October 18, 2021 a thought for today, Willows are weak but they bind other wood. Irish Proverb

It had been a busy Monday, seems it is that way every week that begins with putting the church newsletter on the list of other obligations to be finished by the end of the week. I put a couple of hours working on the newsletter before I moved to the bulletin. We had a last minute switch in pastors for this week so I had to contact the reverend who will be doing this week’s service. As it turns out she is usually very early about getting her information to me. I sent her a text this morning but haven’t had a response yet. I went ahead getting the part of it completed that is my responsibility. 

My photo theme for yesterday was “I saw....”. I love the steeple and cross on the top of my church especially against the blue of the heavens. 

Lowell stopped by. We were able to have a long chat on a subject that is upper most in both our lives. We have separate views on some aspects but they all seem to mesh coming to light via different avenues and interpretations also leaving each of us with new outlooks to explore..

The hours have slipped away today and it is almost time to “change hats” to move on to the preparation of dinner for the three of us. 

The word today is gratitude.  Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others. Marcus Tullius Cicero. Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts. Henri Frederic Amiel. Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul. Henry Ward Beecher. Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. John Milton.  Does not the gratitude of the dog put to shame any man who is ungrateful to his benefactors? Saint Basil.  Fill the earth with your songs of gratitude. Charles Spurgeon. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for, Epicurus. If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough, Meister Eckhart.  Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life, Rumi. The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ambition breaks the ties of blood, and forgets the obligations of gratitude. Sallust.   

Today’s photo challenge is “I don’t like to....”. My answer to that is shovel snow. I don’t do that so much any more. Bob does it for me. And there are other things I don’t like to do but this was the easiest way to present an image of a dislike. 

Here is another article telling about the history of part of our city. This one is about a neighborhood called Hungarian Village. At the opening of the article there is a man who has had a shoe repair shop on Parsons Avenue for sixty years. He walked one block to work. His father immigrated here in 1903 and lived and worked in Perry County finally moving to Columbus in the 1930s with the assistance of Works Progress Administration a depression era job program. Another family from Athens County moved here to Columbus in 1950. Both settling in Hungarian Village. The article went on to mention that “for the most part, Hungarian Village is pretty much devoid of residents who can trace their roots to Budapest or Debrecen. All of the original families have passed away. There is a movement now to “re-create its identity”. Those who are there fly the Hungarian flag and put up signs to “educate visitors”. The residents now are not Hungarian but seem to love the neighborhood. This village is “wedged” through of Merion village and north of Reeb/Steelton Village neighborhoods. Now it is mostly an area of just Woodrow and Hinman Avenue between S. High Street and Parsons Avenue while in the 1970s its northen border was listed as E. Markison Ave. A hundred years ago the neighborhood housed immigrants from Hungary, Croatia and Italy. The article explained that there were so “many countries” represented on the South Side of Columbus that a Foreign Grocery on Parsons Avenue “employed a staff that spoke about a dozen languages”. During the 1940s and 1960s it was a busy part of Columbus. There is a church in the area where people have gathered for 104 years. Now there are only 175 members. Last summer one of the Columbus Landmark Foundation led a tour of the neighborhood. People moving into the neighborhood like the closeness of the downtown area, the traditional feel of the neighborhood with garages and alleys, along with racial and economic diversity. 

I am fixing chili mac for dinner. 

Joy

conglomeration