golf, don’t care if I ever do. Now, if they were to start a Miniature or Putt-Putt Golfer’s Day . . . I’m in!!!
National Be Kind to Lawyers Day – Lawyers really do get a bad shake don’t they? There are lawyer jokes – not typically very nice ones. If you ask anyone what professionals they hate the most, they’ll tell you lawyers. I understand that, I really do! Lawyers often seem like they are only out for themselves, earning them the name Ambulance Chasers, but let’s step back a moment, shall we? In addition to going to college for the four years it takes to get a bachelor’s degree, lawyers must attend law school for an additional three years. And it isn’t cheap! For the 2010-2011 school year, costs for law school averaged between $39,765 and $58,109 per year. Say what you will about them, but when you get yourself into a bit of trouble who is the first person you call? A lawyer. When you want to make out a will who do you call? A lawyer. When you need to confirm that a business deal is a good one who do you call? A lawyer. Yep, seems like for someone that everyone doesn’t like a lawyer is a pretty popular person.
National Farm Animals Day – Today is an important day meant to promote the welfare of America’s huge livestock population – an estimated 9 billion chickens, 244 million turkeys, 93 million cows, 65 million hogs and 6 million sheep . . . among others! U.S. farm animals go through a lot of hardship – from lack of space, to an excess of hormones and antibiotics being pumped into them. The founder of this day, Colleen Paige, had the goal of raising awareness of the plight of slaughter animals, as well as to find homes for farm animals that have been abandoned or abused. There are organic, free-range, drug free farms that take care of animals who have been mistreated, and the videos I’ve linked below show just how happy these little (or big) guys can be to have freedom to run and play, and how much they love being treated with kindness. Makes me a little teary to see how much fun they are having! Click each of the links and watch a couple minutes of video each to get a sense of the happiness these critters have to be free! Meet Angelo – he is enjoying his freedom at a rescue farm in New York. How cute is this?
Run! Run! Run! That’s exactly what these kids (baby goats) are doing at California’s Harley Farms.
National Sibling Day – Today was designed to be a day to appreciate and cherish your brothers and sisters. It’s a wonderful sentiment, and I hope that everyone loves their siblings. I’m sure that the thought is great, but seriously, anyone who has ever had a sibling – no matter HOW much they love them – they will not be likely to say (or at least very few would) that they cherished them growing up – at least not ALL of the time. If your sibling(s) are younger than you, like mine is, then you dealt with the baby coming into the family and stealing all the attention and dividing the affections of your parents away from you 100% and making you share them! If your sibling(s) are older than you, like I am to my brother, then you had to deal with being punished for getting revenge for the baby taking all of that attention that used to be yours away! The older sibling is the guinea pig in the family – all parental experiments landed on us, since kids don’t come with a “how to” manual. By the time the younger one comes around the parents feel like experts and the baby gets away with EVERYTHING! That actually doesn’t ever end. The older one is usually the responsible one, the younger one is the spoiled one. The middle child is . . . well . . . the middle. The parents weren’t AS hard on them, but not as lenient as on the baby. Now there are always exceptions to this rule, and I know at least one of my readers is identifying herself as that exception right now. I know that I was actually pretty awful to my brother . . . hysterically funny! . . . but awful. I put that boy through a lot. I never harmed him . . . ever . . . but my gosh, sometimes the public humiliation must have really bugged him . . . like the time I made him dress up in a dress and lady’s hat and paraded him up and down the road (he was 4! Not like it scarred him for life, but it was FUNNY to a 9 year old sister!) Now, for those people who didn’t have brothers or sisters, I actually feel sorry for them. I know they have all of their parent’s attention, but Christmas must be so quiet and what’s a household without the bickering and chaos of multiple kids? For those families I find myself hoping there are cousins around to make it FEEL like siblings. Today, no matter what your relationship with your siblings, appreciate them for at least this one day. They truly did enhance your life growing up, whether you know it or not.
Salvation Army Founders Day – The Salvation Army is a wonderful organization that does a lot of great things for people around the world. It began in 1865 when William Booth, a London minister, gave up his pulpit and took his message to the streets where it would reach the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. His mission was spiritual, but he recognized the every day needs of people and from the time he established the Salvation Army, their services now include hospitals, shelters, nurseries and thrift stores to help those who are less fortunate.
Safety Pin Day – Safety Pins are great. They are used for all sorts of wardrobe emergencies, to hold cloth diapers closed (or at least they used to be), in punk fashion styles (late 1970s and the 1990s), etc. Walter Hunt of New York patented the simple design of the safety pin, made with a piece of wire, a coiled spring and a clasp, on April 10, 1849, according to records with the U.S. Patent Office. It’s always a good idea to have a couple of safety pins on hand for unexpected emergencies. Sometimes they are great for costumes too! When my daughter was about 12 she wanted to be a punker for her costume to wear to school. We had the hair and clothes just right, but the outfit needed something more. We took a safety pin, super glued the sharp point to the safety catch, then took wire snips and snipped out a little spot on that straight section. When the opening we made was slid up to my daughter’s nostril, it looked like she’d pierced her nose with a safety pin! We sterilized and put other safety pins into her ear holes, and strung a very light necklace chain from her earring to her nose “ring”. It worked wonders! We had a LOT of people fooled!
This Day in History –
1912 – The “unsinkable” RMS Titanic departs on it’s maiden voyage from Southampton, England.
1916 – The PGA was formed, and the first professional golf tournament was held.
1866 – Do you love animals? The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Cinnamon Crescent (Croissant) Day – Thank Pillsbury for making crescent rolls an everyday delight. The company introduced frozen dough in the 1950s, and home cooks have baked with it ever since.
Cinnamon-Chocolate Crescent Roll
Almond Cinnamon Braid Cream Cheese Cinnamon Crescent
If you are in the Pacific NW, be safe in the pending wind and rain. From what the weather report said it is supposed to be icky for the foreseeable future. Yuck! As for everyone else, I don’t know what your weather is putting you through, but be safe, no matter where you are. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
www.brownielocks.com / www.holidayinsights.com / www.foodimentary.com / www.thenibble.com / www.verseoftheday.com