April 12, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Global Day To End Child Sexual Abuse - This is a day that is celebrated all over the world on the second Sunday in April.  There will be events in many countries to bring to light the issue of child sexual abuse, which is all too often swept under a rug and ignored.  If you know of someone who is being abused, speak up.  If you are being abused, you have the power to stop it by telling a trusted adult.

International Day for Street Children - Begun in 2011 by the Consortium for Street Children, this is a day let the voices of millions of street children be heard.  The theme this year is a celebration of the United Nations agreement to develop a General Comment on Children in Street Situations.  The Consortium believes that this will have a positive impact on the lives of the children and the organizations that help them.

National Licorice Day – Did you know that the licorice plant is a member of the pea family?  I had no idea, either.  I also found out that Licorice International sells more than 160 types of licorice so I’m sure you can find something that you will like if you’re not a fan of the standard licorice that you get at the grocery store.

Big Wind Day – On this day in 1934, during a “wild April storm”, the observatory on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire recorded a wind gust of 231 miles per hour. The highest velocity of naturally produced wind ever officially recorded by an anemometer on this planet so far.  And yes, after the storm was over, the anemometer was tested and found to be working accurately.  The fascinating story can be found here.

Russian Cosmonaut Day – On this day in 1961, 27 year old Soviet cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin piloted the first manned spacecraft, the Vostok 1, around the earth. He was up there for 1 hour and 48 minutes. His accomplishment made him a hero in his country.  To this day, Yuri’s night in space is celebrated around the world.

International Day Of Human Space Flight – In 2011, the United Nations adopted a resolution creating this day in honor of the first manned spaceflight mentioned above.  If you think about it, the first astronauts had to have a great deal of courage because no one knew what effect space travel would have on the human body.

D.E.A.R. Day – This acronym means Drop Everything And Read. A day made in honor of Beverly Cleary's birthday. Since she had written about D.E.A.R. in one of her books, the least we can do is make sure we read at least one of her books to our children today.  Since this day falls on a Sunday this year, schools may have celebrated it on Friday, or they may wait until Monday.

Walk On Your Wild Side Day – We all have a hidden wild side that we can feel free to set loose today.  Throw caution to the wind and do whatever your heart desires.  I’m a naturally reserved kind of person but even I have a little bit of a wild side that on occasion makes my husband wonder who he married.

To celebrate today, talk to your kids about sexual abuse in an age appropriate way.  Then, eat some licorice and read a book about street children while you sit on a mountain with your anemometer to measure the wind.  When the sun sets, look at the stars and imagine what it might have been like to be the first astronaut flying around up there.  Then go out and do something wild.