It’s another Wednesday that finds me at home with a long list of things to do. The most important task is continuing the paperwork mess that leads up to doing the taxes. I cannot believe it is this close to the end of tax season and I am still working on them! My standard promise to myself is to never, ever be this disorganized and behind schedule again, but I never seem to keep that promise, so why bother? I’m starting the day having a cup of tea with you – coffee will come around noon, if I can wait that long – then getting busy. I do have one fun thing to do today . . . my office mate’s birthday is tomorrow and every year I bake a treat of her choosing, so I will be doing that, which means my day will not be a complete series of dull chores.
Verse of the Day
April 11, 2018
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
He bore our sins. He didn’t just carry them; he suffered the penalty we deserved. His anguish was our healing. His suffering was our righteousness. How can we ever think of going back to sin after he suffered so much to bear its penalty?
Holy Humor Month / National Humor Month
I Don’t Want To Go To Church!
A mother went to wake her son for church one Sunday morning. When she knocked on his door, he said, “I’m not going!”
“Why not?” asked his mother.
“I’ll give you two good reasons,” he said. “One, they don’t like me. Two, I don’t like them.”
His mother replied, “I’ll give you two good reasons why YOU WILL go to church. One, you’re 47 years old. Two, you’re the pastor!”
Food for Thought
I have not made any secret that this past ¾ of a year has been filled with a situation with someone who is unable to release a grudge over something very small, and that would normally have not been a problem, but for some reason this something small has been blown up to extraordinary proportions. This, in turn, has made things difficult on a professional level. In spite of attempts to discuss the issue, all of which have been ignored, I would have thought that civility for the purpose of doing our jobs would be something achievable. But it isn’t. Of course, this makes me angry and I have had a horrible attitude about it – sorry to my office mate – so last night, after yet another email that contained a question that required an answer that I need to perform my job went unanswered and ignored, I found myself becoming nearly enraged inside. We are not 12 years old and in middle school, so why is this continuing? If this were a family member what would I do? Well, I would confront them, of course, but this isn’t. This is supposedly an intelligent adult who cannot get past a simple observation and refuses to discuss it. This is a grown person who has raised a child to adulthood who hypocritically wants others in their life to talk through things, but refuses to do so also. I am one of those people who needs to talk things out, to resolve issues and move forward, putting the bad stuff behind me. We ALL mess up, we ALL say or do things that hurt others, even without meaning to, and if we all stopped talking to each other because of it, the world would be a very silent place. At times that sounds nice, but the tension is just too much. As difficult as it is, I am going to pray for this person. Every time I feel frustrated with them, am going to pray for peace in their heart. Every time they storm past me, slam my door, ignore a question . . . I am going to pray. God loves this person, and He sees the good in them and why they hold such resentment in their hearts, even if I don’t. They are worthy of kindness, even when they don’t reciprocate. It won’t be easy because the whole thing makes me so angry, but anything worth having isn’t easy, and quite honestly, peace on the job is well worth it.
Barbershop Quartet Day – What exactly IS a Barbershop Quartet? Well, it’s a group of four guys, all with great voices, singing together in amazing harmony. Today is a celebration of the founding of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (seriously? They couldn’t figure out a shorter name?), in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 11, 1938. Barbershop Quartets themselves date back to the early 1900’s in America. The music sung by Barbershop Quartets are usually happy and very light hearted, and the song choices allow the singers to fully use their vocal ranges and skills. There are annual competitions at both local and national levels that keep these wonderful groups alive. I listened to a few and this one struck me as being the most authentically old-fashioned (granted I only watched about 5 videos, but it was getting late!) and fun. Check them out – they are pretty good!
Eight Track Tape Day – Alright! If you remember these, you are dating yourself. If you actually had any and listened to them regularly . . . well, you are brave to admit it. Actually my ex-father-in-law was the only person I actually knew who had an eight track tape player . . . in his AMC Pacer! hahahaha oh my goodness! That was the ugliest car with the oldest “stereo” system I had ever seen. There wasn’t anyone or anything that was going to convince him to give it up and get a cassette tape player (and yes, I am aware that the kids today won’t even know what that is) During the sixties and seventies eight track tape players were what you had, they ruled the music world . . . well, sort of. Vinyl was still pretty strong at that point, but for music in cars, this was it! If you have an eight track tape player and tapes still – dig them out and dust them off for a walk down memory lane. If you have never heard of one – well look it up and see for yourself what they are. I’ll just chuckle at that huge tape deck in the fish bowl car, then put the thought away.
International “Louie Louie” Day – Can you hear the song Louie Louie and NOT want to get up and dance? Seriously, this has been a very loved song for so many years that I had to look it up to see when it all started! Richard Berry recorded the original version of Louie Louis with the Pharoahs and released it in 1957. We can thank toga-wearing John Belushi for the “life of the party” reputation the song became after Animal House hit the theaters. This is not only one of the best party songs EVER, it’s also a favorite cover song that has been sung by Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Black Flag, Young MC, Iggy Pop, Bruce Springsteen and The Smashing Pumpkins . . . just to name a few. Take a few minutes and enjoy a happy party song on a Friday! You deserve it!
National Bookmobile Day – Did you ever have the Bookmobile visit your neighborhood? What wonderful memories! Ours came around in the summer time when kids didn’t have access to the school library. I was in love with books even when I was quite young, voraciously reading anything I could get my hands on, so this was a treat. Stepping into that van that carried the perfume of brittle pages of books that had been enjoyed by many was like stepping into a world of endless possibilities for me. Mom always tried to caution me to not get more than I could read in a week, but I don’t think I ever had trouble reading everything I took. There wasn’t a limit, as long as they always came back undamaged the following week, and I took very good care of my books so I wouldn’t ever have the privilege revoked. I miss those days. The original Bookmobiles date back as early as the late 1850s. Horse drawn carriages carrying collections of books to small communities, bringing the literary world to people who did not have easy access to books without these traveling libraries. Bookmobiles haven’t been around for several decades, and truly, I feel that this generation of children has missed out on something wonderful.
National Pet Day – Today we celebrate the joy that our furry family members bring into our lives – no we aren’t talking about Grandpa with his beard – we are talking about our pets, those lovable members of our family who never argue with us, who give unconditional trust and love every single day. The truth is that there is a truly sad reason why this day was set up in the first place. Did you know that around 16,000 pets die every day in U.S. animal shelters? That is about 667 animals EACH HOUR! There are things each of us can do to help these poor animals! Education is at the forefront – spay and neuter your pets to prevent more pets that may end up unwanted from coming into the world. Donating to local shelters would go a long way also . . . if one million people in our country donated just $1 per month, that’s 12 million dollars in a year – a lot of money with little effort and that would do a lot of good. Most people don’t think that a little bit like that can do much, but it can make a real difference. Start with your local shelter, donating time or money each month will help get things going on in a positive direction. Have a fund raiser, complete with dress up your pet contests to bring in money to be donated to the local shelter. Teach children to show love and respect to animals and put a focus on stopping animal cruelty as much as possible. And last, if you have room in your life, in your home and in your heart, adopt a pet. Save one from death today, and become its forever people in its forever home.
National Teach Children to Save Day – This is an awesome one! Teach Your Children to Save Day was set up by the American Bankers Association (ABA) as an educational program with the intention of encouraging kids to learn good banking habits as early as possible in their financial lives. Special presentations are often given by volunteers to school kids to teach them about saving money, but also about other financial matters like spending, donating and investing. For anyone who wants to set up one of these programs in your local schools you can get teaching materials through your local banks and the ABA. It would be a great starting point for setting up a fun and educational talk!
This Day in History –
1900 – The U.S. Submarine Force was officially established.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Cheese Fondue Day – Whether you go for classic Swiss cheese or for a more offbeat mix — taco fondue, anyone? — fondue always turns a meal into a party. I have a fondue pot I’ve never actually used. If I had all of the ingredients I may actually give this a try tonight, but I don’t, so I’ll stick with what I had on the meal plan already.
- Swiss Cheese Fondue
- Aztec Taco Fondue
- Brie Fondue
- Swiss Fondue Bread
- Swiss Beer Fondue
- Porcini Fondue
Well, I’m off to start on my list of chores. I got a bit distracted, in a very good way, by a phone call from my son and granddaughter. It was a great way to start out my busy day. If you haven’t for awhile, and if she’s still around, call your mother! She probably wants to hear your voice. God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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