While I waited for Ron to come back from surgery, I watched a little television in the OR waiting room, and heard the Jersey Boys perform their infamous medley sounding just like Frankie Valle, which was great! I heard they will be performing at the Clemens Center in Elmira soon.
My brother Art’s prognosis remains the same at this time – which is, not the best. I will keep you posted. Right before Christmas they had tornado warnings – very high winds and hail “the size of my fist” – was what he said. Their gasoline is below two dollars. I believe it might be nice if he heard from some of you local folks from “days gone by”, so I’m including his address: Art Shoemaker, 1913 Gillespie Ave., Albany, Georgia 31707. And, thank you for your continued prayers of support.
The average temperature right now is around 35 degrees, so what a surprise on Christmas Eve it was a balmy 50 degrees. Christmas Day it was about 40 and windy, but Friday is was very sunny – for a change! Ron read somewhere that “a green Christmas, means a white Easter”. (Terrific…) New Year’s Eve at was a mere 7 degrees at 8:30 AM, but climbed back up to 12 degrees New Year’s Day.
Ron and I received so many nice pictures at Christmas time from friends and family, both near and far. I’m always amazed at how fast these kids grow.
I’ve told you many times the mammoth number of books I have that I have purchased over the years from yard sales and thrift stores, as well as receiving dozens of them as gifts. When I gathered my collection for my daily devotional readings for 2015 I chose a 1981 Daily Guideposts plus a day by day calendar of quote by Rev. Billy Graham, plus a couple other tid-bits, such as re-reading for about the 4th or 5th time, “The Seasons of Life”, by Charles Swindol. Actually, I rather enjoy reading from a 30+ year old book when life, it seems, was a lot simpler, quieter and more tolerable.
Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Resolution – resolve. Instead, I “choose” to : look ahead with faith, confidence, joy and a smile! I’m going to try hard, anyway. Joshua 24:15 reads in part: ‘choose this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’.
January gets its name from the Roman god Janus, the two-faced god of beginnings and entrances. “Full Wolf Moon” is the Native American name for this month’s moon, evoking wolf packs trotting across the frozen plains or howling in the northern woods. It is also known as the “Full Old Moon”. January 5th is known as “Twelfth Night” – the night before Epiphany. Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus and marks the end of the holidays. On January 6, 1759, George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a widow with two children. January 8, 1935 marks the birthday of Elvis Presley. On January 13, 1888, thirty-three men – explorers, naturalists, mapmakers, and educators – decided to form the National Geographic Society. On January 14, 1784, the Revolutionary War officially ended when Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, establishing peace with Great Britain. On January 15, 1929, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was born. January is National Hot Tea Month, National Soup Month, National Blood Donor Month, National Cancer Prevention Month, plus National Hobby Month.
January 10, 1904, marks the birthday of Ray Bolger, best known for his portrayal of the Scarecrow in the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz, by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. From that movie: “I could while away the hours, Conferrin’ with the flowers, Consultin’ with the rain, And my head I’d be scratchin’, While my thoughts were busy hatchin’, If I only had a brain.” Now, tell me, does that bring back memories or what? And, I’m sure you recited it to that infamous tune that will now be stuck in your head for days. You’re welcome.
Food for thought: Was exercising more on your New Year’s resolution list? If so, all you have to do is laugh. Laughing uses more muscles at one time than any other activity. If fact, 15 muscles are required just to smile.