Thoughts For The Day From Papa ‘a

Good Morning All & Happy Thursday!

Happy Birthday wishes go to actress Carroll Baker, who is 89 today; to Basketball Hall of Famer and Los Angeles Laker great Jerry West, who turns 82 today; to singer Gladys Knight of “Gladys Knight & The Pips” fame, who is 76 today; to singer/songwriter John Fogerty of “Creedence Clearwater Revival” fame, who turns 75 today; and pop singer Colbie Caillat who is 35 today.  Here’s to all of you!

Continued prayers are lifted up for my friend Keith, that his new heart gets stronger and stronger each day and is protected.  Keith is one of the “good guys,” for sure!  Also, please pray fervently for my childhood friend Tim, who is fighting to come back from a traumatic brain injury.  He’s an accomplished bass player with the “Rose City Kings”, a great husband and father to his family and an all-around outstanding human being.  Get well, Tim and stay strong!

If you’re looking for something to do to beat the “coronavirus blues,” you’ll want to check out the Painted Rocks Trail and the Knothead Trail at Riverside State Park in north Spokane.  It was a glorious day yesterday.  My grandson Bobby and I completed the Knothead Trail after we had traversed the Painted Rocks Trail.  I told Bobby we would now be known as “The Knotheads,” as being the only members of our family to have completed the Knothead Trail.  It afforded spectacular views of the Spokane River and “Lake Spokane” as it twisted and turned its way to the mighty Columbia River.  We treated ourselves to a milkshake and slushie at the Sonic Drive-In…a perfect way to end our hiking adventure, for sure!

Like the famous scene in one of my favorite movies of all time, “The Princess Bride,” it’s “inconceivable” that our state government was defrauded of what has been reported as “hundreds of millions of dollars” that were supposed to go to our fellow citizens in the form of unemployment benefits.  It’s been reported that our state recently spent $44 million on a software program/system that was supposed to prevent hackers from gaining entry into the unemployment benefits data base.  Well, that evidently isn’t the case.  Folks in state government need to be held accountable for this inexcusable breach that led to so much money going to nefarious people.  Lord knows what the “ill-gotten gains” will be used for in Nigeria, the source of the breach…terrorism?…human trafficking?…arms purchases for bad people?….”INCONCEIVABLE,” don’t you think?

 

Amongst my sports card collection, I came across the rookie football card for Blair Thomas, former Penn State running back great.  He was born in Philadelphia in 1967 and played high school football at Frankford High School in Philadelphia (an all-state player).  In three seasons at Frankford High he rushed for 3,941 yards and tied a Public League career record with 59 touchdowns.  His card says that “Blair was one of the most exciting running backs in the nation in 1989.  Quick, with superb lateral agility and body control, he showed marvelous moves and 4.45 speed….a sure handed receiver as well…”  At Penn State, he became a starter in 1987 posting 1,414 yards on 268 carries and 11 touchdowns.  In 1988, he was lost for the season with a serious right knee injury.  As a senior returning from reconstructive knee surgery, he averaged just 19 carries in the first 6 games, but ended strong by rushing for 100 yards in six straight games, while registering 1,341 yards on 264 carries and 5 touchdowns.  In the Holiday Bowl against Brigham Young, he rushed for a bowl record 186 yards on 35 carries, receiving the MVP honors.  He was also named the MVP in the Senior Bowl that year.  He finished second on the Penn State all-time rushing list with 3,301 yards and 21 touchdowns, just 97 yards shy of the Penn State record set by Curt Warner.  He was the second overall pick in the 1990 NFL draft by the New York Jets.  His professional career didn’t meet expectations, having played with five different NFL teams over five years.  After the NFL, Thomas served as running backs coach at Temple University in Philadelphia for eight seasons and also was a recruiter for Temple in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  Currently, Thomas serves as a volunteer instructor for Football University.  In 2008, he and several ex-NFL players conducted a youth football camp in Barrow, Alaska, helping build a football program there from scratch.  Thomas is a partner in a chain of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania sports bars called KoKoMos.  He and his family live in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.  Here’s to Blair Thomas!

 

Here’s the word definition for the day:

Nebula:  A mid-17th century Latin word meaning “A cloud of gas and dust in outer space, visible in the night sky either as an indistinct bright patch or as a dark silhouette against other luminous matter”….”Any indistinct bright area in the night sky, for example, a distant galaxy.”

Doesn’t it take your breath away as you stare into the heavens on a clear night away from city lights…the glory of Creation shines brightly on a night like that, don’t you think?

 

Here is the thought for the day:

“We all have a responsibility, and since I’ve been so wonderfully blessed, I really want to share and to make life at least a little better.  So every chance I get to share the gospel or uplift people, I will take full advantage of that opportunity.”

—Gladys Knight, American musician/singer of “Gladys Knight & The Pips” fame (born May 28, 1944)

 

Here’s to a great Thursday and lots of love and good wishes always!

Press on,

Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)