Silly Sunday: Will They or Won't They?

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This still being the Lenten season for those of us of traditional Christian faiths (of the major flavors, as one of my liberal Roman Catholic friends says), we are still in the midst of looking at sacrifice and denying ourselves and seeking the higher good.  At least, we are supposed to be.

That's one reason our church (Evangelical Presbyterian, yes, really, there is such a thing) has our day that highlights our city ministries and tries to get everyone involved in at least one, and emphasizes that a special collection will be taken up on Easter.

This is in keeping with many churches that have special collections at Easter, and it reminds me of Tee Boudreaux and the special collection for the poor.

On de firs' Sunday of Lent, Tee an' all de chil'ren in de church was ax to come forward for dat de priest could talk to dem.

Den de priest, Father Mereaux, he say, "Chil'ren, I's gonna tell you de story of 'De Widder's Mite'."  An' he done proceed to tell dem about how de ol' widder woman in de Bible put in her two mites, an it be all she have, but it be more dan all de rich people put in because she done give all she have an' she give it wit' love.

An' after dat, he say, "Now de ushers are goin' hand each of you chil'ren a 'mite box', an' for de nex' six weeks of Lent, you take de money you woulda spent on candy, an' you put it in you 'mite box', an' when we collect dat on Easter, we goin' give it to de poor.  An' you will be doin' what Jesus say, givin' de mos' dat you got!"

After church, de chil'ren be talkin' while de grown-ups be visitin', an' on de way home Boudreaux he ax Tee, "What was you an' de chil'ren talkin' 'bout so long today?"

An' Tee say, "We was talkin' 'bout de 'mite boxes'."

"What about dem?" Boudreaux ax.

"We done decide we goin' call dem 'might boxes' 'cause we 'might' not fill dem!  Six weeks be too long for us to go wit'out candy!"

Today is:

As Young As You Feel Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which encourages you to stop acting your chronological age and go act peppy!

Banned in Boston Day -- see history for 1630 for explanation of why today

Birthday of Wenchang Wang, the God of Literature -- China

Care Sunday / Carling Sunday -- England, 5th Sunday of Lent (possibly from the Old Saxon "carles", or husbandman)

Coq Au Vin Day

Daylight Saving Time begins -- Iran

Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Emancipation Day) -- Puerto Rico

International Goof-off Day -- sponsored by Monica A. Dufour and A.C. Vierow, who think everyone needs a special day each year to goof off.

International Day of the Seal -- drawing attention to a disappearing species

Laser Day -- the first patent on a laser was granted this day in 1960 to Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes

National Bavarian Crepes Day

National Sing-Out Day -- begun by an anonymous person who must love singing; and yes, i promise, i won't sing where anyone has to listen to me

Root Canal Awareness Week begins -- sponsored by the American Association of Endodontists 

St. Darerca's Day (reportedly the sister of St. Patrick; Patron of Valentia Island, Ireland)

World Day for Water -- UN

Yo-Yo & Skill Toys Convention -- Spinning Top and Yo-Yo Museum, Burlington, WI, US (19th annual, with exhibits, demos, contests, and fun; through tomorrow)


Anniversary Today:

The Tuskegee Airmen are activated, 1941


Birthdays Today:

Cristen Powell, 1979
Reese Witherspoon, 1976
Elvis Stojko, 1972
Matthew Modine, 1959
Stephanie Mills, 1957
Lena Olin, 1955
Bob Costas, 1952
Andrew Lloyd Webber, 1948
James Patterson, 1947
George Benson, 1943
Bruno Ganz, 1941
Marvin Yagoda, 1938
M. Emmet Walsh, 1935
J.P. McCarthy, 1933
William Shatner, 1931
Pat Robertson, 1930
Stephen Sondheim, 1930
Allen Neuharth, 1924
Marcel Marceau, 1923
Karl Malden, 1912
Louis L'Amour, 1908
Chico Marx, 1887


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Conversations with My Father"(Play), 1992
"Brighton Beach Memoirs"(Play), 1983
"All You Need is Cash"(TV movie), 1978
"I Can Get It For You Wholesale"(Musical), 1962
"Mr. Wonderful"(Musical), 1956
"This Year of Grace"(Musical), 1928
"El maleficio de la mariposa/The Butterfly's Evil Spell"(Play), 1920


Today in History:

Hugo de Groot escapes imprisonment in Loevenstein Castle in a book case, 1621
The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags, 1621
Algonquian Indians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony's population, 1622
Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables, 1630
Joseph Priestly invents carbonated water (seltzer), 1733
The Parliament of Great Britain passes the Stamp Act, which introduced a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies, 1765
The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current place in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand, 1784
The three protecting powers (Britain, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece, 1829
Cornstarch is patented by Orlando Jones, 1841
Slavery is abolished in Puerto Rico, 1873
The Edmunds Act adopted by US to suppress polygamy in the territories (especially aimed at the Mormons), 1882
August and Louis Lumiere privately screen the first "motion picture" ever made, of workers leaving their factory three days earlier, 1895
World's first airline, St Petersburg Tampa Airboat Line, begins, 1914
The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt, 1945
Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser, 1960
Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1978
The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips, 1993
Cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov returns after setting a record for 438 days in space, 1995
The Comet Hale-Bopp has its closest approach to earth, 1997
Tara Lipinski, age 14 years and 10 months, becomes the youngest women's World Figure Skating Champion, 1997
ETA, the armed Basque separatist group, declares a permanent ceasefire, 2006
Mount Redoubt, a volcano in Alaska began erupting after a prolonged period of unrest, 2009