Don’t you just love Wednesday? We are just a hop and a skip away from the weekend – and I just betrayed my age right there, since nobody says that these days. Anyone close to my age will get it though. I’m sure many of you are looking forward to it, just like I am. We have plans, so it won’t be restful, but it’s not work, right?
Before we continue with today’s featured celebrations, I’m going to take a moment to address the heinous attacks on our President by the left and the media. I suppose those two aren’t mutually exclusive, are they? Anyway, the attacks just continue, even when evidence is produced to prove his innocence in any and all accusations, the Democrats just amp up their efforts and take it to the next level. They don’t care about doing their jobs. All they care about is getting rid of the President that we the people voted into office. They can’t stop crying about losing, but even bigger than that, there are so many skeletons rattling around in so many of their closets that the boneyard will be too deep to sort out once they start bursting out into the public eye. Today, and every day, I lift up President Trump to God, praying for protection, both physical and political, that he and his family will be safe. I pray the same for Vice-President Pence and Mrs. Pence. Seriously, folks, this is urgent. For our nation to remain a free Republic, nothing can happen to President Trump. The liberals aren’t even hiding it any longer, they want to take away our freedoms and turn this nation into a socialist nation. Look around, look at Venezuela, look at history – socialism does not work! Period! Our only hope is here and now, that President Trump is successful at draining the swamp of every single one of the swamp creatures, hopefully relegating as many of them to prison as possible!
Verse of the Day
October 2, 2019
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
The last several years have not been easy for believers. Persecution around the world is at an all-time high. In the United States, mass murderers specifically targeted those who believed in God. Though executed for their faith, their witness to the LORD has been as inspiring. We have many choices when faced with such reality. Shock probably should not be among them. This is an old horror, going back to the earliest days of the Christian community. It actually originated long before the days of Jesus, when our Jewish heroes were persecuted for two simple reasons: they believed in the One true God and they were Jewish. I believe it’s time that we start praying this ancient prayer from today’s Scripture in Psalm 5 again. When we pray it, let’s remember that no matter what others may do to us, they cannot separate us from God and the deliverance he holds for us in his future.
Balloons Around the World Day – This one is always held on the 1st Wednesday of October. Is there anything quite as magical as balloons? Watching someone create balloon animals or sculptures is fascinating. The balance between watching someone use all of that creativity, while standing back expecting an explosion as they twist, bend and fold those balloons just brings a bit of magic and wonder to the whole process. Balloons Around the World Day is about sharing happiness, giving smiles through the act of giving and sharing balloon art. If you aren’t inclined to risk bursting balloons in your face, maybe present someone you care about with a bright and colorful helium balloon. It will naturally bring a smile to everyone’s face. A word of caution though – releasing balloons into the sky because it’s pretty is dangerous for birds, so please don’t do it!
Coffee with a Cop Day – I love and support our law enforcement officers (LEO). Everyone should. They put their lives on the line day after day for the people in their communities. They risk it all to protect and serve each of us. Being an LEO in today’s world isn’t easy, no, that’s a drastic understatement. The truth is that it is a thankless job where everyone is always trying to catch an officer doing something wrong, and even when they do everything right, there is still a group of horrible people waiting to point fingers and scream anyway. The divide between law enforcement and the public is getting wider as the rhetoric continues to get attention. This day, Coffee with a Cop Day was set up to encourage communication between the “us” and “them”. It’s time for all of the screamers to acknowledge that we are all people, and that when a crisis hits, the police are the 1st people that they will turn to when they need help. Start talking, bridge the gap, and embrace these amazing people are doing so much good, without thanks, each and every day.
Guardian Angels Day – I believe in angels. According to the sources I found researching this, about 80% of people believe in them too. And why not? So many people have individual, personal accounts of encounters with angels that it would be nearly silly NOT to believe. Angels are all around us all the time, and when we are born God assigns one of these heavenly beings to each of us to watch over us. They are not here to intercede with decisions we make – whether they are good or bad – but to protect and watch over us. (I tried to find an image of an angel that was more defender/warrior but apparently everyone just thinks of angels as ethereal beings. It’s not the image that I have of mine, but I’m not an artist, so you get what I can find!) Today, we celebrate the feast of the Guardian Angels. The belief in angels has been a part of the Church’s traditions since the beginning. Scripture mentions angels often, showing them as messengers, defenders, companions, guides and guardians. The role of the Guardian Angel is thought to guide a person towards good thoughts, works and words, and to preserve him from evil. The angels cannot force us to those good thoughts, works or words, or keep people from participating in evil, but they can influence those decisions if we have an open and willing heart. Since the 17th century a feast honoring the Guardian Angels has been celebrated in October. At one time all the angels used to be remembered on the feast of Michaelmas (September 29), but people wanted a day to honor their own special protectors, so today we have the “feast of the angels” on October 2nd. Have you ever experienced intervention or a message from an angel? I have. I know that a lot of people don’t believe stories of these types of things, and for that I am truly sorry – you don’t know what you’re missing out on.
Remember I was telling you about my fear of trees hitting our house? Well, the last time (not the only time) I have heard the voice of an angel was on the day that the 1st tree landed on our home. The day before this storm hit, as I was driving home from work, I started to not feel well. A headache that had begun a little earlier in the day just started getting worse. By the time I got home I was nearly throwing up from the pain and could barely hold my head up. I told myself that if I still felt that way the next morning, I’d call in sick. Now, I don’t just call in sick easily. Being dependable and responsible are very important to me and getting to work every day is all a part of that. To call in sick I have to be REALLY sick or feel that I’m contagious to my fellow workers. It’s a big thing for me. The next morning, I woke up feeling like death. I could barely raise my head off of the pillow, so I called in sick. Oddly enough, about 1/2 hour after I called in, I started to feel a little better, and by about an hour after I should have been at the office, I was feeling quite good. The headache and nausea had just melted away. I played with the idea of going to work, but every time I thought about it the headache started coming back, so I decided that I’d just stay home and get a few things done. Mid-day the wind was whipping up pretty good and I was watching out the window as branches and leaves flew past, and things thumped on the porch and the roof of the house. At one point the dog started tap dancing that she needed to go out, and as I stood there, about 10 feet from our French doors, wondering if I should let her out the back or the front (there are large trees on both sides of the house), I heard a voice, directly behind my head, tell me urgently “Do NOT go out the door!” I whipped around to see who was in my house, my heart in my throat, but nobody was there. Literally 10 seconds after the voice told me to stay inside, a tree came crashing down on the back deck, onto the roof and knocking the doors open in a loud booming explosion of sound, branches and needles. If I had gone outside when I was thinking of going outside, I would have been standing directly in the path of the tree and would likely have been killed. I needed to be home, that day – the tree opened up the house to the elements and I needed to be there to close and barricade the doors and call my husband to come home to help take care of it. I firmly believe that the headache was my urging to stay home, since God knew I wouldn’t stay home without something with my health happening. And the voice of my Guardian Angel was there, loud, in person, audible and clear – DO NOT GO OUTSIDE! I am grateful for the gift of my angel, and I don’t take for granted this gift one single moment, ever. Have you ever heard or seen your angel? Please, I’d love to hear your stories.
Name Your Car Day – Does your car have a name? Apparently, lots of people name their cars. I suppose it stands to reason, since people with boats name them. We don’t even give that a second thought. So, if we name our boats, why not our cars or trucks? Every car has character and personality to the person who drives them. We find ourselves encouraging the car to make it up that hill, or get us through the snow, or to the gas station when we run it too low. I suppose, if we attribute our cars with the ability to hear us, then we should give them the courtesy of a name too! Since I personally have never named a car, I am curious. Do guys call their cars by masculine names or feminine? And what about girls? I found a list of suggestions for selecting an appropriate name for your car:
- Don’t select wimpy names. That might give your car a personality complex and it will perform accordingly.
- Do give a strong, aggressive name to sports cars and cars with powerful engines.
- Sleek, sexy feline-like cars prefer names that begin with “lady”.
- Old junkers are proud just to be around. You can call them just about anything. Try “Tramp”, or “Old Yeller”, “Old Blue”.
- Pick names to reflect your personality.
- “Pickemup” trucks must have country names.
- Don’t give common names (like Joe, Mike or Sue) to luxury cars. They beam over names like Reginald, Archibald, and Crystal.
These weren’t my suggestions, but you get the idea. So, if you haven’t named your car – you may want to think about it. If you HAVE named your car, I’d certainly love to hear from you what you have named it. Really! I’m curious!
National Custodial Workers Day – Today we honor custodians. These dedicated workers don’t get the acknowledgement that they deserve. Today is the day to give them a big thank you – whether they are at your school, church, where you work or in the local mall, they silently support the facilities where they work all year long. They clean up messes and do the dirty work that nobody else wants to deal with. Seriously, think about it, have you ever actually paid attention to the nastiness that is a school bathroom? Or thought about who has to deal with it when a kid throws up at the food court at the mall? Gross! I appreciate these dedicated workers very much, and hopefully you do too. Thank you, custodians of the world. You deserve all the appreciation we have to give.
Pet Obesity Awareness Day – Any of us who have pets know just how easy it is to reward them with too many treats or put out too much food! Like people, some pets just don’t know when enough is enough, leading to an estimated 52.7% of cats and dogs in our country being overweight or obese. Today is a day intended to urge pet owners to take their furry friend’s health seriously. Like humans, overweight pets can be at risk for many health risks like Osteoarthritis, Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease and more. Take some time to discuss this issue with your veterinarian and follow his/her guidelines to slimming down your pet today. It could save their life!
World Farm Animals Day – This nature-minded holiday was started primarily by people who oppose eating meat as a lifestyle and try to convince everyone to stop eating animals. And while I don’t agree with them, there are some things they talk about that I do agree with. Factory farm mass-production slaughterhouses are horrible. They treat the animals cruelly while they are alive, if you can call what those poor creatures are doing living, and the process they go through for slaughter is horrifying. Raising awareness about how the animals are treated at these production facilities is definitely a worthwhile cause. Please use this day to research local farms who raise their animals free-range, fed organic grass and antibiotic and hormone-free food. These meats are more expensive, yes, but they are better for you. Happy animals during their lives, who are treated with respect at the end of their lives, and slaughtered with humane means, give healthier food for us to eat. God intended for people to eat meat, as we see throughout His word, but He never intended for us to be cruel to that food while it is growing up.
Food Celebration of the Day
National Fried Scallops Day – The sweetest and most tender of the bivalves, scallops live in saltwater all around the world. When deep-fried, larger sea scallops give a meatier bite than smaller bay ones, but both make for a delightful dish.
National Kale Day – We have so many food days that we celebrate, that it just makes sense to set aside the bad for us food (that tastes OH SO GOOD!) like donuts, hot dogs and cheese puffs, and give some focus on something that is very good for us! It’s only fair, right? Today we celebrate the 4th annual day for Kale – the curly-leafed green that doesn’t get enough credit for being a versatile food. This day was created by Dr. Drew Ramsey, the co-author of the cookbook “50 Shades of Kale”. For people who shy away from eating leafy greens, what exactly IS Kale? It is a member of the cabbage family, with only 33 calories per one cup serving. That one cup packs a powerful punch though, providing 134% of your daily vitamin C needs, 684% of your daily vitamin K and 204% of your vitamin A. It also gives you 3 grams of protein! It’s been called the king of green vegetables! Being rich in fiber and flavonoids, kale has been shown in studies to lower the risk of certain cancers and helping with weight loss. It can lower cholesterol, is high in antioxidants that lower a person’s risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration. The Kale plant is also very durable! Its growing season starts in early spring and continues to produce into late winter! After a frost kale actually becomes sweeter. When you buy, or grow, kale, make sure that it is organic. Kale makes the Environmental Working Group’s “dirty dozen” list of the top 12 foods with the most pesticides. Another thing that I found to be unique about cooking kale is that while most nutrients are leached out of vegetables during cooking, kale stays nutritious for up to 15 minutes at high heat, or 35 minutes at lower heat! It can be eaten in salads, smoothies, soups or even eaten on its own. Personally, I love making kale chips, getting the kale crispy in the oven. It’s so versatile though that it can be cooked in many ways, so experimenting is very easy and delicious. Try some today and let me know how you prepared it!
Have a wonderful Wednesday. Eat some healthy kale . . . you’ll appreciate the fried scallops more after a mouthful or two of the fibrous greens. Trust me! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
Affiliate Link Disclaimer
Some of my posts will contain links to products that I am an affiliate for. When you make a purchase through that link, I will receive a commission for the sale. I make this known to you so that you are aware of these links.
Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com