April 24, 2013

Today we celebrate:

National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day – Bite sized sausages or hot dogs wrapped in dough, these are commonly served as hors d'oeuvres at a party.

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day – Between 1915 and 1918, some 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks. Turkey remembers events differently and disputes the validity of this day. The Armenians keep this day going not out of a desire for revenge but out of a desire for recognition and remembrance. Particularly since Turkey continues to deny that it ever happened.

Administrative Professionals Day or Secretary's Day – This is a day to recognize the hard work of receptionists, secretaries, administrative assistants, and other administrative support personnel. Without the support, the management of almost any company would not be able to function.

International Guide Dogs Day – Celebrated on the last Wednesday of April, this is a day to celebrate the important roll guide dogs play in maintaining the independence and mobility of people with a wide range of disabilities. It started out in the late 1920's with Dorothy Eustis, who had heard about the possibility of training dogs for this purpose from a school in Pottsdam, Germany, that went out of business after World War I. She wrote an article about it which Morris Frank, a blind man from Nashville, heard about and it went from there. Mr. Frank was the first blind man to have a seeing eye dog and he went on to create a training program here in the states that is still going today.

International Size Acceptance Day – This is a day to accept yourself no matter what size you are. This day is sponsored by the International Size Acceptance Association and was begun in 1998.

To celebrate today, first, accept yourself for who you are regardless of what size clothing you wear. Once you have accomplished that, bring your Administrative Assistant (or if you don't have one, borrow someone else's) some pigs-in-a-blanket to snack on while you tell him/her about the Armenian Genocide. Then, keep your eyes open until you spot a guide dog. These are working dogs, so don't touch or in any way disturb them, but you can give their owner a treat to give them later and you can tell them that they are good dogs. Dogs like that kind of praise.