The calendar says April 11, 2022. William Jennings Bryan said, “Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for it is a thing to be achieved.” One of the things I’ve learned over the years I’ve been writing this post is that I have the power to make each day a good experience. I literally can’t remember the last time I had a bad day. I hope you are in the same place that I am. Today is International Louie Louie Day, National Cheese Fondue Day, National Pet Day, National Poutine Day, Submarine Day and Barbershop Quartet Day. Now some history: On this day in 1512 the Battle of Ravenna (Northern Italy) was fought between the Spanish and French. The battle lasted for 8 hours and over 10,000 people were killed. This is the day in 1898 that Spain declared war against the United States. On this day in 1899 the Treaty of Paris was ratified, and the war ended with Spain ceding Puerto Rico to the US. This is the day in 1912 that the Titanic left Queenstown Ireland bound for New Yor City. In 1961 the trial of Adolf Eichmann for war crimes began. I remember following the trial and beginning to understand what evil really was. Finally, in 1968 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1968 Civil Rights Act. On this day we will stop at the graveside of some famous writers. The first is John O’Hara who passed in 1970 and said, “Never play cards with a man named Doc, and never eat at a place called Mom’s.” Next is Patrick F. McManus who stopped living in 2018 and said, “Smoked carp tastes just as good as smoked salmon when you ain’t got no smoked salmon.” Last stop is Kurt Vonnegut who died in 2007 on this day. Kurt said, “True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country” and “We are here on Earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.” Abide.
