Today is October 9, 2023. I know a few people who have allowed themselves to be dominated by past wrongs. Someone said or did something they just can’t get over. Lewis B. Smedes said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” There are no happy victims. People need to forgive, forget (stop thinking about it) and move on to a happy place. You’ll be glad you did. Today some of us will celebrate Columbus Day. He was the last person to discover the New World. It’s also Indigenous People’s Day which is kind of ironic. I’ll go for International Beer and Pizza Day, Leif Erikson Day (because I’m Norwegian), Moldy Cheese Day (Yum), National Kick Butt Day, National Online Banking Day, Native American Day (In South Dakota), and Submarine Hoagie Hero Grinder Day. That’s a really good list of events. Now some history: On this day in the year 1,000 Leif Ericson reached “Vinland” which is thought to be Canada. On this day in 1740 the Dutch governor general Adriaen Valckenier ordered the 8,000 men, women and children who were Chinese inhabitants of Batavia, to be murdered. On this day in 1824 slavery was abolished in Costa Rica. On this day in 1946 the 1st electric blanket was sold for $39.50 or $639.20 in today’s dollars. On this day in 1985 “Strawberry Fields” memorial to John Lennon in Central Park, NYC was dedicated. On this day in 1991 Bush declared he had “total confidence” in nominee clarence Thomas. Since it’s John Lennon’s birthday (1940), I’ll go with his quotes today. John said, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” “Count your age by friends, not years. Cout your life by miles, not tears.” “A mistake is only an error; it becomes a mistake when you fail to correct it.” “Whenever in doubt, turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream.” “It matters not who you love, where you love, why you love, when you love or how you love, it matters only that you love.” “My teacher asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said Happy. She told me I didn’t understand the assignment, I told her she doesn’t understand life.” Abide.
