Happy Fourth of July!
We celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on each July 4th. It’s a great fun day for us, but our freedoms should not be taken lightly! A few tidbits of trivia about this Declaration: John Hancock was the first to sign it; That is where the statement “sign your John Hancock” right here originated from; An estimated 2.5 Million people lived in the U.S. in July 1776; Three Presidents died on July 4th, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on 7/4/1826 and James Monroe died on 7/4/1831; The Liberty bell rings 13 times on every 7/4 to honor the original 13 colonies; U.S. Soldiers got a special treat on 7/4/1778 when George Washington helped their celebration allowing them to have double rations of Rum; Americans spend over One Billion dollars on fireworks on July 4 every year, and it became a Legal Holiday in 1870.
July 4th is time to celebrate. Grill your favorite foods. Purchase loud and colorful fireworks. Be sure to remember why we celebrate this momentous day!
“Global Network.” A a couple of American tourists went out riding a motor bike in Indonesia. They wrecked in a jungle and fell some 150 feet down a steep ravine. Both sustained terrible injuries leaving them unable to walk. The driver of the motorbike was using his cell phone to navigate and it was lost in their fall. He remembered that he had a second cell phone that had a Sim Card that allowed him to call the U.S.A. He turned it on and his Facebook app was open. He was able to communicate with a FB friend in the states and she in turn remembered that FB has a feature called Pin Drop. She contacted another friend and he opened up a Screen Shot and Maps to find the injured couple. He then contacted the U.S. Consulate in Indonesia. Nearly half a world away and four hours later a search party was able rescue them. The moral of this rescue is when people work together, wonderful things happen!
Wife to husband. “I have been ironing clothes, washing windows, scrubbing floors and you just sit there waiting for me to bring you a snack. What does that say about you?” Husband says: “I’m patient!”
Practice “Joyspotting.” We tend to think of joy as nice but not a necessity, but it often gets over looked in the daily shuffle, but research suggests that it can have surprising powerful effects; It shields a body from stress, protects the cardiovascular system and sharpens our minds. To tune in to the everyday things that brings you bliss, try Joyspotting — focusing your attention on pleasurable things, like the brilliant blue of the sky or smell of your morning coffee. These things remind us that joy is all around us, and they can kick what psychologists call upward spirals, which promote happiness and well-being and boosts motivations.
Prayer concerns: Billy Rhinewalt, Joyce Everett, Terry Lathem and Beth Riddell (former colleague of Sarah Quigley)
My grandsons, Lee and Luke Thompson and families went to Gulf Shores, Al. over the past weekend. Lee and Holly’s son, Caden, requested a deep sea fishing trip to celebrate his High School graduation. They had a very good catch, mainly of red fish. They were mighty blessed as most all of our family have tried our luck at that and this is a first!
Speaking of red fish, when I was a young child, we lived in Mobile, Al. My Dad fished any time he was off from his job. Lots of the time he would bring in a really nice, big red fish as his catch of the day. It wasn’t ‘till many years later that he owned up the fact — he really bought those red fish.
Mississippi’s signature dish “Taste of Home” has declared to be catfish. These days, catfish are mainly raised on fish farms. Mississippi is home to more than half of the catfish farms in the United States. Who knew?
It gets plenty hot on the bayou. During the late 1920s, Mississippians would beat the heat by sinking their feet in the mud of the river. Somehow, that became the inspiration for Mississippi Mud pie, whose dark chocolate resembles the river’s muddy banks.
Every day may not be a good day, but there’s something good in every day! Have a God blessed holiday!
