I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. We did our celebrating and observance of this sacred holy day on Saturday when we could spend it with my daughter and her family. We headed across the ferry very early and met them for brunch at a cute little restaurant that none of us had ever been to before. It was nice. The food was decent, but it was not terribly busy – though from what I understand we got there before the rush that came not long after we left – we had a lovely, private corner where we could visit, and it was perfect because I was with some of the most special people in my life. We watched Little Man R hunt for eggs, then smash them (hahaha), got hugs and lots of chuckles out of watching him be adorable, and came home to fall asleep in front of the TV not long after we ate dinner. It was pretty wonderful all the way around. Now here we are, ready for the new work week – or pretending to be ready anyway – and already looking forward to the upcoming weekend.
Current Event Rant
Yesterday, on Easter Sunday, 290 people (according to one article I read – though numbers are varying depending on the news outlet) were killed in multiple terrorist attacks on Christian churches in Sri Lanka. Watching the liberal talking heads do everything they can to avoid saying Christians were slaughtered would be funny if it weren’t such a serious and somber topic. Many of them, including previous politicians, called the Christians “Easter Worshipers”. Um, Christians do not worship Easter. That really is NOT a thing. The people who were killed were worshiping Christ – which is what makes them Christians. Say it – admit what happened and who was murdered.
Verse of the Day
April 22, 2019
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
God is not only our protector; he is also our helper. Even when our world seems to be crashing around us, he is there. He will deliver us from death or deliver us through death. He will deliver us from evil or he will deliver us to overcome evil. Our task is to trust that in the midst of our earthquakes and tidal waves we are not alone or abandoned.
www.verseoftheday.com
Finding Peace in Simple Moments
Saturday Little Man R and his parents picked out a bouquet of flowers for me. They took him to the store and let him find the ones he wanted, all by himself. Now, he’s two, so I could have ended up with a bunch of parsley if that’s was what struck his fancy, and I would have loved each leaf of it, but he considered all of the flowers available and picked a bouquet of tiger lilies. Mama pointed out different ones, just to be sure, but he was adamant that those were the ones. When we arrived at the restaurant to meet them, he was SO excited to give that bunch of flowers to me. He held them tightly, scrunching the stems tightly together, some of the blossoms a bit bent, his little face beaming brightly as he presented them to Gramma. Those were the most beautiful flowers I have ever been given because he picked them out, and in that moment the only thing that would have made my heart more complete would have been if my son and his family could have been there too. All flowers given by Grandchildren are the most beautiful, whether they were picked out of the yard or purchased from a store. When a child’s little face is lit up with the excitement of giving – such as when Miss B proudly picked and gave me a buttercup, gently cupping the blossom in her hand and carefully giving me her precious gift. My heart is happy and at peace, a smile on my face as I cherish the moments with my grandbabies. I’ve been able to Skype with two of the children this weekend and give one of them hugs in person. Simple moments that give big rewards – cherish each one.
National Humor Month
Married Four Times
The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady because she had just gotten married for the fourth time.
The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new husband’s occupation… “He’s a funeral director,” she answered. “Interesting,” the newsman thought… He then asked her if she wouldn’t mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living.
She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she had first married a banker when she was in her 20’s, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40’s, and a preacher when in her 60’s, and now – in her 80’s – a funeral director.
The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.
(Wait for it…)
– She smiled and explained, “I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go.”
(HA! Corny, yes, but still funny.)
Easter Monday / Dyngus Day / Wet Monday – (Always Monday after Easter) – All I can say to this one is “WOW!” I had never heard of it until a couple of years ago and honestly, I don’t think it makes any logical sense as a holiday of any kind for anybody! Dyngus Day is a Polish Holiday and popular in Poland and Polish communities in America. After the long time period of Lent, Dyngus Day / Wet Monday is intended to be a day of fun – and this is considered to be romantic fun. (To this I observe that this all depends on your idea of romance). On this day guys are supposed to get the ladies wet – by whatever means necessary – squirt gun, bucket, hose, or other containers of water. Some particularly adventurous boys have been known to use cologne (to which I say BLECH!). Gently hitting the ladies on the legs with switches or pussy willows is also common. The ladies get a chance at their revenge the next day when they get to throw dishes or crockery at the guys. Seriously, this could get dangerous – so guys who may wish to celebrate this? Pick your lady carefully or you may end up flat on your back with a high heel at your throat. And ladies? Seriously? Throwing your dishes could get doggone expensive. Whatever happened to just giving and receiving flowers?
Earth Day – This is probably not going to sit well with a bunch of folks – and that’s OK. You don’t have to agree with me, but like I’ve said before, my blog-my opinions. This day is set up to focus on climate change, which is a natural phenomenon that goes in cycles. The uproar over climate change is a bunch of hooey and people need to get a grip on reality. It’s been proven that the earth goes through heating and cooling cycles, has throughout the ages, and will continue to do so until the end of time. It’s the way God created it. Yes, we need to be aware of pollution issues and try to keep our planet clean. Yes, we need to keep our water clean. Of course, we need to not litter, and dispose of our oil and other toxic products in a way that is best for people, animals and the soil. We’d be stupid NOT to know that this is necessary to be aware of, but the sky is falling mentality over the flatulence of cows is utter stupidity! The ice will melt, it will freeze again . . . repeat. Be respectful of the world God gave us but stop trying to micromanage the people who live here. If we all claim responsibility for our actions, conserve where we can, be good to each other and the earth. . . it’ll all turn out the way it was intended to turn out. I won’t be running around crying about the sky falling today, or the ice caps are melting, or the planet heating up. I figure it this way – God is a big God. He created it all in the first place, and He knows exactly what needs to be done to keep it spinning on its axis.
“In God We Trust Day” Day – What a wonderful day to remember and celebrate. On this day in 1864 Congress passed an act authorizing the coinage of a 2-cent piece that bore the motto “In God We Trust”. After that they extended it to be used on other coins. Time moved forward and on July 30, 1956 it became the national motto. It fills me with great sadness and heartache that there are those in our country who are doing their best to remove this important sentiment and reminder from existence in our nation. We NEED this! We NEED to be told every day, with every coin, with every dollar, with every breath we breathe that “IN GOD WE TRUST!” If we believe it on every level, and live by it, perhaps there would be hope for our nation after all.
White House Easter Egg Roll – This is a wonderful tradition, and the 3rd year for President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to host the White House Easter Egg Roll. Festivities are set to begin at 7:30 this morning with video of it on available online. Following is a copy and paste about the history of The White House Easter Egg Roll and how it’s changed and grown over the years. I never bothered to look it up before a couple of years ago – it’s pretty awesome!
The White House Easter Egg Roll officially dates back to 1878 and the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes, but first-hand accounts suggest that informal festivities began with egg-rolling parties under President Abraham Lincoln. Starting in the 1870s, Easter Monday celebrations on the U.S. Capitol’s west grounds grew so popular that President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill that banned the rolling of eggs on Capitol grounds, citing landscape concerns.
In 1878, a group of bold children walked up to the White House gate, hoping to be allowed to play egg-rolling games there. President Hayes told his guards to let the children enter, and soon Easter Monday on the White House grounds became an annual tradition. President Benjamin Harrison added music to the festivities in 1889 with the United States Marine Band.
Egg roll attendance grew so popular that the number of guests had to be limited, and in 1939, the Secret Service had to go so far as shutting down a “racket” of children trying to sneak adults into the event for a fee.
The planning of the egg roll traditionally falls on first ladies, each incorporating her own tastes and interests to the event. First Lady Lou Hoover had part of the South Lawn roped off for folk dancing. First Lady Pat Nixon introduced the traditional egg roll races.
Because of World War I and World War II, there were no egg rolls from 1917 to 1920 and from 1943 to 1945. Food conservation and then construction on the White House prevented any celebrations from 1946 to 1952, as well. Fortunately, President Dwight D. Eisenhower reinstated the tradition in 1953.
The custom to receive a wooden Easter egg when leaving the event began in 1981 — an idea instituted by First Lady Nancy Reagan — and became a keepsake cherished by guests that donned the signature of the President and First Lady.
This year’s 141st White House Easter Egg Roll will be hosted by First Lady Melania Trump on April 22, 2019.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Jelly Bean Day – When were jelly beans born? Did you ever wonder? If it weren’t for Easter time, I wouldn’t give jelly beans a second thought, but as I saw what today was, I had to wonder when they first started being made. Turns out that jelly beans date back to at the early 1800s! The original candy maker wasn’t something I could find in the time I spent looking, but there were advertisements promoting selling jelly beans to Union troops fighting in the Civil War! Wow! Celebrate this sweet treat by eating a handful of jelly beans – maybe even some of the gourmet flavored ones! I know the ones I WON’T be eating . . . the licorice flavored one. YUCK! My favorites are the white ones in the regular kind. How about yours? Here’s an interesting bit of trivia . . . If you lined up all the jelly beans folks ate around Easter time, they would circle the globe nearly three times!
I’m heading out for my walk with Moose now, then it’s off to work I go. Have a wonderful Monday! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com