November 22, 2020's thought for the day: You may cook in small pots aw well as in large ones. Danish Proverb

What a beautiful Sunday...ugly weather, beautiful sermon (one of my favorite ministers)....my weekly pick-me-up. 

Being Sunday there is not much on the agenda for today. However, when I got home from church I first got started on the upload of the sermon to facebook (this may be the last week for the upload ....since we are going with “live streaming” probably to begin next week). After that I thought I should get a quick start on the newsletter since the deadline for information is tonight and I haven’t begun bringing the template up to date for this months entries. Beyond those two items I don’t have any plans for the rest of the day, except to go in search for today’s photo theme, I was on the look out of the way home but didn’t find a good fit. I will look around here and set up a shot. 

The photo challenge for November 21 was “this of that”. I tried to set up an image showing a salt and a pepper shaker. I wanted show two this or that’s, one the choice of salt or pepper (I now see that it is a bit difficult to tell that it is salt and pepper shaker). The second choice was the difference in the colors of black and white. 

Today the word is persuasion. Persuasion is often more effectual than force, Aesop. Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion, Aristotle. If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect, Benjamin Franklin.  How quick come the reasons for approving what we like! Jane Austen. He makes people pleased with him by making them first pleased with themselves, Lord Chesterfield. The persuasion of a friend is a strong thing, Homer.  Few are open to conviction, but the majority of men are open to persuasion, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Mere knowledge of the truth will not give you the art of persuasion, Plato. Persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should be adopted to influence the conduct of men. The opposite course would be a reversal of human nature, which is God's decree and can never be reversed, Abraham Lincoln. In ancient times music was the foundation of all the sciences. Education was begun with music with the persuasion that nothing could be expected of a man who was ignorant of music, Marcus Tullius Cicero.  None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives, Jane Austen. Let no pleasure tempt thee, no profit allure thee, no persuasion move thee, to do anything which thou knowest to be evil; so shalt thou always live jollity; for a good conscience is a continual Christmas, Benjamin Franklin. Who speaks to the instincts speaks to the deepest in mankind, and finds the readiest response, Amos Bronson Alcott. He who has truth at his heart need never fear the want of persuasion on his tongue, John Ruskin.  

Today’s photo theme is “upside down”. While I was out I shot a photo of a huge evergreen tree whose
top most branch was hanging low probably from the effects of strong winds and/or heavy snow. But I nixed that one so had to quickly set up a piece so I could get the upload done in time for the day. The newer versions of some condiments come so that they are easier to pour, upside down from the "norm". 

This article sounded interesting and comforting due one of the many things art can do in our lives. The title to the article and the first sentence  says it all: “The art of gratitude: Columbus Museum of Art works have much to say this Thanksgiving..... art can have so much more to say about the real theme of this holiday: gratitude”. It goes on to describe six of the exhibits and their relationship to Thanksgiving at the museum covering “ joys of nature, togetherness and more” at this time. Some of the workers offered their thoughts on the six chosen items. “Standing next to Mel Chin’s 'Spirit,', is a slender rope keeping a huge barrel hanging. The rope is made of tall grass. The person who is telling it’s story says it represents a balanced ecosystem of our food system. The “rope” represents our food and the barrel is our appetite.  Next is one called Autumn Leaves-Lake George NY, a gorgeous painting of colorful and will positioned leaves by Georgia O’Keeffe. The person describing it says it sparks an appreciation of natural spender all around us as it changes. The leaves would be beautiful on a Thanksgiving table. Third is one titled “Threshing No. I”, a painting of a farmer gather his harvest. The painter chose to show a scene occurring during the Great Depression. The person explaining it expresses her gratitude. Next is called “Porch Livin’”. The painter of the piece depicts memories of growing up in Poindexter Village where families interacted creating bonds of enrichment to their lives. There is an exhibit that is untitled and speaks of ‘love, gratitude, connection’. It is a group of photographs from ‘Erin Brown’s Cbus Front Steps Project’. It shows pictures taken during the pandemic and look-down of how family finds ‘joy and comfort’ with each other. The last piece is called ‘Noah’s Ark’. It is a panel of wood with unpainted figures on a green painted background. Displaying a feeling of a ‘natural world that God entrusted to mankind’s stewardship’. It is felt that painting the background bright green gave the piece a feeling of a nurturing process to a gathering of life. 

It’s going to be carry out from somewhere for dinner tonight....maybe Taco Bell, may be???

Joy