Good Afternoon All & Happy Sunday!
Here’s to St. Patrick, that servant of God who drove out all of the snakes in Ireland many years ago! I also understand he was a compassionate leader in his church who cared for them and ministered to their needs. Someone we can all look up to, for sure and even have a pint of green beer in a toast to his legacy! Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone (technically this Tuesday, but why wait to celebrate!). May the luck ‘o the Irish be with you always!
May the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day remain with us as we venture through this coronavirus experience together. Our family is getting together later today to discuss how we can help one another with various tasks and make this next 4-6 weeks as smooth as we can, not only for ourselves, but for others. We’re all in this spaceship called Planet Earth together! May this be a time where everyone comes together to help one another and calm each other’s fears. Trusting in our Creator, I’m confident we can get through this challenge in much the same manner as those who have come before us got through the challenges they faced and, boy, did they have some challenges (i.e. World Wars, famine, Spanish Flu epidemic of 1917, The Great Depression, The Plague…the list goes on and on).
Happy Birthday to our dear friend, Inez, who is one of the finest women I know. She and her husband own a couple of chiropractic clinics in the greater Spokane area and they run their practice with integrity and a sincere concern for the well-being of their employees and their families. I had the pleasure of working with them on their practice’s employee health & welfare benefits program and they were second to none in what they provided for their team members. A great example of how private employers care for much more than their bottom line. Here’s to you, Inez, and have a great time on your special day of celebration!
Happy Birthday wishes also go to singer Mike Love of “The Beach Boys” fame, who is 79 today; to rock singer Sly Stone of “Sly & The Family Stone” fame, who turns 77 today; to male model extraordinaire Fabio, who is 59 today; and to actress Eva Longoria, who turns 45 today. Here’s to all of you!
Speaking of birthdays…there’s a birthday coming in July of this year that will be celebrated among all of the Newbolds…the arrival of our newest grandchild. My daughter, Amy, and her husband, Joel, are expecting their first child in July. It’s a girl and her name is “June.” So there will be a June come this July! We are all SO excited. They gave us all a “reveal” party last week and we each opened a little box with a sugar cookie inside that was topped with the words “June Bug” in frosting. It’s truly a miracle and we’re SO happy for Amy & Joel. Here’s to them and their little “June.” We can hardly wait for her arrival!
Prayers are continue to be lifted up for my wife’s (Judy’s) mom, Marianne (who we lovingly refer to as “Mama Tosh”). She suffered a pretty nasty fall at home the other day, but fortunately didn’t break any bones…just really sore! She’s home recuperating. We’re praying that her recovery is quick and complete and that she’s “back in the saddle” soon. We love you Tosh!
Here is the word for the day:
Indolent: (in-dough-lent): “Tending to laziness…” This word definition is so appropriate for today, as I’ve been feeling rather lazy today with not much to do when I’m hunkering down and practicing “social distancing” (what a bummer). I am reacquainting myself with my personal library at home and finding that I’ve got some great books to read that I haven’t had time to explore. There always seems to be some kind of “silver lining” in everything…albeit you might have to look for it a bit!
Here’s the culinary tip for the day:
I was in a Walgreen’s Drug Store the other day waiting for my friend Keith, a recent heart transplant recipient (he is up and around after 8 weeks in the hospital getting his new heart…amazing/a miracle, don’t you think!), to get his need medications from the pharmacy. And lo and behold, I found the Russell Stover chocolate Easter egg aisle…it was like an adult Disneyland…so many choices of chocolate covered marshmallow and creme eggs. My favorite without a doubt is the milk chocolate covered marshmallow Easter egg and I was not disappointed! Ummmm….good!!! I also ventured out upon the recommendation of one of the store clerks and bought a dark chocolate covered sea salt caramel creme egg. And that was delicious as well! Each egg cost 50 cents each…a pretty good value for a heavenly treat! Check them out the next time you’re at the grocery or drug store…you’ll be glad you did…but don’t delay…they will only be here through Easter!
I came across the 1969 Topps Football Card for Bobby Hunt the other day. He played defensive back for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1963-1967 and the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968-1969. He was born in 1940 in Lanell, Alabama. He was a top-rated quarterback for Auburn University (he was the MVP in the 1961 Blue-Gray Game) and was drafted by the Dallas Texans of the old American Football League (AFL) in 1962. The Texans become the Kansas City Chiefs soon afterward. He was selected in the 1962 by legendary Texans/Chiefs coach, Hank Stram. He was a member of the All-AFL Team his first year and led the Chiefs in interceptions in 1962, 1963, & 1964 and tied with Chiefs’ teammate Johnny Robinson for most interceptions in the AFL in the 1965-1966 season. He was a part of the first AFL-NFL Championship team in 1967. Johnny served as an assistant coach for the Buffalo Bills after retiring from playing football and was named to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He is now 75 years old and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here’s to Bobby Hunt and the early Dallas Texans & Kansas City Chiefs teams led by coach Hank Stram!
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“Let’s take care not to pile our plates too high, rather let’s bring another chair to the table.”
—Ashley Juran (as given to me by my friend Ali Ulwelling with the Montana State Dept. of Natural Resources & Conservation)
“One road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness.”
—C.S. Lewis, “The Pilgrim’s Regress”, as quoted in C.S. Lewis’ Little Book Of Wisdom (2018)
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
—Cicero
Here’s to a great Sunday and stay safe this coming week! Lots of love & good wishes always!!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)