January 26, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Friday, January 26.
In the summer of 1695, Swiss mathematician John Bernoulli offered a challenge to the world's scientists. He placed a six-month limit on the solving of an "unsolvable" problem. And, sure enough, at the end of six months, the great minds of the earth had been unsuccessful. But then, on January 26, 1696, the problem was given to Bernoulli's rival, Sir Isaac Newton, who proceeded to solve it . . . in one night. Genius!
January 25, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Thursday, January 25.
How do you sleep at night? You've heard the old joke - "I sleep like a baby, I wake up every 3 hours and cry!" My sleep habits have undergone a radical change in my old age. As a young person, I was a dedicated night owl, never going to bed before midnight, every morning another challenge to get up in time for school or work. I remember my mother (bless her heart), having to tell me over and over, "David, get up!" and finally coming into my room and sprinkling me with cold water - and we weren't even Methodists!
January 23, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, January 23.
I love puzzles. All kinds of puzzles. Number puzzles, trivia puzzles, mazes, riddles, you name it. But my all-time favorites are word puzzles, and most especially crosswords.
Crossword puzzles began appearing about a hundred years ago. In 1942 the New York Times newspaper published their first one and the New York Times Crossword has remained the “gold standard” ever since. I do my best to complete it every day.
January 22, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Monday, January 22.
Rain! Rain! Rain!
The sound of heavy rain woke me up before sunrise and the forecast is for a rainy week here in East Texas. We could see a half foot or more before all is said and done. But, as the old saying goes, "every cloud has a silver lining".
Silver lining #1 is that we could use the extra moisture. Silver lining #2 is that all this rain is coming just as the temps are climbing well above freezing. If this had happened early last week, we would have had an ice-catastrophe!
January 19, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Friday, January 19.
It's amazing how quickly our priorities can change.
26 days ago, on Christmas Eve, my family was eyeing all those presents under the Christmas tree, counting down the hours until the great unwrapping ceremony. And then everything changed. My wife suffered a stroke and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where she stayed for five days. Then, for three weeks, she was in a rehab facility. Yesterday, finally, she came home.
January 17, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Wednesday, January 17.
One of my favorite Pop songs is also one of my favorite Bible passages - imagine that! In 1965 the #1 song in America was "Turn, Turn, Turn". Those 3 words were just about the only lyrics that the "songwriter" added from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. We often refer to it as "To Everything There is a Season". It is certainly the #1 hit with the oldest lyrics!
January 16, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, January 16.
As the story goes, the writer Ernest Hemingway was having dinner with some friends, when he offered a challenge. Who could write the best story - using only six words?
Everyone put in $10 and the winner would get the pot. Hemingway won his own contest when he wrote... For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
January 15, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Monday, January 15.
Did you know that there are two national "service" days each year? One is September 11 and the other . . . is today. In 1994 a bill was sponsored by Congressman John Lewis to encourage Americans to serve their communities, to encourage Americans to make a difference, to encourage Americans to help those less fortunate than themselves. What better person to suggest a day of service than a man who devoted his life to service.