Today is the celebration of Flag Day, and, incidentally, my grandpa’s birthday. The American Flag was dedicated in 1777, 246 years ago today. My Grandpa always celebrated it with strawberry shortcake. In 1946 , President Woodrow Wilson marked the anniversary of that decree by officially establishing June 14 as Flag Day. Here’s a poem I memorized in school when schools taught history. Here’s a poem I memorized in grade school when teachers taught us to respect the flag. Yes, we pledged…..
Today we celebrate and remember the sacrifices made on D Day eighty years ago today. I ask today, what is the price of freedom? Are the battles we still face, of open warfare, of addiction, or poverty, of prejudice, of crime, of deprivation, of famine, of domestic violence, of oppression, of Communism, of Marxism, of evil in all its forms–worth fighting against and conquering?
Sin in all its form is evil. Whenever…..
Events the last few days for me have circled around the word Adversity. I am currently writing a short story for the Space Coast Writers’ Guild anthology with that title, have in the last month read two books involving World War 2 struggles, prejudice, and survival, have spent three days semi-sick, have interviewed a dear woman I’ve met here at Glenbrooke, and grieved at the manipulation of the justice system in this country. One of the last sentences in my…..
This week I have been affected by two (there are more) accounts of persecution. One, the death of the “butcher” or Iran, infamous for killing women, even young girls, for refusing to wear the hajib and follow strict anti-feminine edicts. I was appalled when out President invited a “moment of silence in his honor.
The second is the reading of a book for our book club. It accounts the horrendous persecution of the Jews in World War II and those…..
It is good that we take stock once in a while as we review our relationships, especially the hurt ones in our families. One of the things we prayed for on Pentecost Sunday was the mending of relationships and the peace that can and will, eventually, follow. Today’s verse is from Psalm 62 verse 7 which says, “My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.” Many times the Psalmists refer to places of…..
For Christians, Pentecost is always a special observance. After Christ’s resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven where he reigns until the time of the Second Coming. Had he not ascended, His message worldwide could not have occurred. The third aspect of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit was given to us so that God’s message can be part of our lives whatever generation or wherever in the universe we dwell.
Our service this morning included the praise songs and hymns which feature…..
Well, here it is again–Mother’s Day. This day has been set aside since 1908 (https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/mothers-day) if you care to read the history.
Yesterday I was overwhelmed by the array of spring flowers and chocolates displayed at our local grocery store. It looked like the overly done floral displays, many times done by people with no knowledge of gardening, on Hallmark movie sets. The intense pretext that the simplest way to say Happy Mother’s Day is to bring the obligatory floral…..
It used to be, May Day was a time of flowers, May Pole Dances, and welcoming spring. The tradition was, romantically, that a young man would hang flowers, usually in a little basket, on the door of his beloved as a sign of love. It was supposed to be from “a secret admirer,” and he tried to run away before she discovered the gift.
Now, it’s a long-gone tradition, but when the children were young, we would pick flowers from…..
Tomorrow is May 1st, a time for giving flowers to your neighbors. I remember as a child, and as a good neighbor, making little bouquets and hanging them on people’s front doorknobs. Now, with security cameras and neighbors we don’t even know, it might be a little risky, but I love the idea. It was a way to welcome spring, to encourage others to think kind thoughts, and a way to put a spring in someone’s step.
This morning I…..