September 24, 2015

Today we celebrate:

Gallbladder Good Health Day - This is a really good day to focus on eating healthy foods that your gallbladder likes and avoiding fatty foods that make your gallbladder work hard. So no fried foods today, instead eat fruit and vegetables and lean meats and enjoy your healthy gallbladder.

National Cherries Jubilee Day – A dessert that consists of cherries over vanilla ice cream. Sometimes brandy or some other kind of liqueur is warmed and poured over the top. I've never tried it because I’m not a big fan of cherries, although I do like cherry flavoring so maybe I can find a compromise.

National Bluebird of Happiness Day - This is a day for going out of your way to spread happiness.  Bluebirds have been linked to happiness for thousands of years.  This was reaffirmed in the lyrics of the song Bluebird of Happiness from 1934.  You don’t actually need to have a bluebird in order to accomplish the act of spreading happiness, but if you happen to see one today, whistle so it knows you are just as happy as it is.

Festival of Latest Novelties - Today we celebrate the fads and weird things that are made and sold to the gullible public.  In other words...the newest “in” thing.  Like pet rocks back in the 70's.  Whoever thought up painting faces on rocks and selling them made a bundle because people thought it was cute and funny and all their friends had them so they needed to buy them too.  And never thought about maybe just making their own with a little paint and a nice clean rock. Because that wouldn’t be an “official” pet rock.

Punctuation Day – I better proofread my work carefully today because this day is all about proper punctuation. Make sure you use your commas, colons, periods, apostrophes, etc., properly.

World Maritime Day – Celebrated by different countries on different days during the last week in September, this is a day to stress the importance of safety on the waters for people and marine life.

Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving Day – I had never heard of the Schwenkfelders so I found the brief history on this page very interesting: http://www.ucc.org/about-us/hidden-histories/the-schwenkfelders.html You might want to read it as well. The first Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving took place on this day in 1734, two days after they arrived in Philadephia. The Schwenkfelders are named after their founder, Caspar Schwenkfeld who was born in 1489. He had a different idea about the Lord's Supper and chose to split from Martin Luther and go his own way in 1526. His followers suffered nearly 200 years of persecution but were a stubborn bunch and refused to give in and convert to Catholicism or Lutheranism and finally snuck away from their homes and journeyed for several years until they all finally settled in Philadephia.  Many people choose to celebrate on a Sunday near this day.

To celebrate today, have an apple and some milk to feed your healthy gallbladder and head outside to look for bluebirds.  Look up the latest fad and get one for someone who appreciates that sort of thing.  Then take your kids to a Maritime Museum and look for correct punctuation among the exhibits.  Finish up the day with a Thanksgiving meal making sure you include some Cherries Jubilee.