October 22, 2021a thought for today, The world is sustained by three things: justice, truth and peace. Hebrew Proverb

My partner in the finishing of the newsletter planned to be at the church a little earlier than usual this morning. I wanted to be there before I thought she would be so I left about half hour earlier than I normally do. The stapler on the copier is still not working properly so that meant manually stapling. I had stapled about fifty or so of them yesterday and left the rest of today. I got those out of the way before Dorothy got there so we were ready for the next four steps. The two of us work well together and we were able to complete the work in less than an hour. 

The photo challenge for yesterday was “I read this...”. Over the years that I have been in this club we have used this theme a few times. I try to select something a little different each time. This time I chose street signs. 

Today seemed to be catch up day of some household chores that have been put on the back burner for a while. I ran the irobot and then used the manual push sweeper throughout the downstairs. Next was cleaning out the refrigerator. I normally like to do that the day before the trash goes out for pick up but this is a little ahead of (or behind) schedule, either way that chore is done for now. I worked on getting the coloring books ready for our HM3 free meal on Saturday night. Then last on the “catch up agenda” was watering the house plants that make up my “indoor garden”. 

The photo challenge is truly a big challenge for me this time. The title is “I did this good thing....”. I do more good things rather than bad, I hope. Now, how to show it. 

The word for today is habit.  Quality is not an act, it is a habit. Aristotle.  The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. Samuel Johnson.  Choose the life that is most useful, and habit will make it the most agreeable. Francis Bacon. All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire. Aristotle.  Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it. Horace Mann.  A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit. Desiderius Erasmus. A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right. Thomas Paine.  Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity. Saint Augustine. Character is simply habit long continued. Plutarch.  The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy; it lasts when all other pleasures fade. Anthony Trollope.  Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased a habit. Epictetus.  Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature and moderation and reason. Marcus Tullius Cicero. We get so much in the habit of wearing disguises before others that we finally appear disguised before ourselves. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.  Heat of blood makes young people change their inclinations often, and habit makes old ones keep to theirs a great while. Francois de La Rochefoucauld.

The photo theme for today is “I did this good thing....”. I try to do good things as opposed to bad things. One of the “good” things I try to do is make coloring books for the kids in the families who come to our free meals on Saturday evenings. I have a small manual binding machines so I make colorful covers and bind them to make a little booklet. 

There has been a lot of excitement about the new library, the Hilltop branch, so here’s a story about the new opening activities. One of the librarians said she firmly believes that being in the library teaches young people how to be respectful of property as well as provides a space for interesting programs. There were many families that were disappointed when the library was closed for almost a year but realized that many communities don’t have a library. Then many watched as the new building developed. Finally when it opened some of them entered to the excitement of beautiful new surroundings. Young children were laughing and selecting books off the shelves then showing them to other kids standing around. One person said it was an “out-of-body experience” to watch the excitement of the first visitors. The article related that the building represents opportunity for information and technology, possibly assisting students “recover from the educational crisis caused by the pandemic”.  There is a new interactive children’s area, a “Ready for Kindergarten” area, an area for teens along with a School Help Center where kids can get after-school help. Along with so many other added spaces and activities are four meeting rooms, two conference rooms, six study rooms, a learning lab, and a quiet room. There are sixty-two computers. The article said there is a “Baby Laptime” for tiny kids, a story time for preschool ages, kindergarten prep and higher levels of educational offerings to fit the appropriate age group. There is even an area to encourage older kids to write songs, make movies or learn coding with digital technology. There are “life-skills” for adults, healthcare and legal advice. It helps keep some kids out of trouble while offering a new outlook on “the possibilities in life”.  

It’s pizza night. 

Joy

just a quick stop before moving on