Good Morning All & Happy Friday!
Some terrific people have birthdays tomorrow, January 15th…long-time friend and financial planner extraordinaire, Mike Sheridan; lover of souls and veterinarian extraordinaire Kim Tanguay; and childhood friend and fellow member of the “Amazing Class of ’73” at Olympia High School, Vickie Meneghetti-MacMillan. Here’s to all of you on your special day of celebration!
Speaking of birthdays, here’s to singer Jack Jones, who turns 84 today; to actress Faye Dunaway of “Bonnie & Clyde” movie fame, who is 81 today; to actor Carl Weathers of “Action Jackson” movie fame, who turns 74 today; and to singer/musician Dave Grohl of “Foo-Fighters” fame, who is 53 today. Happy Birthday to all of you!
I just got a note from our local blood center saying that they are in desperate need of whole blood and blood platelet donors. As my friend and the regional director of Vitalant Northwest, Jennifer Hawkins, says: “It is beyond scary; it’s just at a level we’ve never seen.” Typically, winters are a slow time for blood donations, but this year, the shortage is lasting longer and is much worse than in previous years. I usually donate blood platelets a couple of times a month, but right now I’m out of commission due to COVID. I’ll be back giving at the end of next week. If you’re healthy and able to give right now, please contact your local blood center and set up an appointment to give whole blood and/or blood platelets. You’ll be glad you did. You’ll literally save lives (no foolin’)! By the way, I’m glad I got double-vaccinated and boosted, as I’m not sure how severe my symptoms would have been without that protection. COVID definitely is different than any other virus or cold I’ve had in the past…it affects your respiratory system and gave me a sore throat and headache for a couple of days. It appears to me that most of us will end up getting COVID, it’s just a matter of how severe we’ll get it, depending on the precautions (or lack thereof) we’ve taken to minimize its affects. We just need to do the best we can!
Speaking of worthy efforts to support, the Lewiston (ID) Civic Theatre puts on some mighty fine plays and musicals. If you’re in or near Lewiston, do check out what they have to offer. They make a huge contribution to the arts in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley. They’ve put on “The Addams Family” and “Winter Wonderettes” already this season and “Blythe Spirit” is due to open soon. Visit them at www.lctheatre.org or give them a call at (208) 746-3401 for more information. You’ll be glad you did!
Also, if you love little infants/babies, you’ll want to find out more about “Maddie’s Place” in Spokane, a faith-based organization providing care and treatment of drug-addicted infants and their mothers. It is due to open soon and will provide professional and compassionate care for these little ones and their families. It’s a place for them to be able to go and live for a time after being released from the hospital. They’ll be given an opportunity at life under initially difficult circumstances and their prospects for a good life are dramatically increased at “Maddie’s Place.” To find out more about “Maddie’s Place,” go to www.maddiesplace.org. Contributions can be sent to Maddie’s Place at P.O. Box 2144, Spokane WA 99210. You’ll be glad you did!
Do you ever wonder why it seems as though our ability to effectively and respectfully communicate with one another is declining? Well, we may have to look no further than what is taking place on social media these days…
There was an ad taken out by Facebook in our local newspaper recently that showed how they were addressing safety issues related to Facebook sites and postings and the numbers are, quite honestly, staggering. Within a 2-3 month period recently, Facebook said they took action on:
1.7 billion fake accounts
32.8 million explicit adult posts
30 million violent and graphic posts
7.1 million terrorism-related posts
3.8 million drugs and firearms sales posts
And as they (Facebook) says, “But our work to reduce harmful and illicit content on our platforms is never done.”
No wonder there are so many societal conflicts going on! All the more reason for us to turn to “The Good Book” and seek a personal relationship with “The Intelligent Creator of the Universe.” We’ll be glad we did…not to mention that it will please God as well. What do you think?
I came across some more of my Dad’s interview for the Washington State World War II Memorial Foundation and thought it worthy of sharing with you:
Question: “It sounds like you were the first wave (came in on the first wave of the assault on Iwo Jima)?”
Answer: “No, I was not on the first wave. The 3rd Battalion, 26th Regiment (Dad’s unit) was held back because they had all they could get, because there was only so much beach. There was only so much beach there between Suribachi (Mt. Suribachi) and what we called “the quarry,” was the cliffs to the right of that, and we went in on the east beaches instead of the west beaches. That’s all the room, so they only had room for so many battalions going in, on the first wave…So the first ones hit about nine o’clock (in the morning) I think it was. We didn’t go ’til…I…we were in, we were in the landing craft for quite a while monkeying around out there ’til we got the order to land the troops you know. I think we went in around noon, give or take twenty minutes. I don’t really know.”
Question: “While you were out waiting, can you see what’s going on?”
Answer: “You can see, oh you can see ’em. We were there and these battleships are not very far off, they’re not laying off five miles, you know. They were doing point black stuff, oh, I don’t know…they might have been 800 or 1,000 yards off.”
Question: “They’re pounding away, you guys are trying to sneak in under, the Japanese are shooting down at you…”
Answer: “To start, the Japanese…when the landing happened, they had the high ground in Suribachi and they had some heavy artillery up there among everything else. And then the neck down below which is about 900 yards wide, approximately that, then it fans out like a pork chop you know, to the north. And uh, yeah…that’s the high ground. So their plan initially was to let us get onto the beach to start with, the very start…fill her up. Keep them bottled, then beat the…the “wee-wee” out of you…you know. It wasn’t too bad a plan…there’s always going to be a debate…if he (the Japanese commander at Iwo Jima, Kuribayashi) had turned loose 8 or 10 thousand troops and just came charging, what would have happened? I don’t know.”
—Marine Corps Pfc. Donald (Don) M. Newbold (5th Marine Division, 3rd Battalion, 26th Regiment), Washington State World War II Memorial Foundation Interview
Here’s the trivia question for the day:
Q: With a diet primarily consisting of a single type of plant, which bear is said to be almost entirely vegetarian…Grizzly bear?…Polar bear?…Brown bear?…or Panda bear?
A: The panda bear is native to South Central China, and is characterized by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. Unlike other bears, pandas are primarily herbivores, with bamboo shoots and leaves making up more than 99% of its diet. To compensate for the low energy content of its diet, the average panda consumes as much as 26 to 84 pounds of bamboo shoots every day…According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are just 1,864 pandas left in the wild, with an additional 400 pandas held in captivity.
The following “fact for the day” is inspired by this past Christmas celebration…
In France, Christmas is called Noel. This is derived from the French phrase “les bonnes nouvelles,” which means literally “the good news” and refers to the Gospel (The Holy Bible) and the birth of Jesus…Truly what Christmas is all about, don’t you think?
Here’s the thought for the day:
“We said we’d walk together baby, come what may
That come the twilight, should we lose our way
If as we’re walking, a hand should slip free
I’ll wait for you
And should I fall behind
Wait for me
We swore we’d travel darlin’ side by side
We’d help each other stay in stride
But each lover’s steps fall so differently
But I’ll wait fo ryou
And if I should fall behind
Wait for me
Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true
But you and I know what this world can do
So let’s make our steps clear, that the other may see
And I’ll wait for you
If I should fall behind
Wait for me.”
—Bruce Springsteen, “If I Should Fall Behind,” from the album “Lucky Town” (1992)
Here’s to a great Friday and lots of love & good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)