National Day of Prayer for Law Enforcement Officers - Celebrated on the third Friday of June, this is a day to pray for our Law Enforcement Officers. They have an incredibly hard job that they face with grace and humor every day. They can be called upon at any given moment to risk their lives to save any one of us and they will jump at the opportunity without hesitation. They run toward danger when the rest of us run away from it. They can be counted on to intervene into a stressful situation and calm tempers before a bad situation becomes worse and they will do their very best to find those who decide to breaker our laws and bring them to justice. This day was begun by the Wives Behind The Badge organization. They are asking that everyone, regardless of your religion or personal beliefs, take some time today to pray for the families of fallen law enforcement officers and for those law enforcement officers who are still risking their lives to protect all of us. We need to show our officers appreciation and support instead of giving them grief for doing their jobs.
International Day of the African Child - Created by the Organization of African Unity to honor the people involved in the Soweto Uprising on this day in 1976. Soweto is in South Africa, and about 10,000 black school kids marched to protest the fact that they were being given a very poor education and weren’t even allowed to learn in their own language. Hundreds of these kids were shot that day and hundreds more were killed or injured in the weeks that followed. The theme for this year is “Conflict and Crisis in Africa; Protecting all Children’s Rights”.
No Orange Clothes Day - On this day in 1784, the powers that be in Holland banned the wearing of orange clothing. I found lots and lots of reference to this day, but no information to answer my biggest question which was, “Why?” Never fear, I found the answer. It all began with Willem of Orange back in the 1500s when he invaded the Netherlands with a flag of orange, white and blue. He was a strong leader, unfortunately his successors were not and they gradually began losing power. Their attempts at keeping their power were many and all involved rallying around the color orange. So in 1784 the Estates of Holland, in an effort to prevent a rebellion, banned the wearing of the color orange. This is a very short explanation of a problem that occurred over at least two centuries so I’m sure it was far too complex for this blog to report on.
World Sea Turtle Day - This day is the birthday of Dr. Archie Carr, founder of the Sea Turtle Conservancy. Dr. Carr left behind a legacy of love for sea turtles. He researched them and advocated for them in order to save them from extinction. They have been on this planet for apparently 110 million years, according to scientists. We have only been on this planet for approximately 60,000 years, I believe. It would be a tragedy if our short time on this earth cause the extinction of such an old species.
National Vinegar Day - This is a biannual celebration that occurs today and on November 1st, and why not? Vinegar is a household product that has been around for many millenniums and can be used for a wide variety of things from being a food ingredient to being a useful cleaning tool. If you count how many things you know it can be used for, I guarantee that there are actually at least twice that many more that you don’t know about.
National Fudge Day – My grandmother used to make fudge every year. Now, I'm not a big fan of fudge, but it was pretty good. There are plenty of people who do love it so this is a good day for you if you are one of them.
Bloomsday – This day celebrates the life of James Joyce, an Irish author who wrote a novel, Ulysses, which is set on this day in 1904. Mr. Joyce chose this particular day for his novel because it was the date of his first date with his future wife, Nora Barnacle. Dubliners celebrate this day with readings from the book, or by dressing as characters in the book.
Ladies Day (Baseball) – On this day in 1883, the New York Giants hosted the very first Ladies' Day baseball game. Revolutionary for it's time, the Giants allowed both escorted and unescorted ladies to watch the game for free. Just to hazard a guess, I would think that most ladies didn't need to work too hard to find someone willing to escort them to a baseball game.
Fresh Veggies Day - Celebrated on this day every year, this is a day to have fresh vegetables with every meal. Fresh veggies, in my opinion, taste so much better than frozen or canned. Although there is nothing wrong with the frozen and canned options, fresh is far more flavorful and they retain more of their vitamins and nutrients. If you have the option, chose fresh.
National Flip Flop Day – Celebrated on the third Friday in June, this day was created by Tropical Smoothie Cafe for the purpose of raising money for the charity they sponsor, Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine is a camp for children with life threatening illnesses and their families. It is a chance for the entire family to have some fun, and make some wonderful, lasting memories and to just get away from the illness for a little while. If you wear your flip flops to Tropical Smoothie from 2pm to 7pm, you will get a free smoothie today. All 300 of their Cafe's will also be collecting donations for the Camp.
Ugliest Dog Day - Celebrated on the third Friday in June, this day acknowledges that not all dogs are beautiful. But that doesn’t matter. Even ugly dogs, although they won’t win at the Westminster Dog Show, still deserve to be the center of attention and today is the day to give them that attention.
Midsummer – Also celebrated on the 3rd Friday in June rather than specifically on the 21st, which I would have expected since this is a day to celebrate the Summer Solstice, which is the longest day of the year, and it is a holiday in many different Northern Hemisphere countries such as Sweden and Finland. Festivities include singing and dancing, sometimes having a bonfire and of course, with traditional foods.
Work @ Home Father's Day – On the Friday before Father's Day, we celebrate fathers who have chosen to work at home. This isn't possible for all father's, of course, but for those who can and do, their presence at home improves family interactions and can greatly improve their professional satisfaction.
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