The celestial clock has moved another notch and placed us in January 17, 2020. I think of time as a straight highway with on and off ramps each day. People get on, people get off and most of us just keep moving forward. Using that concept, let’s look at the billboards: It’s Ben Franklin Day, Ditch New Years Resolutions Day, Cable Car Day, Customer Service Day, National Bootlegger’s Day, Hot Buttered Rum Day, National Hot Heads Chili Day and Judgement Day when you are asked to look into a mirror and judge how you measure up to your God’s teachings. We probably should be doing something like that every day. Moving on. On this date in 1775 9 old women were burnt at the stake as witches for causing bad harvests in Kalisk, Poland. Wow. In 1893 Queen Liliuokalani is deposed by an American coup (American plantation owners) and the Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic. Queen Liliuokalani wrote the song “Aloha ʻOe”. In 1917 US pays Denmark $25 million for Virgin Islands. On this date in 1920 prohibition of alcohol goes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Finally, this is the date in 1950 of the Great Brinks Robbery when 11 men rob $1.2M cash & $1.5M securities from armored car in Boston, Massachusetts. Ben Franklin gets this day because it’s his birthday (1706). Here are a few pearls of wisdom from Ben: “Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.” “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” and “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” Ben Franklin is probably in the top 10 people I’d like to spend an afternoon with. Now it’s time to start living this day. I’ve already judged myself and I’ll try and follow Ben’s advice. I’m off to a good start. Ya’ll Abide now.
