It’s November 18, 2023. Because of the heated rhetoric and the chaos of the present, I’ll start with a quote from FDR who said “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” You might want to remember that the next time you watch the news. My advice is to be kind whenever possible (it is always possible). Today is International Games Day, Married to a Scorpio Support Day, Mickey Mouse Day, National Adoption Day, National Apple Cider Day, National Princess Day, National Vichyssoise Day, Occult Day, and William Tell Day. It’s also the last day of World Kindness Week. On this day in 1307 William Tell shot an apple off his son’s head. On this day in 1803 the Battle of Verniers took place in the Dominican Republic when the slave army defeated the French army and secured their freedom and the independence of Hati. On this day in 1883 the US and Canadian railroads set and synchronized four standard time zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific) replacing over 100 previous time zones. On this day in 1916 the British finally called off the 1st Battle of Somme in WWI after more than 1 million soldiers had been killed or wounded. On this day in 1961 JFK sent 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam. This is the day in 1978 in Jonestown Guyana that 918 members of the Peoples Temple under the leadership of Jim Jones committed suicide. It’s Wilma Mankiller’s birthday. She is the former Chief of the Cherokee National. She died in 2010 at the age of 64. Wilma said, “Cows run away from the storm while the buffalo charges toward it and gets through it quicker. Whenever I’m confronted with a rough challenge, I do not prolong the torment, I become the buffalo.” “Take care how you place your moccasins upon the Earth, step with care, for the faces of the future generations are looking up from the Earth waiting for their turn for life.” “If you argue with a fool, someone passing by will not be able to tell who is the fool and who is not.” Last one: “Negative thoughts were treated by Cherokee healers with the same medicines as wounds, headaches or physical illness. It was believed that unchecked negative thoughts can permeate the being and manifest themselves in negative actions.” I agree with Wilma. Abide.
