Tag: Holidays

Memorial Day

Flags are gifted to military personnel family’s upon death. My mother had two flags, one from her father and one from my father.

A day set aside to remember and honor people who died while serving in the US Armed Forces.

Herb, my father, in Belgium, Army Air Corp. Photo found in mom’s collection. Although he died at a young age (55) he did come home from WW II.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

Have a blessed Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends, and perhaps a stranger….

Sheep in the pasture, Ireland

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2     Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.  (Psalm 100)

A Few Thoughts On Gratitude

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.” – Charles Dickens

“None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” – Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.”-Alphonse Karr

On Sunday there was an article in the StarTrib titled, Thanks For Everything. It focused on gratitude and the health benefits of being grateful. Being thankful is not only good for the soul but it is good for the body too. Research has proven the health benefits for years and people have begun taking it more seriously…they’ve discovered it to be true.

Some excepts from the StarTrib Variety section on Sunday, November 18 issue:

“People are looking for simple things they can do to improve their health and well-being,” says Mary Jo Kreitzer, a professor at U of MN School of Nursing. “It’s (being thankful) such a simple process. There’s no cost. It’s accessible; anyone can do it. It takes just a few minutes. And research has shown that this really does make a difference.”

Most people don’t need to be reminded to be thankful for something monumental. It’s the little, everyday things that brighten our lives but are taken for granted and rarely acknowledged – if we’re even cognizant of them – that are the focus of most gratitude programs.” Sarah Gierke, manager of the BE Well program for Park Nicollet Employee Health.

“If you know that everyday you have to write down three things you’re grateful for, you start looking for them. So much of our life is on autopilot. In a fast-paced world, it’s easy to go without noticing things. But we can train our brain to be present.” Kreitzer again.

Kreitzer said that energy is one of the best parts of gratefulness. “It’s contagious.”

Here are two (out of nine) suggestions on practicing gratitude I found on a website when I Googled the word gratitude. (Check here for the other seven ideas at Unstuck.com)

-If you identify something or someone with a negative trait (the cold conference room), switch it in your mind to a positive trait (the conference room with a great view).

-Gratitude requires humility, which the dictionary defines as being “modest and respectful.” Explore where it fits in your life.

Thanksgiving Day has always been a favorite of mine because of the simple message of focusing on being thankful. But I try to keep an attitude of gratitude in my heart all year. I try be mindful of the present moment and see beauty in all things, and in all people around me. May it continue throughout the season and beyond.

North Morristown’s Oldest Ongoing Fourth of July Celebration

We celebrated our Fourth of July holiday at the oldest ongoing celebration in Minnesota. For 126 years North Morristown has put on a fun, old-fashioned 4th of July get-together and hundreds, if not thousands, find their way to this small town (if you can call it a town- it has a Lutheran church with attached school and two or three houses) out in the country, close to nowhere.

Interesting, but a little threatening, cloud formations.

However, on our way there, we were threatened by storm clouds that were pretty ominous looking, and yet so artistic. Soon the skies burst open and down came the rain, hard! We passed many cars heading away from North Morristown as we continued to drive into the area, now full of mud. We quickly decided to go elsewhere for our late lunch.

Storm clouds.

After eating, the skies settled down and we had heard at the restaurant they had put wood chips down to help with the muddy paths on the grounds at North Morristown. So we decided to head back there.

In the “band shell”, Monroe Crossing: a banjo, a mandolin, a fiddle, a guitar and a bass.

We are so glad we did. Monroe Crossing, a talented bluegrass band, was playing under a shelter, and we sat on bleacher-style wooden boards under the trees and listened to an hour-long concert. It was wonderful.

Homemade pies.

After the concert we walked around the grounds, being careful where we stepped, to look at the old-fashioned children’s rides and games, the bingo hall, the hamburger stand, the beer garden, the pork stand, the pie and ice cream stands and picnic tables strewn about. We tasted some pie and ice cream.

This brought back memories for me. I always liked this fishing game. You attach your ticket to the clothespin at the end of the fishing line and then throw it over the wall. The person on the other side would replace the ticket with your prize. (I asked permission to take this little boy’s picture…he was so excited for his prize.)

Cars were getting stuck in the fields where they parked because all the rain turned the fields to mud. Tractors were recruited to help pull some cars out. Fortunately we found parking on the church’s paved lot….no mud.

One of the muddy parking areas with tractor standing by to help get out.

The air was festive and it was fun to be at the oldest ongoing Fourth of July gathering to celebrate our nation’s “birthday.”