Here we are in the time/space of April 7, 2020. We’re in the middle of a world wide pandemic which people will be talking about for centuries. As pandemics go, this is a mild one. Nothing like the plague of 1346 (Black Death) that killed 2/3rds of those infected. I’m waiting for the part where we find a vaccine so we can get back to normal, or what will become the new normal. I think it’s time for a small celebration of our good fortune. April 7th is National Beer Day. I don’t need to go further but it’s also National Beaver Day, National Coffee Cake Day, Public Television Day, National No Housework Day and World Health Organization Day. Onto history. This is the day in the year 30 that most biblical scholars believe Jesus was crucified. It’s a consensus, not a fact. On day in 1959 Oklahoma ends prohibition after 51 years. No doubt a sad day for Kansas bootleggers. Finally, this was the day in 1986 of WrestleMania II when Hulk Hogan beats King Kong Bundy and Mr. T beats Roddy Piper in a boxing match. This is the birthday (1770) of William Wordsworth, poet laureate of England. He said, “That best portion of a man’s life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” I like that quote. It isn’t the handful of big things we do that define us. It’s the way we live each day that does. Since this is the day that we think Jesus died in the year 30, I’ll give you a quote from him: “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.” In other words, live in the moment. Have a beer today. Be safe. Be sure to Abide.
