I really am enjoying these cold, crisp evenings. The stars are so bright and clear, the air smells of autumn, fires in wood stoves and fireplaces, and if I think concentrate, I may even be able to smell winter coming before too long. These nights are followed by even more incredible mornings – clear and cold, sometimes a low mist gently hovering at the base of the mountains that are capped with new snow. To say we are heading into my favorite time of the year would be an understatement. This is truly an amazing time of the year.
Verse of the Day
November 13, 2018
It is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
What does the world most need to hear from me today? A life tuned to the melody of grace that I claim I believe. Doing good, being like Christ, is Peter’s answer to opposition, cynicism, and even persecution. We are free in Jesus but being free means that we don’t have to pretentiously prove we are free. Instead, we can live for him who died to conquer death and renounced absolute heavenly freedom, so we could find it. We are free to serve others, and most of all to serve God.
www.verseofthe day.com
I Am Very Thankful For . . .
As the weather gets cold it always makes me think about the people who don’t have a place to live. There are those who voluntarily choose to be homeless for their own reasons. And before you poo-poo that idea, I used to commute to Seattle and got to know a few of the homeless people on my route to work. We had discussions about it, and they felt that they were happier on the streets than they were before they were homeless. Some didn’t want to give up on their vices, some had run away from something bad, and some just wanted the freedom. But there is the other side of things. There are people who are on the streets because they lost their job, couldn’t pay rent or mortgage, or any number of things, and they do not want to be there. These are people with families, people who have an education, but life threw a rough path in front of them. It is these people who make my heart ache as we head into winter. Today I am so grateful for my warm home, a place to return to at the end of the day and be safe and secure. But for the grace of God go I should always be in all of our minds.
Caregiver Appreciation Day – I cannot even imagine how difficult the life of a caregiver would be. These special and very important people give their time to care for people who are ill, disabled or elderly. Today we recognize both the paid and the unpaid caregivers, though in my opinion the unpaid ones deserve and extra bit of appreciation. They take care of supporting someone in need, most of the time a family member, giving their time and often spending their own money, while they do. It is often a thankless task, even by the people being care for other relatives who can’t seem to find a way or the time to help. Today give a special thank you to anyone you know who is a caregiver. If you employ one, give them the day off and take over the role of caring for the day while they rest.
World Kindness Day – Kindness – do we even know what it is any longer? Are our children learning from our example? After observing people lately, I highly doubt it. Have you noticed how truly distanced we are from each other as human beings? I drive down the road and I see grim people without any happy, or even pleasant, expressions on their faces. Walking down the aisles at stores is always an experience, and I find myself falling into the grumpy “GET OUT OF MY WAY” mind set. It’s awful! Very few people are polite, very few are even slightly courteous! They park their carts in the way, set up a circle of visiting people in the way of anyone who wants to get through, they push in front of others, they just act like they are alone in the universe – to heck with anyone else. They are even horrible to people in those motorized carts who need help reaching things or are having a problem moving out into the walkway because everyone is still in the way having their little visit. The people you would think would be the kindest and most caring, the ones who profess to be Christians and who attend church regularly, don’t even bother being connected with those around them. In my experience, the folks in church are the ones who exclude “outsiders” the most. If you aren’t in the church, backside in the seat weekly, then you don’t exist. Hubby and I have experienced this first hand. Friends you thought were truly concerned, just really aren’t. Kindness. We are so sorely lacking this commodity that a day has been set up to celebrate it worldwide. Showing kindness to each other is a lost art. It should be instinctive, automatic and in our very natures to be KIND! It isn’t though. Today, please resolve to be KIND to each other. Smile at others around you. BE NICE! Reach out a hand to someone who may be hurting because nobody has bothered to treat them as God intended for us to treat each other. With patience, with love, with polite concern . . . WITH KINDNESS! And don’t limit this to people. Be kind to all creatures – animals too. The most innocent among us, the children, the vulnerable and animals, deserve the kindness we can offer the most. Once you get your kindness muscles working . . . don’t lost the ability. . . be the living example of kindness today, tomorrow and every day to follow.
This Day in History –
1927 – The Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River opens to the public, connecting New York City and New Jersey.
1942 – The minimum draft age was lowered from 21 to 18.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Indian Pudding Day – This is a pudding created by the Native American Indians. There are a lot of variations, but the foundation remains the same: milk, cornmeal, spices, apples, nuts and/or raisins and a sweetener, likely molasses. It seems appropriate to hold this day in mid-November, as we approach Thanksgiving. Native American Indians were very much a part of the first Thanksgiving feast. It is quite likely that these puddings were served, and enjoyed, at that first Thanksgiving. I may need to look over these recipes and include one of them with our meal this year.
- Indian Pudding
- Indian Pudding Cake with Molasses Cream
- Cranberry Pudding Cake
- Baked Indian Pudding
- Polenta Pudding Cake
- Old-Fashioned New England Indian Pudding
I need to head out with Moose on his little pre-work walk, and I will try to get this posted earlier than I did yesterday. For some reason the scheduling option isn’t working right now, and my IT genius is out of her office for a bit, so I’m back to posting it as I have the time in the morning again. Be kind to someone today, and every day. 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