July 2, 2023 a thought for today, No year has two summers. Russian Proverb

Starting a new month, yesterday’s first upload was “e is for....”. In my mind it is for eating and this was my lunch. 

I decided to miss church this morning. We were having a “guest” pastor who is looking for a job with one of two other churches. My spirits were just not leaning toward listening to a stranger in the pulpit today. I know as the week begins I will regret missing my weekly lift of spirit and the company of my church family. 

My second upload for yesterday was “O Canada!” I didn’t have a Canadian flag handy or the red maple leaf but I had these two foods with a Canadian reference. 

I still plan to honor the tradition of keeping Sunday a “a day of rest”. That will help with the revitalize and replenishing Sunday brings. 

I have to go outside and down the driveway to rescue my Sunday newspaper. For about a year now our newspapers have been thrown in the lower part of the driveway. All of my long life and in my experience with newspaper deliveries they have been delivered on the front porch. Not so now. So in my case there is no Christmas “bonus” from me. It appears to me a lack of respect for a customer. That appears to be a growing habit in this society. 

I will be working some more on the Christmas calendar and my photo “assignment” calendar. 

The first upload for today was “L is for ......”. This image has a double relation to L....lacy in texture and L for leaf. 

The word for today is tears. But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more, Hans Christian Andersen. We need never be ashamed of our tears, Charles Dickens.  Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears, Edgar Allan Poe.  When the heart is dry the eye is dry, Victor Hugo.  And the tear that is wiped with a little address, May be follow'd perhaps by a smile, William Cowper.  More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones, Saint Teresa of Avila.  Every tear from every eye Becomes a babe in eternity, William Blake.  And the tear that we shed, though in secret it rolls, Shall long keep his memory green in our souls, Charles Lamb.  Too young for woe, though not for tears, Washington Irving. Tears are often the telescope by which men see far into heaven, Henry Ward Beecher. Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams, Hosea Ballou.  Perhaps---the GREAT LOVES---come with---TEARS, Marie Antoinette.  Heart’s fragrance is spent with the ending of spring And nothing left but a tear-stained robe, Li Shangyin.  All the tears which we creatures shed for Him are not tears as many think but pearls.... Jalaluddin Rumi.  Tears are the safety value of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it, Albert Smith.  

My second upload for today is “backlit”. These are some flowers from my meager garden this year. It was taken early this morning before the shades were opened. So I had the filtered morning sun behind the vase of posies. 

The title to this article looked like an interesting subject to share, “A century of reunions keeps family's 'rare and precious' connection thriving”. This is a story about a family who, slightly different than most families, hold not only an annual year but have decided to make it a monthly gathering. They began this special kind of reunion many years ago in 1922. This year female descendants of seven sisters from that era celebrated the togetherness at the Ohio State University Faculty Club. Fifty members were there from places other than Columbus. The family’s history began in 1871. A gentleman, Ferdinand, and his new bride, Magdalena, were the beginning of this family. They were both from Germany and came with their own parents and siblings on the same ship. In 1922 the family put together a special birthday party to celebrate Magdalena’s sister’s birthday.  They had such a good time that “they decided to for a club”. The formed a club and planned for monthly meetings.  They named themselves Facire (combined of family and circle). It was unusual and the Dispatch, in 1923, became aware of it. In the beginning the men would “gather to drink beer in the basement and the women would meet upstairs. Over the years it was just the females who kept it going with one of the men attending every now and then. They have even developed a name for the family card game which is known as 500 bid, some called it “glorified euchre” and some call it not quite bridge. When they were interviewed about the group they replied “We knew if we didn’t keep this connection we would likely see these cousins only for wedding or funerals”. At their 100th anniversary parts of the minutes (kept at every meeting) were read. Some told about the high spirits of some drinks in 1930, Dues were 10 cents a month in 1922. Depression and World War II did not stop the meetings. COVID forced the meeting to be held on Zoom for a time. They want to continue the family meetings because they are rare and precious. The meetings have morphed to ten months a year, January due to weather and November the holidays. 

Since Bob hasn’t been home for about a week and Sue has been getting home after dinner time I have been opening a can or box of this or that for dinner. This may be a re-run on that theme. 

Joy

                                 some old time graffiti