I’m home today. Feeling under the weather, and it’s my own fault. I have always had low iron issues, which in turn causes anemia issues, which in turn sometimes get the best of me. The lousy thing is when you combine no energy from low iron with low energy from hypothyroid issues you get a pasty faced, dizzy person who struggles to function. I ran out of my iron supplement a few weeks ago and kept forgetting to order more. That’s not an issue now, it’s in my Amazon cart for payday. In the meantime I am eating food with higher iron content, prepared in a cast iron pan and resting today, doing things that can be done while sitting down.
Verse of the Day
March 20, 2018
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Salvation is such a precious thing! However, we know something is horribly wrong if a child continues to stay in the same place in his or her growth and maturation. Arrested development in a physical child is the cause of great concern. Hebrews 6 reminds us that is also true in our spiritual lives. God does not want us remaining immature! He wants us to continue to grow. Our Father wants us to crave what is good and what builds us up. So, what are you going to do today to satisfy your spiritual appetite and grow in the Lord?
Food for Thought
Yesterday I heard that one person won a really big with a power ball lottery ticket. This will change their life, but for the better or worse is up to them. This started a conversation at work about keeping winning a secret or letting it be public knowledge. Personally I believe that it would be smarter to keep it a secret, claim the winnings through a trust with the help of a lawyer. Otherwise every person who ever managed to walk across your path, and many who haven’t, will be begging for money and before long, you wouldn’t have any left. Nope – I know what I’d do with the money, and making it public knowledge wouldn’t fit into the plan at all.
Alien Abduction Day – Do you ever just sit and stare at the stars and wonder who, or what, is out there? It’s awfully short-sighted to actually think that God, with His amazing imagination and power, would stop at creating just ONE single planet’s inhabitants. Seems sort of like we are limiting His capabilities and how EVERYWHERE He is! Well, today keep one eye on the sky and be ready with your camera! You never know when you may see a UFO and need documentation – something that so many who CLAIM they see one never seem to have. And if you are abducted by a UFO today, for goodness sake document it! We really WANT to believe you! Since you obviously can’t count on seeing a UFO today, another way to celebrate this one would be to read a story about aliens, watch a science fiction movie, or swap stories with folks who claim to have seen them.
Great American Meat Out – I know a few vegetarians, and honestly have met a couple of vegans. Have you ever noticed that MOST vegans, sometimes vegetarians, but usually vegans, are really miserable? Of course they are! They never get anything but lawn clippings for a meal! This day has been set aside for people to attempt a meat-free existence. I personally couldn’t live that way – God gave us canines for a reason, and doggone it, I will use them! It is a good thing to skip meat now and again though – even one day a week acts as a cleansing day, which is very healthy for our systems. If you have chosen a meatless lifestyle for yourself, I commend you for your focus on your personal health. Keep in mind though, it IS a choice, and though I am teasing you a little, it’s the folks who choose that lifestyle who insist everyone else follows it – those are the folks who give Vegetarians and Vegans at bad image. I personally don’t give a fig if you don’t eat meat, so I don’t know why you should give one if I do . . . just sayin. . .
Free Cone Day (Dairy Queen) – Soft serve ice cream is cream, sweet and delicious and I am sure many, if not most, people have at least one happy memory that involves it. My Grandpa loved soft serve. There was an Arctic Circle in town when I was little and Grandpa loved going to get a cone and a basket of French Fries. It’s one of those special memories with Grandpa that I will always cherish. Today we can re-live one of our happy childhood moments with a free ice-cream cone from Dairy Queen, where they will be giving out free soft-serve! Celebrate the first day of spring (even if you have snow on the ground) with an early summer treat.
Kiss Your Fiancee Day – Well, how appropriate that this is Kiss Your Fiancee Day, especially since maybe there’s a few more engaged couples out there today also, since it is also Proposal Day! That’s not what this day started out to be though. Awhile back someone made note that engaged couples get caught up in the stress and frustration of planning a wedding and they begin to argue and lose sight of why they got engaged in the first place. They love each other but expressions of that love get lost in all the details. Kissing is relaxing, it is a great expression of love and taking some time out from everything else to snuggle, cuddle and smooch, is a great reminder of why they are getting married in the first place. Don’t stop the kissing and snuggling after the wedding though – it’s even more important to celebrate this one when you’re a spouse!
National Agriculture Day – Where would we be without agriculture? There is not a day that goes by that we do not use something that came from a farm. Think about it! Every meal we eat, we have agriculture to thank – whether we are buying from a grocery store that stock their shelves from what comes from commercial farms, or we are growing our own I our backyards, it is still agriculture and we should be standing up and cheering our good fortune. According to the Agricultural Day website, the purpose of this celebration is to “celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture”. And every year producers, associations, universities and other groups do come together to recognize and celebrate the contributions that agriculture makes to our lives. Today we should spend a little time to better understand agriculture, learn how food is produced and distributed, encourage people to consider agriculture either as a career or as a hobby to produce food for their own families, and to eat well, thinking about everything that goes into the food on your table every evening.
Proposal Day – Oooooh this could be a big day! Valentine’s Day was last month and is nothing but a distant memory now. There isn’t another romantic holiday for . . . well not until next February, so this is a great day to recognize and for people in love, this could be the big day that will change their lives. Now, for anyone who is HOPING for a proposal, don’t jump the gun on accepting one . . . hear him or her out before you answer. When your significant other starts a sentence by saying, “I would like to propose to you . . . let him/her finish! They may end with “that we go to dinner and see a movie!” Wouldn’t it be humiliating to be jumping up and down and squealing YES if all he/she wants is dinner? It would take a long time to live that one down.
Spring (Vernal Equinox) – It has been 6 weeks since the groundhog saw his shadow and according to the calendar, winter is over. Tell that to my friends back east where it has been snowing for weeks! Regardless of the weather though, this is the first day of spring, and it really does mean that at some point soon there will be warmer weather. For people who live in the Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox (or spring equinox) takes place in March when the sun passes over the celestial equator. Earth experiences the astronomical events we know as equinoxes and solstices four times a year. They signify the end of one season and the beginning of another. Equinoxes occur in March and September and herald the spring and fall, while solstices — in June and December — indicate the beginning of summer and winter. While the people in the Northern Hemisphere welcome spring, people south of the equator enter autumn. Here are some myths associated with the annual spring equinox: The length of the day is equal to the length of the night. Well, not exactly. Though some believe the day is just as long as the night on the spring equinox, it turns “days of day-night equality” take place just before the vernal equinox, National Geographic notes. Geoff Chester, a public affairs specialist with the U.S. Naval Observatory, explained that it all hinges on location. “Exactly when it happens depends on where you are located on the surface of the Earth,” Chester told National Geographic. While the spring equinox tends to occur in late March, the exact date differs from year to year. This has more to do with the number of calendar days than the equinox itself. It takes the Earth slightly more than 365 days to complete one revolution around the sun. However, the Gregorian calendar rounds down to 365 days and does not account for the extra 0.256 days. So the vernal equinox may fall on March 20 several years in a row and occur on March 21 in a later year.
Tea for Two Tuesday – This fun celebration was set up for two or more people to have a cup of tea together. It is very relaxing to have tea, and its fun to have it with other people. Have a “spot of tea” with someone, or more than one someone. Make it a tea party! The tea house I used to love has closed down, but I saw recently that a new one was opened. I haven’t tried it yet, and I won’t be able to try it today, but I think I need to do it soon.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day – “Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like, if each of us offered as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person… One kind word has a wonderful way of turning into many.” -Fred Roger’s I remember watching Mr. Rogers every day, and every day he had a message of goodness, kindness and treating others nicely that resounded with so many. Children were better for having been exposed to his humble faith in humankind. This month marks what would have been Mr. Roger’s 86th birthday. In honor of him we celebrate with the annual Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day by wearing a sweater and doing something neighborly.
World Storytelling Day – Once upon a time, a long time ago (well, actually, back in 1991 in Sweden), a Storytelling Day was held. The idea behind this event caught on around the globe, and now we celebrate World Storytelling Day on an international level. The aim of World Storytelling Day is to celebrate the art of oral storytelling, with as many people as possible around the world telling and listening to stories in their own languages on the same day. People taking part can link up with others around the globe who are also contributing – making it a truly international festival that creates new friends and promotes positive understanding of cultures around the world! So, go on, sit down with your friends and loved ones and join the storytellers on this day of celebrating cultural folklore and the art of oral storytelling! Why not spin a yarn, and pass down your stories to the next generation?
This Day in History –
1852 – Harriet Beacher Stowe publishes the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Food Celebration of the Day –
March 20 – National Ravioli Day – Americans like their ravioli filled with meat or cheese, but in Italy, fillings vary regionally — from poppy seeds, mint and cinnamon to sauerkraut, turnip greens and brains.
- Crispy Baked Ravioli
- Gingerbread Ravioli
- Cheese Ravioli Lasagna Alfredo
- Ravioli Baked With Broccoli & Spinach
- 3-Ingredient Ravioli Con Pesto
- Chicken & Wild Mushroom Ravioli
- Ravioli With Peas, Tomato & Sage Butter Sauce
The first mention of Ravioli was in the 14th century, and the word is from an old Italian word riavvolgere (to wrap). Chef Boyardee came out with canned ravioli in the 1930s (yuck! I hate that stuff!). Fresh packed ravioli lasts for several weeks, while actual fresh made just for a few days. Italian tradition is to serve vegetarian ravioli, particularly on Fridays. Meat is served as a side, or later on in the meal.
I am managing to do some laundry, so I need to go change out the load then start working on a decorating project that involved sitting and a glue gun. See? There’s always something that can be done even if energy is at an all time low. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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