This picture was taken by a member of our local community and posted on a Facebook page. There is smoke coming down from Canada, over the mountains from Eastern Washington, and up from the south. It’s so sad when something so devastating can create such beautiful pictures, isn’t it? The sun has been unbelievably red – very pretty but knowing that lives are on the line and thousands of acres are burning isn’t worth it.
I got my office as organized as it is going to be before Miss B comes to visit next week. There is a small row of shelves dividing the office side from the play side, with the grandkid’s toys lined up on the shelving; a baby bed, a high chair and toy box that I bought from a friend are set up and ready to go, with plenty of room for her little cot. I still need to start going through boxes that are stored under my very long desk, but for right now, this will work. There are new things on my list to do today, and it is supposed to be warm, so they will be indoor things – between the heat and the smoke outside is NOT very comfortable.
Verse of the Day
August 15, 2018
If we live, we live to the Lord: and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
One of the incredible realizations we have as Christians is that our relationship with the Lord is eternal. As we seek after him, he is always there and no one can separate us from his love. Even when we die, we go to “be with the Lord.” When we sleep in death, we are still “in the Lord.” When he returns in glory we will go to “be with the Lord forever.” Everything we have on earth is temporary except our love for the Lord Jesus, our praise of God through him, and our friends with whom we share that love and praise!
Food for Thought
We each do what we can to the best of our abilities – it may not be the same as what someone else does, but if we do it our way and the best we can, it is good enough.
Best Friends Day – Today is a very important day . . . a day to recognize your best friends for who they are and let them know how important they are to you. We confide in each other, support each other, cry with each other and miss each other when we are far apart. A true best friend is someone who you cannot see for a long time but pick up from where you left off when you do connect again; someone you can be silly with and laugh together until your sides hurt. They are someone who can see you at your very worst but love you anyway. Finding a friend you can trust with your deepest thoughts and feelings is difficult and rare so let them know how much you care about them today.
Chauvin Day – I admit it. I don’t get this one. We’ve all heard of chauvinism, right? Most of the time, we hear it in the context of treating females as sub-standard individuals. That’s not how it started though. Chauvin was a French soldier from Rochefort, France who idolized Napoleon. Nobody really knows why, or they didn’t document it that I could find. He was ridiculed horribly by his peers because of his blind loyalty and dedication to anything French. Originally chauvinism meant blind or absurdly intense attachment to any cause, so named after his aggressive patriotism to anything French. This is celebrated today on Napoleon’s birthday because nobody knows when Chauvin’s is! My problem with this is that this man was ridiculed for being patriotic to his country. Hm, wouldn’t that be a GOOD thing? I get it if he was ridiculed for his blind devotion to Napoleon, who was by all accounts a horrible leader. Heck, I find myself ridiculing MANY people daily for doing that in our own country today!
National Medical Dosimetrist Day – Do you know what a Medical Dosimetrist does? I didn’t the first time I wrote about this, and I’m betting many people have never heard of them. First, it is obvious they do something special or they wouldn’t get their own day, right? So, I started looking into it and here’s what I found. A dosimetrist is part of the radiation oncology team, and they help treat cancer patients with radiation therapy. They usually work in a hospital or cancer center and must be able to work well as part of a medical team, consulting with other medical professionals that include physicians (radiation oncologists), radiation therapists, oncology nurses and medical physicists. That still didn’t tell me what they really DID, so I looked a little further. According to the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD), a medical dosimetrist is responsible for the “radiation dose distributions and dose calculations” used in radiation therapy, which is typically a daily regimen over the course of several weeks, depending on the type and location of the patient’s cancer. To do this the dosimetrist must have thorough knowledge in the areas of cancer treatment and brachytherapy, and they help prescribe the radiation in precise doses necessary to treat the cancer without harming healthy tissues and organs near the tumor. Designing the treatment plan for the cancer patient is a key responsibility of the dosimetrist, which means they must be critical thinkers who are able to analyze date and implement the therapy based on the data. Considering I’d never heard of this particular position in the medical field before, I have to say I’m impressed and grateful that such highly trained people are out there to help people who suffer from the horrors of cancer.
National Relaxation Day – This is something that so many of us tend to just not do. It doesn’t matter whether it is a weekend or not, we just stay busy busy busy all of the time. Today, if you are able, is the day to spend doing whatever you want to just break free of everything that overloads your system with stress, so the rule of the day? Avoid all stress causing activities! Here are the Ten Top Ideas for enjoying Relaxation Day:
- Do nothing today
- Go to a Spa
- Go fishing
- Play a round of golf (caution: not always relaxing)
- Lounge around in a hammock
- Take a bubble bath
- Spend the day at the beach
- Go to the movies
- Do a little gardening (no heavy-duty work, though)
- Have a picnic in the park
This Day in History –
1914 – The Panama Canal is opened.
Food Celebration of the Day –
Julia Child’s Birthday – Break out the butter and heavy cream! It’s time to honor Queen Julia with a French-inspired feast for all your loved ones. Now, I’ve never made any of Julia Child’s recipes – but I do have a couple of her old books, and I’ve seen her on classic cooking shows. Julia Childs was such an incredible role model for women chef’s everywhere – in a male dominated world, she took her dream and made it come to pass. Did you ever see that movie about the woman who cooked her way through the Julia Child’s cookbook, one recipe at a time, over a year, and blogged about it? I thought it was a great movie, but I honestly had to wonder how on earth she could afford it, since cooking can get very expensive when you are making fancy food!
Lemon Meringue Pie Day – I love lemon meringue pie. Pie isn’t something I’ve made lately since I haven’t found a low-carb crust that I truly like, but I may need to try this. All Day I Dream About Food has a recipe for low-carb Lemon Meringue Pie that looks like it may be worth the effort! Check it out! It’s funny because I love both the lemon and the meringue together, Hubby prefers just the lemon and my daughter wants just the meringue. I guess it takes all kinds, doesn’t it?
I think I’ll power through my list of chores, so I can tackle some sort of delicious treat today. I hope you all have a great day, if you are where it is smoky I pray that you will be able to breathe. If you are hot, I hope you can stay cool. If you are in an area that is burning, I pray that God will open up the skies so that the rain can put them out. 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