Maybe I'll Get It From This Angle (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday, Keith, Catsynth, and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     

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Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts to encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.    

This month the words/prompts are supplied by Sean Jeating and they will appear on River's blog.

This week's words/prompts are:

1. absolution  

2.Auschwitz  

3.love  

4. resistance  

5.without

and/or:

1. dancing  

2.dreams  

3.ears  

4. eyes  

5.talking

use either list or both, or mix and match, just have fun.

Charlotte's colour of the month is Carmine.

DANCING was one of the DREAMS for my life.  To be on stage or dance the tango in a Carmine dress at a championship contest, it was what I hoped for and worked toward.

Then came the accident.

It truly was an accident, his brakes failed although he'd had his vehicle serviced regularly.  "One of those things," which can happen without warning.

It left me with EARS which can hear, EYES which can see, and a mouth that can do plenty of TALKING, hands which can do whatever I need to do, and feet which can walk with a cane, but my dancing days were done.

Many of us who go to church learn God's LOVE is WITHOUT limit, He forgives those who ask and let His love change their hearts, and forgiveness is a blessing, one we give ourselves as much as the other person.

In the immediate aftermath I felt such anger and I wondered why, as others have been through so much more, and those things done much more deliberately.  It's not like he's a Nazi asking a Jew for ABSOLUTION for AUSCHWITZ.  He didn't mean it, and he was horrified it happened at all and would have taken it back if he could have.

But at first, I refused to forgive, then I realized my refusal was standing in the way of my own healing.

There's an experiment scientists did with a gadget which pushed a person's hand with a certain amount of force, and then they asked the person to push it back with the same amount of RESISTANCE, as closely as they could.

No one could do it.  Every person, even the experimenters who knew the results and tried not to, pushed back harder than they had been pushed.

It's normal, it's what we do, seeing what the other did as worse than what we ourselves have done.  In light of it, the Mosaic Covenant laws which say, "eye for eye and tooth for tooth" are a good limit, so no one takes vengeance beyond their own hurt.

Forgiving doesn't mean he and I become buddies.  It doesn't mean what he did doesn't matter even if it was truly an accident.  It means I leave any question of punishment which might be due up to God Almighty, who knows better than I do just how much to push back.

It means I take my hands off his throat in my own mind and if he learns from it to love God and ask forgiveness and his heart is changed, and then we end up together praising God in eternity, then so much the better for both of us.

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It's National Hugging Day™, which includes the announcement of the Most Huggable Person of the Year.  National Hugging Day was established, among other reasons, to encourage consensual hugging for better mental health.

This year's Most Huggable Person is Rev. Dr. Michael B Beckwith of Agape Spiritual Center in Beverly Hills, California.  He is the founder and spiritual director of Agape, which is a transdenominational community that aims to promote life, peace and positive influence. He is an active hugger and has grown to be a positive supporter of National Hugging Day.

Thanks to Barb Kowalik and The Cat Blogosphere for the event badge.        

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Today is:

Celtic Tree Month Luis (Rowan) begins

Errol Barrow Day -- Barbados

International Bon Jovi Day -- they released their first album this date in 1983

Lady of Altagracia Day -- Dominican Republic

National Hugging Day™ -- includes the announcements of the Most Huggable People of the Year

New England Clam Chowder Day

Quebec Flag Day -- Quebec, Canada

Squirrel Appreciation Day -- sponsored by Christy Hargrove of the Western North Carolina Nature Center

St. Agnes' Day (Patron of betrothed couples, bodily purity/chastity, crops, gardeners, Girl Scouts, girls, rape victims, virgins; the Colegio Capranica of Rome; Manresa, Spain; Rockville Centre, NY)

St. Meinrad of Einsiedeln's Day (Patron of hospitality; Einsiedeln, Switzerland; Swabia, Germany)

Anniversary Today:

Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit, 1915

Birthdays Today:

Robby Benson, 1956

Geena Davis, 1956

Billy Ocean, 1960

Jill Eikenberry, 1947

Mac Davis, 1942

Placido Domingo, 1941

Jack Nicklaus, 1940

Wolfman Jack, 1939

Benny Hill, 1925

Telly Savalas, 1924

Benny Hill, 1924

Paul Scofield, 1922

Barney Clark, 1921

Karl Wallenda, 1905

Christian Dior, 1905

Roger Nash Baldwin, 1884

John M. Browning, 1855

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, 1824

Ethan Allen, 1738

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Kid"(Film), 1921

"The Daily News"(first issue, edited by Charles Dickens), 1848

"Power of Sympathy"(publication date of WH Brown's novel, considered the first American novel), 1789

Today in History:

Philip II, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart initiate the 3rd Crusade, 1189

The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded, 1525

The first American novel, WH Brown's "Power of Sympathy," is published, 1789

After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine, 1793

Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccination is introduced, 1799

The envelope-folding machine is patented by Russell Hawes, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1853

The first US sewage disposal system that is separate from storm drains opens in Memphis, Tennessee, 1880

The first slalom ski race is run in Murren, Switzerland, 1922

The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec, 1948

A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete, 1968

The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts, 1971

Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes, 1976

Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, 1981

NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Eart, 2004

Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 11 September 2001, and Asian stocks drop as much as 14%, 2008

The Eyak language in Alaska becomes extinct as its last native speaker dies, 2008

LA Lakers forward Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest NBA player to reach 25,000 career points at 31 years, 151 days, beating Wilt Chamberlain by 35 days, 2010

Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh finally concedes office and leaves Gambia 2 months after losing the presidential election, 2018

The journal Nature Communications reports a study of the world's oldest known meteor impact from an estimated 2.2 billion years ago in Yarrabilba, Western Australia, implicating the impact in the ending of an ice age at that time, 2020

Tara VanDerveer, age 70, becomes the winningest college basketball coach with her 1,203rd victory as Stanford University defeats the Oregon State Beavers, 65-56, 2024

The US experiences a deep freeze, with snow in the deep south, the first ever blizzard warnings in Louisiana and Texas, and record snowfalls in those areas, 2025

But At Least His Car Is Working, a Random and Happy Tuesday Post

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It's time once again for a random and happy Tuesday, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked and Sandee at Comedy Plus.  

The first thing i noted when arriving at the house was Carl's car was back.  I was there last Thursday when the call came in from the shop saying it needed a good bit of work.  Mr. L was on the phone with the shop, sighed, and told them to go ahead and just do it all.  

As much as Ms. V hates spending money, i know she hates having to be the one to get up early and drive Carl to work even less, if you can call getting him to work by 11am early, which she does.  She was probably relieved when it was done and the car was safely back at home.

Then i arrived yesterday to this.  There must have been some adventure at Ms. V's house over the weekend.  At least this time i was there for Carl's apartment not the rest of the house, and he was sleeping and i wouldn't need the big kitchen sink.

Mr. L told me Carl did have work, so i got to it.

Carl had obviously been trying to go through his CD collection again.  He gets distracted and doesn't make much headway.

I got the laundry started and noted the two dryer balls i'd found in Ms. V's room (it seems Carl isn't the only one who absconds with them) were still there.  We're holding steady at five, but who knows for how long.

The bathroom was barely finished when Carl came up for air and a shower.  He didn't like one of the undershirts i'd picked -- "Too itchy!" --  and we found another.

While he was in there i checked out his fridge.

It hasn't been this empty in a while, and yes, i'm sure he had a reason for the bottom of the plasticware tub to be in the fridge while the top was in the freezer part.  Probably he doesn't even know what the reason was, but he had one at the moment.

Once he was dressed we talked about the weather and if he'd need an extra jacket.  Probably not, it was supposed to be sunny and warmer in the afternoon.

"I was watching musical parodies," he told me.  "They were fun, lots of people.  Youtube!"

It sounds like fun, i said and he responded, "Yes, but Dave wasn't available this weekend."

He brightened up then and said, "Sam was!"

Another reason he's probably glad to have his car back, he gets to see Sam.

We talked, or rather, he talked, about trolls, sending out cards - "I'm late!" - and where to donate supplies for school children.

Yes, he is probably talking about being late sending out Christmas cards.  It's okay, anyone on his list understands if it doesn't get there before Valentine's Day.

"Make sure I have plenty of snacks," he told me as i was getting his meal for work ready.  I packed plenty and even if it wasn't quite enough, i somehow doubt he'll starve before 7pm when he gets off work.

Once Carl was packing his car, he kept leaving the back door open and it was a very cold morning for the swamps.  I put his wallet, keys, work badge, and gloves in his hat, and also had his watch there.  The watch band is broken, but Ms. V wants him to take it in his pocket in case he loses his phone so he doesn't clock out late.

The problem is his pockets are full of his wallet, keys, work badge, gloves, miscellaneous candies in wrappers, and usually Tums or gas pills.  If he tries to stuff in the watch, it's likely to fall out.  Also, he has his phone and the app on the phone clocks him in and out automatically when he shows up for work and when he leaves.

He looked at the watch and said, "Do I have to take it?"

I told him it was up to him and he left it, then went back to the other side of the house get his phone.

Good choice.  And he left under his own steam, in his car.  Ms. V can relax.

How about some funnies.

Have a blessed and beautiful Tuesday, everyone!

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Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Mali

Camcorder Day -- five companies agreed, this day in 1982, to cooperate and construct a camera with a built in VCR

Celtic Tree Month Beth (Birch) ends

Coffee Break Day

Day of National Mourning -- Azerbaijan (a/k/a Martyrs' Day)

Festival of Jubilation for Osiris -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate, in Busiris)

Heroes Day -- Cape Verde; Guinea-Bissau (death anniversary of Amilcar Cabral)

La Tamborrada de San Sebastian -- San Sebastian, Spain (24 hours of drumming, begun last evening)

National Buttercrunch Day

National Cheese Lover's Day

National Granola Bar Day

National Disc Jockey Day -- listed lots of places, but no particular reason given for the choice of date

Penguin Awareness Day -- lots of celebrating, but no history of who started it

Rid The World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day -- always the Tuesday of Women's Healthy Weight Week

Sacrifices to Athena -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Stay Young Forever Day -- celebrate the child in all of us, do something fun

St. Sebastian's Day (Patron of archers, armorers, arrowsmiths/fletchers, athletes, bookbinders, diseased cattle, dying people, gardeners, gunsmiths, hardware stores, ironmongers, lace makers/lace workers, lead workers, masons, plague victims, police officers, Pontifical Swiss Guards, racquet makers, soldiers, stone masons/stone cutters; several cities, but especially of Rio de Janiero, Brazil and San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, where today is marked with celebrations; against cattle disease, enemies of religion, plague)

Take a Walk Outdoors Day -- unless it's storming, a good way to get some exercise

Tenmangu Kowakamai -- Setaka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan (festival of old style Japanese dances)

Birthdays Today:

Skeet Ulrich, 1969

Rainn Wilson, 1966

James Denton, 1963

Lorenzo Lamas, 1958

Bill Maher, 1956

David Lynch, 1946

Dorothy Provine, 1937

Arte Johnson, 1934

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, 1930

Patricia Neal, 1926

Otis Dewey "Slim" Whitman, 1924

Federico Fellini, 1920

DeForest Kelley, 1920

Joy Adamson, 1910

George Burns, 1896

Harold Lincoln Gray, 1894

Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, 1889

Carolus Linnaeus, 1778

André-Marie Ampère, 1775

Richard Henry Lee, 1732

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Meet the Beatles"(Album, US release), 1964

Today in History:

The first elected English Parliament called into session by the 6th Earl of Leicester, and meets in the Palace of Westminster (a/k/a Houses of Parliament), 1265

The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro is first explored, 1502

The Casa Contratacion (Board of Trade) is founded in Spain to deal with American affairs, 1503

The cornerstone of Amsterdam town hall laid, 1648

The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Botany Bay is unsuitable for the location of a penal colony, and decides to move to Port Jackson, 1788

China cedes Hong Kong to British, 1841

L.A. Thompson patents the roller coaster, 1885

The first full length talking motion picture filmed outdoors is released, "In Old Arizona", 1929

Nazi officials hold notorious Wannsee conference in Berlin deciding on "final solution" calling for extermination of Europe's Jews, 1942

The first atomic submarine, USS Nautilus, is launched at Groton, Connecticut, 1955

Witnesses report sightings of a Bottlenose whale swimming in the River Thames, the first time the species had been seen in the River Thames since records began in 1913, 2006

A three-man team, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1958 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance, 2007

Austria votes to maintain compulsory military service in a referendum, 2013

19-year-old aviator Zara Rutherford becomes the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, 2022

Japan becomes the fifth nation to land a spacecraft on the Moon, 2024