Happy Thursday – it’s even happier for me since Thursday is my Friday! I admit, I do love my day at home. My apologies for not being here yesterday. I sat down on Tuesday night to start writing and fell asleep immediately. With Hubby dealing with the flu, and me being concerned about him, neither one of us is getting much sleep. We went to bed early and I slept like a log Tuesday night, so I guess it was worth missing a day here. How was your first day of spring? It was GORGEOUS here! I think we broke records for the last day of winter and the 1st da of spring. I’d be happy if it stayed around this temperature and avoid getting hot. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Verse of the Day
March 21, 2019
To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
When we have a deep and reverential respect for our holy God, we are going to love what he loves and hate what he hates. We need to realize, however, that the word “hate” is used very carefully in Scripture. This strong verb is not used often, and when it is used with God as the subject, the object of God’s hatred needs to be noticed. God hates evil, which in this case is defined as pride, arrogance, evil behavior, and vile speech. These are things that Christians not only avoid, but they also loathe. God wants his people to be people of character — people of humility, moral behavior, and helpful speech.
Finding Peace in Simple Moments
Ok, this is going to sound really weird to many of you, and that’s just fine! One person’s happy is another’s weird. Being different is something to celebrate, since I don’t know anyone who wants to be just like everyone else. On the way home from work on Tuesday I stopped to get fuel for the car and decide to try out the new car wash at this station. I am not a fan of the car washes where you have to line up your car onto the tracks and the tracks pull you through the wash. In this one, you pull in, stop and the machine moves around you, to the point that for a moment I got really dizzy and thought the car was rolling! I wasn’t – it was just an illusion created by the moving machinery. Now, here’s the part you may think is weird. The soap they sprayed onto the car made me feel happy! I told you it was weird! I swear it looked like they’d sprayed the car with funfetti cake batter! Swirls of pink, lavender, green, blue and yellow that smelled really yummy! I sat there and just about squealed into the phone as I was talking to my Mom – it was the happiest carwash I’ve ever gone through. So, what weird thing has made you happy lately?
Absolutely Incredible Kid Day (3rd Thursday) – Oh sure, your kid is probably pretty good. But my kids are absolutely incredible! As a parent, I am going to take full advantage of being the author of this blog to exercise my bragging rights, and to let you know that my kids are amazing. So are my grandkids – but of course their parents are incredible, so they benefit from trickle down incredible genes! If the meaning and purpose of this day escapes you, even after reading the 1st couple of sentences of this section, then I’m guessing you probably aren’t a parent yet. When kids start arriving, trust me, you will use this special day to full advantage and profess to the entire world how incredible your kids are. Of course, that COULD mean they revert back to being maybe less than amazing the next day, and some kids will go from incredible to bratty – depends on the kid! You probably know that baby goats are called kids . . . I suppose some people could think this day is about really incredible goats. Nah, never mind that, celebrate today by letting your children know that you think they are wonderful and how much you love them.
Credit Card Reduction – How many people do you know that are buried in credit card bills and can’t find their way out? The interest keeps racking up and if they can’t afford to pay off the balance each month, or at least pay more than the minimum payment, that balance isn’t going to come down for years and years. Credit card companies don’t want people to pay more than the minimum, or course, because they benefit from all of the interest, so your misery is their profit. Today you can start doing something about this, and it doesn’t necessarily mean paying off your balances. It can start slowly by just whittling down the balance a little at a time. Here are a few things you can do to start the process of liberating yourself from that debt. 1) Make an extra payment on your balance. 2) Pay more than the minimum payment each month, even if it’s just a few dollars. 3) Limit new purchases, until you are paid in full. 4) Once you pay off one, put the amount you WOULD have paid on that one to another card. 5) Try to double your payment. Those balances will come down and you’ll find yourself free of the debt, even if it takes a while.
Memory Day – What day is this? Oh yes, Memory Day! Today we celebrate the gift of our memories . . . before we forget, and the day is over of course! From the time we are little we play memory games like Concentration, to work on our memory capabilities. Every day we do things from memory, from singing along to songs on the radio, to performing our jobs. We all understand how damaging disease’s like Alzheimer’s, and other types of dementia, are to both their victims and the loved ones of the victims. Today would be a great day to support one of the wonderful charities that help research to find a cure for dementia. Another sweet thing you could do is take someone who suffers from memory issues on an adventure – they may not remember it all of the time, but the memories may filter through and give them a smile now and again. YOU will remember – and that’s just as important.
National Common Courtesy Day – There are days that I feel that common courtesy is decidedly UNCOMMON. Simple things like saying please and thank you, holding a door open for someone, and just considering the feelings of those around you, seem to be non-existent in our world! Why? Don’t parents today teach those things? It doesn’t seem so. These were things that we were taught from the time we were born, and the things that I instilled in my own children. I would hope and pray they do the same. Everywhere around me, every single day, I see examples of self-entitled, rude and obnoxious people of all ages just running roughshod through life spreading their unpleasant attitudes everywhere they go. Please, today is Common Courtesy Day – say please, say think you. Let someone hold the door for you, or vice versa. BE NICE TO EACH OTHER! Maybe today will be a seed for more days of the same. Let’s take polite behavior out of the shadows and put it back where it belongs in our everyday lives.
National Fragrance Day (Note: National Perfume Day is in April) – Well, this is a celebration I personally protest, but I know there are many who will appreciate it. Perfumes have been used for hundreds of years, and in ancient times they were used to hide body odors. I’ve run across people who still seem to think that perfume or cologne is a good alternative to showers. I tend to disagree. At the time that perfumes were used for masking body odor, baths were taken infrequently, and after a few days people began to smell less than pleasant. The perfumes made the atmosphere more pleasant. I know there were social and superstitious reasons that they didn’t bathe as often, but seriously, taking a bath would have been a much better solution! Today most people shower every single day but perfume is used because people like to wear a scent that they like and identify with themselves. As someone who suffers from multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, perfume is toxic poison to me. People have come into my office wearing some horrifying concoction and it sends me into headache and nausea mode nearly instantly. It’s not the smell either! Some perfumes smell quite lovely to me . . . it’s the chemical compounds IN the perfumes that hurt me, and people who also suffer from this syndrome. I always tell people to please, avoid perfume and use essential oils instead – they are natural, chemical free and don’t typically harm others because of their lack of chemicals.
National Single Parent Day – Raising children is tough. It’s tough with two parents in the home, but when there is a single parent situation going on, it’s much harder! We all know someone who is a single parent, and today is a great day to support and appreciate them, making their day special so that they realize their efforts aren’t being unnoticed.
World Down Syndrome Day – Down Syndrome is the most common genetic condition, with one in every 691 babies in the U.S. born with a form of Down Syndrome. It can occur in all races, ethnicities, economic levels and as well as any age of the parents. Physical traits of Down Syndrome are low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes and a deep single crease across the center of the palm. All individuals without Downs Syndrome are unique, and all individuals with Down Syndrome are also unique and may not possess all of these characteristics, or even none at all. I had the blessing of being able to work with special needs children when I was in high school, and a more loving group of kids I have never met. That extra chromosome these children possess gives them the most loving demeanor, they are quick to smile, they have lovely senses of humor, they laugh with an infectious giggle that just makes everyone around them want to laugh and smile also. They love to cuddle and like all children, they love to play. I have to admit, I do have a pet peeve about so many children that I have seen with Down Syndrome, and the peeve isn’t with the children. It is with their parents and caregivers. Just about every single one of these children I have seen are dressed in the sloppiest of clothes, most of the time they don’t even match. Their hair is left to be either a tangled mess or is cut in the most unflattering style. WHY? They are human beings and as such why are their parents doing this to them? It’s especially apparent when these children have siblings without Down Syndrome. The children without Downs are dressed in stylish, new clothing, alongside the child WITH Downs that is obviously in clothing that is thrift store, unmatched and doesn’t fit! The child without Downs has a stylish, well-groomed appearance and the one with Downs looks like someone gave them a haircut with a weed eater. WHY? If this is your child you should be proud of who they are, with or without Downs. I have no issue with bargain hunting, thrift store and 2nd hand shopping. It’s frugal and economically intelligent, but in doing so you can make sure the clothes FIT, match and are unstained! And for gosh sakes, comb their hair and cut it in a stylish manner. They are human beings, and as such have equal right to being treated like others, by their parents, siblings and society. Spend any length of time with a child with Downs and your life will be blessed and enhanced beyond your wildest dreams. The innocence, simple sense of humor, love and affection can completely bowl you over with what is important in life.
This Day in History –
1963 – The infamous Alcatraz prison is closed.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Crunchy Taco Day – This one doesn’t need much explanation, does it? Just about everyone loves tacos, and having crunchy tortillas just makes them better. I actually bought tortillas last night, before I even knew that this was being celebrated today! Yippee for tacos for dinner!
It’s time to head to work – I’m pretty excited to get the day done so I can start on my weekend. I hope your day is wonderful in every way! 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