Success is an Empty Nest (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday, Sandee at Comedy Plus, and Be There 2Day.

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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 prompts are being provided by Lee at Kitchen Connection.   

The words for this week are:

faultless

anticipation

quota

development

sculpture

transform

literally

privilege

perpetual

refresh

platform

ply

"Come, sit," said the wise man.  "REFRESH yourself after your journey."

"Thank you," she said, taking a seat on the eating PLATFORM.  She looked weary but smiled as he did PLY her with hot tea and a bowl of fresh fruit.

"It is a PRIVILEGE to finally arrive here," she said.

He smiled a gentle smile.  "What do you seek, coming here?  DEVELOPMENT of the self?  To TRANSFORM some part of your life?"

"Neither," she said.  "I did not come to seek, I came to give you this."

She handed him a small SCULPTURE.  It was an infinity symbol, carved from a FAULTLESS piece of marble.

"Beautiful," he said, "the symbol of that which is PERPETUAL and never ending!  To what do I owe the honor of being the recipient of such a gift?"

"Do you remember this man?" she asked, holding out a locket with an old black and white picture.

Taking the proffered piece of jewelry, he brought it nearer to his old eyes, and then broke into a delighted smile.  "Yes!  And now that I look at you, I see him in you.  You are too young to be his daughter.  His grandchild?"

"Indeed," she said, smiling back at him.  "He told me how you quite LITERALLY saved him from going over a cliff, and how you figuratively saved him with your teachings.  He went back to his wife a different man.

"His son, my father, was a very practical person as he grew and had little use for what he termed 'pie in the sky' philosophy, preferring to 'get in his QUOTA of real work'.  That's what he would tell me whenever my grandfather and I had long discussions.  It came to me that if my grandfather had not been saved and my father not born, I would not be here, either.

"That's why I wanted to come.  To thank you for the difference you made.  You have helped many who have come to you, and I have long lived in ANTICIPATION of being able to make this journey.  I don't think many have come back to let you know how much you mean to them.  My grandfather wanted to, but physically could not.  I could, so I am here."

"You are right, few have done so.  It is not necessary, but it is much appreciated when it happens," he said, eyes glinting with moisture.  "Now, tell me you will stay a full measure of days so we can have the joy of helping each other!"

"Indeed, I plan to stay, if you will allow me, until your own journey ends."

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Today is:

Arlington National Cemetary Day -- US (the first serviceman to be interred here was Private William Henry Christman, on this date in 1964

Bun Bung Fai (Rocket Festival) -- Yasothon, Thailand (through the 14th, teams compete to build the highest flier, with no regard for safety!)

Celtic Tree Month Huath (hawthorn) commences

Donate a Days Wages to Charity Day 2020  

Fairy King and Queen Jumping Competition -- Fairy Calendar

Frog Jumping Day -- original date for celebrating Twain's short story

Garland Day -- Abbotsbury, Dorset, England

King Norodom Sihamoni's Birthday -- Cambodia

Lemuralia -- Ancient Roman Empire (third day)

Leprechaun Day -- spread around the internet, presumably by the little people themselves, as since St. Patrick gets a day, so should they!

National Apple Pie Day

National Employee Health & Fitness Day -- US (originally the 3rd Wednesday in May, but now spreading around the world as Global Employee Health & Fitness Month)   

National Fruit Cocktail Day

National Nightshift Workers Day/Third Shift Workers Day -- US (remembering those intrepid souls who keep things running smoothly through the night)

National Receptionist Day -- US (because that first impression is important; National Receptionists Association) 

Royal Windsor Horse Show -- Windsor, England (the whole show, including competitions, is virtual this year, so get online and join the fun; through the 17th)     

St Julian of Norwich's Day (Author of what is believed to be the first book written by a woman in the English language, Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love, around 1393)

St. Servatus' Day (3rd Ice Saint, Patron for success; against foot problems, lameness, leg problems, mice, rats, rheumatism, vermin)

Turn Beauty Inside Out Day -- the day to remember what really counts is who you are, not just what you look like

Birthday Today:

Debby Ryan, 1993

Robert Pattinson, 1986

Samantha Morton, 1977

Darius Rucker, 1968

Darius Rucker, 1966

Stephen Colbert, 1964

Julianne Phillips, 1962

Dennis Rodman, 1961

Frances Barber, 1957

Stevie Wonder, 1950

Bobby Valentine, 1950

Franklyn Ajaye, 1949

Tim Pigott-Smith, 1946

Mary Wells, 1943

Ritchie Valens, 1941

Harvey Keitel, 1939

Beatrice Arthur, 1923

Joe Louis, 1914

Arthur Sullivan, 1842

Maria Theresa, 1717

Debuting/Premiering Today;

Let It Be(Film), 1970

"Paint It Black"(Single release), 1966

"The Pajama Game"(Musical), 1954

Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque for Violoncello and Orchestra (Bloch concerto), 1917

"Apollo et Hyacinthus"(opera, Mozart K 38), 1767

Today in History:

The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother, 1568

A major earthquake in Santiago, Chile, kills 1/3 of the population, 1643

Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England  with eleven ships full of convicts (First Fleet) to establish a penal colony in Australia, 1787

Ecuador  gains its independence from Gran Colombia, 1830

The first performance of Finland's national anthem, 1848

Queen Victoria declares Britain neutral in the US Civil War, 1861

The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia, 1861

Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway, 1880

The Royal Flying Corps (now the Royal Air Force) is established in the United Kingdom, 1912

Igor Sikorsky becomes the first man to pilot a four-engine aircraft, 1913

The first commercial FM radio station in the United States (WDRC-FM) is launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut, 1939

Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons, 1940

The trade mark Velcro is registered, 1958

The Free Speech Movement is born at UC Berkeley, 1960

Dr. Zakir Hussain becomes the third President  of India and the first Muslim President of Indian Union, 1967

Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike, 1989

Johnny Carson makes his last television appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, 1994

A 33 years old British mother Alison Hargreaves, became the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas, 1995

Star Trek: Enterprise broadcasts its final show in the U.S., 2005

Construction of the Calafat-Vidin Bridge between Romania and Bulgaria begins, 2007

In Belize, a construction company requiring road fill gravel destroys a 2,300 year-old Mayan pyramid, 2013

A 22 year old UK blogger halts the spread of a global ransomware cyber-attack by accidentally identifying its "kill switch", 2017

Undersea explorer Victor Vescovo makes the deepest dive ever to the bottom of the Mariana Trench at 10,927m (35,849ft), and finds a plastic bag, 2019