It has become December 4th, 2019. It happened while I was sleeping. I woke up in a new day. One that holds unlimited possibilities. Somewhere a life will end today and a child will take it’s first breath. People will marry and some will divorce. I don’t expect any major events to happen to me but we won’t know for sure until this one is over. It will happen when I’m asleep. We’ve got plenty of reasons to celebrate today: It’s Cabernet Franc Day, National Cookie Day, Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, National Sock Day, Women Wednesday and Santa’s List Day. My youngest grandchild, Alice, has figured out that Santa can’t possibly do what she’s been told he does. The innocence of Christmas is gone. Life marches on. Now the history of today: in 1829, Britain outlaws “suttee” in India (widow burning herself to death on her husband’s funeral pyre). In 1915 Henry Ford’s peace ship, Oscar II, sails for Europe ‘to get the boys out of the trenches by Christmas’. He was trying to bring political pressure to end WWI. He failed but at least he tried. In 1920 the 1st Pro football playoff game was played: Buffalo-7, Canton-3. In 1927, Duke Ellington opens at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A quote from Duke: “There are two kinds of worries – those you can do something about and those you can’t. Don’t spend any time on the latter.” Good advice from Mr. Ellington. In 1952 the killer fogs begin in London, England; the term “Smog” is coined. Finally, in 1961 the female contraceptive ‘pill’ becomes available on the National Health Service in Britain. That is a really big deal. This is the birthday (1795) of Thomas Carlyle who was a historian covering the French Revolution. He said: “He who has his health, has hope. He who has hope has everything”. This is also the birthday (1840) of Crazy Horse, Oglala Sioux chief. He said: “We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.” We would be doing better if we adopted Crazy Horse’s viewpoint. Now I will start to live this day. Hope it’s a good one for all of us. Abide
