Spanky's Clubhouse

I just passed my half year birthday a couple of days ago on the 24th but I didn't do much celebrating. A friend of mine that I grew up with always reminded me of the day in April when we were another half a year older. She was one day older than I was so we would celebrate our birthdays in October together by staying all night with each other and sometimes baking a cake at midnight. Some people celebrate with a half of a cake for their half year birthday. The local card store sends a special discount for your half year birthday. Of course, when we were younger we loved being another half year older especially if it was the year that you were closer to getting your drivers license or turning twenty-one when you officially were an adult. Now, I appreciate another half year older as I am grateful for each day and try to really cherish each day, each hour, and each minute. I have read that you should celebrate each day as they are all new gifts from God. Gifts to share God's love with others, to share our talents and our time as well as cherish each one we meet. We can always learn something from another person as well as just enjoy their company. Think of your half year birthday and enjoy it and celebrate it. The last week in April is TV-Turnoff Week. Why not celebrate by turning off the tube and reading a book? What a great idea. Visit your local library to see what new books they have on their shelves. In 1731, Ben Franklin founded the first circulating library in North America. The Library of Congress was established on this day in 1800. Libraries are wonderful and I still visit the local library at least once a month. I love to read most anything I can get my hands on. I have enough books of my own to start a library which has always been a dream of mine since our village doesn't have a library. Once Ben Franklin attended a dinner party at which the topic of discussion was "What condition of man most deserves pity?" Ben suggested this: "A lonesome man on a rainy day who does not know how to read." Can you imagine people sitting around a dinner party thinking at all today. Maybe if we did turn off the TV more and read more books we would have more interesting things to talk about.

Oh how beautiful the spring will be when it finally starts to warm up as it is starting to do. Everything is ready to burst the buds on the trees and the tulips in the ground that were just covered with snow last week.. What a glorious time of year and then we hear of the sadness of the shootings of VaTech! These young people, the middle aged and the older one too, were just ready to take their next step into the world whatever that was going to be. Now we have lost thirty-three lives including the shooter who might have had something to give to change the world but now we will never know or benefit from their gifts and talents. As the Governor of Virginia said today, "We must be like Job and continue on our path no matter what happens and how terrible it is, we can not lose our faith." Hopefully once again our country will turn back to its creator and give thanks for the blessings we have been given. No one seems to be so concerned that every day there are many lives snuffed out by abortion saying that women have the right to do this, to kill the unborn, even though our country is suppose to guarantee the right to life but we have turned our backs on the innocent unborn who can't even speak for themselves. Our society truly is a culture of death. Then why are we so surprised when something like this happens and we wonder why. Our government says it is O.K. to kill the unborn and not allow prayer or anything to do with God to be said in public places.