Good Morning All & Happy Tuesday!
A great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beloved friend, Bert, who celebrates his 84th birthday today! Here’s to you, my friend! As Mr. Spock of “Star Trek” fame was always fond of saying…”Live Long And Prosper.” Our world is a much better place because of Bert!
Speaking of birthday celebrations, here’s to T.V. producer/director Norman Lear of “All In The Family” comedy T.V. series fame (not to mention a whole host of others!), is 99 today; to one of favorite sports figures of all-time, the beautiful Peggy Fleming…ice skater and ice skating analyst extraordinaire (she has the most beautiful speaking voice and stunning eyes!). She really knew how to ice skate. I had a crush on her when she was in the 1968 Olympics (what teenage boy didn’t have a crush on Peggy Fleming?), who turns 73 today; to actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who is 44 today. Here’s to all of you!
And last, but CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, Happy Birthday to my son-in-law Joel’s beloved mother, Sharon, who celebrated her birthday two days ago. Here’s to you, Sharon…wife, mother, grandmother & music educator extraordinaire (among many other outstanding attributes)!
While we’re on the topic of age, my 94 year old mother Chris got together with my 90 year old mother-in-law Marianne this past weekend to celebrate the coming birth of their newest great-grandchild. They both look great and are “pressing on” with life, enjoying their extended families. They are both inspirational in their own ways. To be looking that good in their 90s is sensational, don’t you think?
Talk about amazing milestones! How about that swimming performance last night in the Olympics by Lydia Jacoby of Seward, Alaska (Alaska only has one Olympic-sized swimming pool!)??? What an amazing thing happened! She came on strong in the end to beat out the two best swimmers in the world in that event. WOW!!! Not to mention that celebration by all of her fans in the Seward High School Gym last night! Here’s to little Seward, Alaska and Lydia Jacoby!
Here’s an update on my sweet little granddaughter, Tempa Jo, who suffers from NKH, a genetic condition that causes too much glycine build up in her brain, causing her to have seizures: Tempa Jo had a tough week this past week, having a large number of seizures pretty much each day. Her parents and her medical care team are working on adjusting her medications to help reduce the number and frequency of the seizures. Fortunately, the seizures aren’t actually painful, as I understand it, but are exhausting. We sure do love having Tempa Jo with us and we continue to pray for a “Lazarus miracle” and take each day as it comes…trusting that God has her in his grasp. Thanks again to all of you who have been praying for Tempa Jo and her family (Jake, Sarah and big brother Izaak (Ike))! The journey here on Earth continues…
The trivia question for the day is related to age and the answer just might surprise you (it did me!)…
Q: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately how many centenarians are living in the U.S….11,000?…34,000?…or 97,000???
A: This year, the United Nations expect the number of centenarians (those people 100+ years of age) to rise to approximately 573,000 worldwide. The U.S. has the highest absolute number of centenarians in the world with 97,000 living in the country. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 85% of centenarians are women while only 15% are men. By 2060, there will most likely be over 603,000 centenarians in the United States (How about that!)…
Here’s the word definition for the day:
“Prevaricate”: from the Latin word “praevaricat”…”walked crookedly, deviated from”…”to speak or act in an evasive way.” Boy howdy, don’t we sure have a lot of that going in the political arena these days (I imagine this is something that we all have to deal with in some way or another…having difficulty speaking the truth. We need less “prevarication” and more “transparency” in our relations with one another, don’t you think?
Here are some thoughts for the day…
The first one comes from my friend Greg in Arizona…he recently bought some property in the Pine Top, Arizona area that includes a shop. He found the following adage written on one of the walls of the shop:
“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink…You can lead men to knowledge but you can’t make them think.”
The second one comes a speech President Calvin Coolidge delivered in 1926 entitled “The Inspiration of the Declaration.” Cal was not known for his verbosity, but when he did speak, he got people’s attention. Here’s an excerpt from the speech:
“About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful…If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people.”
The last thought for the day comes from Paul’s Letter To The Philippians…my Bible entitles this passage “Lights in the World”:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.”
—The Letter Of Paul To The Philippians, Chapter 2, verses 12-18
Here’s to a great Tuesday and lots of love & good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)