Make Me Think Monday Archives - Page 14 of 35

11 03, 2019

St. Patrick – Did You Know?

By judythemorgan|2019-03-11T07:28:17-05:00March 11th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

SOURCE: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en

We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades, dancing, special foods, and a whole lot of green whether you have an Irish heritage or not.

In Ireland the day was a mostly religious celebration. In fact, until the 1970s pubs were closed on March 17. “You just donned your homemade St Patrick’s Day badge or pinned a fistful of muddy shamrock to your lapel and went out to Mass to sing Hail Glorious St Patrick.”

Do you know these other facts about the patron saint of Ireland?

He was not Irish, but British.

He was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century. Kidnapped by Irish raiders as a teen, they took him to Ireland to work as a shepherd. He escaped and returned to Britain. He spent the next 15 or so years in a monastery, preparing for his missionary work. Pope Celestine I consecrated St. Patrick as Bishop of the Irish around 431.

He was never a saint canonized by the Roman Catholic church

During the Church’s first millennium, most saints received their title if they were martyrs or counted to be extraordinarily holy. St. Patrick was the latter. He converted many from paganism and became known as the Apostle of Ireland and made the patron saint of the isle.

His familiarity with the Irish language and culture made the Irish receptive to his teachings because he took familiar Celtic symbols and Christianized them. That led to many legends attributed to St. Patrick.

Celtic cross -St. Patrick combined the Irish pagan symbol of the sun with the Christian cross creating the Celtic cross, the icon of Ireland and Irish faith.

Shamrock -He explained the trinity to the Irish pagans with the three leaves of the shamrock. Though there’s no proof he ever did this, the shamrock metaphor remains strong in Irish Christianity.

Snakes – Allegedly when snakes attacked him during a 40-day fast, he chased them to the sea. Ireland doesn’t have snakes so this is total legend. More likely, he used snakes as a metaphor for the evil Druids and pagans.

Lent Fasting – He’s said to have climbed Croagh Patrick, County Mayo and fasted at the summit for the forty days of Lent. True or not, thousands of pilgrims make the trek to the top of Croagh Patrick yearly. I’ve been to Croagh Patrick, but, not to the summit.

Beannachtí na Feile Pádraig

Happy St Patricks Day

25 02, 2019

What’s a Happiness Habit?

By judythemorgan|2019-02-20T07:31:59-06:00February 25th, 2019|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

I recently read a blog about happiness and habits. The blog’s conclusion: happiness is an automatic response based on habits you establish.

That got me thinking. What makes people happy?

This 1970s embroidery sampler that hangs in my hallway offers some ideas.

Thanks to University of California professor Sonja Lyubomirsky there’s a list of things happy people have in common.

1. They devote a great amount of time to their family and friends, nurturing and enjoying those relationships.
2. They are comfortable expressing gratitude for all they have.
3. They are often the first to offer helping hands to coworkers and passersby.
4. They practice optimism when imagining their futures.
5. They savor life’s pleasures and try to live in the present moment.
6. They make physical exercise a weekly and even daily habit.
7. They are deeply committed to lifelong goals and ambitions.
8. The happiest people do have stresses, crises, and even tragedies. Their secret weapon is the poise and strength they show in coping in the face of challenge.

Then I wondered can the things on her list become habits.

In a 2014 TIME article, Eric Barker suggests we schedule most of our life – doctor appointments, hair appointments, Sundays for church. Why not schedule happiness?

Specifically, he proposes we should make happy things part of our routine, part of our schedule and our lives.

I decided to test his theory.

Flowers make me happy. I love when spring blooms burst forth like they are beginning to do in our yard these days.

I decided to establish the habit of keeping a vase of fresh flowers on our kitchen table.

After two months, buying a flower bouquet when I did grocery shopping was habit. My vintage celery server on the kitchen table was always filled with flowers.

And, you know what, making those flowers part of my shopping routine was quite easy.

Now when I come through the backdoor and spot perky blooms or sit down for a meal with cheery flowers, I’m happy. I smile.

Developing a happiness habit worked for me, but then I think Ben Franklin already knew it would.

Franklin proposed the same idea long before Eric Barker wrote his article when he said, “In the beginning, man makes the habit. In the end, habits make the man.”

What makes you happy? Can it become a happiness habit for you?

You can read more of Barker’s article for ideas on happiness habits here.

18 02, 2019

What to do as Winter gives way to Spring

By judythemorgan|2019-02-08T15:42:28-06:00February 18th, 2019|Make Me Think Monday, Writer's Life|2 Comments

I read in a weather blog recently that “February is not Houston’s prettiest month” and I have to say, how true.

February in Texas is the March of mountain states. Both are the months when Mother Nature is trying to transition to Spring. Skies are gray and the ground is yucky.

In the higher altitudes that means mud and slush as snow melts. You can’t ski, you can’t ATV, you can’t hike without getting dirty. Best thing to do is stay inside and read or do jigsaw puzzles.

Now that we’re back in the Houston area, February is our March. There’s no snow to melt or icy slush on the sidewalks. Nope. We have dreary, overcast days and endless misty, rainy days.

The temperature is like the wildest roller coaster you can imagine. One day will be cold and damp, the next a warm eighty degrees. Or, that can happen all in one day.

It’s not pretty.

What I do when I can’t be outside is the same thing I did in Colorado. I work puzzles.

And, write, of course.

Working on puzzles actually helps me solve stubborn plot problems and characterization issues. A different part of my brain begins to work in the background.

Then, as the pieces of the puzzle come together, that other part of my brain sorts out the plot and characterization issues until everything comes together. By the time the puzzle’s complete, I usually have a solution for my writing dilemma.

On a recent cloudy day that kept spitting rain, which often makes me colder than those sub-zero days in Colorado, I pulled out one of the dozen or so puzzles I’d packed nineteen months ago.

It’s not a new puzzle. I’d worked it before. It’s a winter scene with snow and snowflakes to help me remember how winter was before.

I didn’t get to spread it out on the large puzzle table by a roaring fire like I did in our mountain home. That puzzle table stayed behind because it wouldn’t fit in the smaller space here.

I used a card table and discovered it works just fine for puzzles with a smaller number of pieces, which I really prefer. Those 1,000 piece puzzles, beside being so large, take forever to complete. I get impatient.

How about you? What do you do when the unpretty months between winter and spring arrive in your locale?

11 02, 2019

Valentine cards – the legend and origin

By judythemorgan|2019-02-03T20:41:16-06:00February 11th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday, Valentine's Day|0 Comments

As a writer of love stories, February 14^th is one of my very favorite holidays. As a history buff, I love the legend and the origin of sending valentine cards. Valentines are the mirror of romance.

The LEGEND

A real priest who lived in 270 A.D., Saint Valentine provided Christians with sacraments outlawed by the Roman Empire such as marriage for soldiers forbidden to marry and baptism.

Around 498 A.D., Pope Gelasius honored Valentinus by declaring February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day. The day now appears in the calendar of saints in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church.

Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment, giving them to the soldiers and persecuted Christians to “remind them of God’s love and to encourage them to remain faithful Christians.”

That action, whether fable or real, began the custom of giving cards and reminders to loved ones on February 14.

THE ORIGIN

In spite of technology and ecards retail Valentine card sales continue to grow. It’s estimated that about 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are purchased each year.

Artist Esther Howland (1828–1904) was the first to publish and sell Valentine cards in the United States. Before Esther, the cards were hand made with paper, lace, and ribbons and handwritten poetry. The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester holds a large collection of her valentines.

Most Valentines were mass-produced by machine by the end of the 19th century. Creative people like my friend still send handmade cards.

If you read my blog often, you know I collect vintage holiday post cards. Here are my favorite Valentines. While not as elaborate, I love the way these cards speak of romance.

Valentines express our love to others. Will you send valentines to show someone you love them this Valentine’s Day?

4 02, 2019

It’s February and Love is in the Air

By judythemorgan|2019-02-03T18:17:46-06:00February 4th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Hearts are everywhere.

Commercials are pushing chocolates, wine, fancy dinners, lingerie, and Hallmark cards. Florists are offering specials on roses. Love songs flow from the airways.

The commercialization bothers me a bit. The statistics stagger me.

The National Retail Federation anticipates $19.6 billion in Valentine expenditures this year, up from $18.2 billion last year. Those 25-34 will be the biggest spenders at an average of $202.76.This year’s survey broke expenditure averages down this way:

$88.98 on their significant other/spouse ($12.1 billion)

$25.29 on other family members such as children or parents ($3.5 billion)

$7.26 on children’s classmates/teachers ($991 million)

$7.19 on friends ($982 million)

$5.50 on pets ($751 million)

$4.79 on co-workers ($654 million)

Cards, flowers, jewelry, and fine dinners are all very romantic gestures to express love on this special day. If you have the funds and want to be extravagant, who am I to stop you? Go for it!

BUT, I’d like to suggest gifts don’t have to involve great expense. Nothing’s better than a homemade Valentine card or a home cooked meal served by candlelight.

Need ideas: Check the February editions of magazines or Pinterest. Most are loaded with DIY ideas for valentine cards and gifts.

More important, remember, it’s the day-to-day things that really show true love.

A hug
A back rub after a tiring day
An affirming text that arrives at the perfect moment
Holding hands

And, if you’re shy about expressing yourself with words or cards , you can always give a sign for I love you from Signing Savvy.

28 01, 2019

Starting 2019 with S.M.A.R.T. goals

By judythemorgan|2019-01-23T08:02:36-06:00January 28th, 2019|Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

It’s the end of January. By now, I’m guessing that one or more of your New Year’s resolutions has already failed. Statistics back me up. According to U.S. News approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February.

So why such poor odds for success? I’m guessing the reason for failure was vagueness.

Pablo Picasso said, “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

I agree with Picasso. I’ll show you why.

Let’s look at a couple of my New Year’s resolutions.

Lose weight
Exercise more

Great goals, but very hard to stick with because there’s no focus.

Enter SMART goals which are:

S -Specific (and Strategic)
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant (results oriented)
T – Time-framed

My New Year resolutions restated as SMART goals:

Lose two pounds per month.
Exercise at the pool three times a week.

See the difference when the goal is SMART?

There’s a target. A way to measure success.

Your goals or resolutions will be different from mine, or not. That’s understandable. BUT, are your goals for 2019 S.M.A.R.T.?

Whatever goals you’ve chosen, restating as SMART goals can help ensure success. A measurable goal underscores a tangible outcome.

Good luck. Me, I’m off to the gym I have two pounds to drop this week.

21 01, 2019

Starting 2019 with Martin Luther King

By judythemorgan|2019-01-19T16:49:50-06:00January 21st, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday, Monday Motivations|2 Comments

Today we honor Martin Luther King, the symbol for non-violent protest since the sixties Civil Rights Movement. His leadership in a trying time inspired change. He stirred, and still stirs, our conscience with his words.

Here are some of my favorites:

“Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
“The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Are we forwarding the vision he set forth in these quotes today? Why not make this MLK Day the start of a year in which we purpose to move forward.

7 01, 2019

Starting 2019 with a Story

By judythemorgan|2018-12-28T08:24:24-06:00January 7th, 2019|Guest author, Make Me Think Monday|6 Comments

To start our new year off on a writerly foot, I’m sharing a Christmas short story by my grandson. Morgan is a student at Southwest Baptist University and writes for their Student Media Organization newsletter INFUSE. “The Bicycle” is a short read – only three minutes – that offers food for thought as we begin 2019. Enjoy!

The Bicycle
By Morgan Hixson

It was the Christmas of 2006. I’m sure I asked for dozens of toys and things, but I don’t remember getting much in particular. I had recently turned 7 years old, and one of my favorite things to do was ride my little blue bicycle all over our subdivision (we lived near Houston, Texas at the time so the weather was in the forties and fifties). It hadn’t been very long since I’d finally gotten my training wheels off, and I was eager to show my older sisters how well I could ride now. The bike was a little small for me and only had pedal brakes, as opposed to the brakes you squeezed with your hand like all the big bikes had, but I loved it more than anything else I had at the time.

Well, December 25th came at last, and as usual our parents made us all wait upstairs while they made the final arrangements with the stockings and gifts downstairs. After they had finished, Mom had us all sit on the stairs while she took what seemed to be a million pictures. Once she finished, we were FINALLY able to gallop down the stairs and take a look at what we got. Our faces were shining with delight as we discovered various presents from our wish lists. Everything was wonderful, until I saw it.

It was as shiny as if it had just been brought home from the store and had a festive bow taped to its handlebars, but there was no doubting: it was my little blue bicycle, resting on its kickstand next to my little brother’s stocking. Immediately my eyes filled with tears and I ran back to my room, slammed the door, and dove onto my bed, the entire time screaming “It’s my bike! It’s MY bicycle!! He can’t have it!”

I don’t know how long I laid there sobbing the sobs of a broken-hearted little boy before my parents came in, and I don’t remember how long it took them to calm me down. I do remember them telling me it was okay, that they understood how much my bike had meant to me but that it had gotten too small for me, then leading me to the garage. Once we got there I quickly became ashamed of myself, for there in the middle of the bay stood a brand new yellow and black bike. It was much bigger than the other one and it even had a brake on the handlebars like I’d always wanted! Needless to say I soon fell more in love with that bike than I’d ever been with my old one.

Sometimes as children of God we all act the way I acted that Christmas day in 2006. We take the blessings God gives us for granted until he takes them away, and then we whine and scream and cry without bothering to stop and look for the bigger picture. Then, when God unveils His plan and we realize how much better it is than our plan, we’re left feeling sheepish and childish because we didn’t trust Him like we should have.

Photo Credit: Wix Images

10 12, 2018

Fruitcake Facts, Folly, and An Offer

By judythemorgan|2018-12-09T10:32:12-06:00December 10th, 2018|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday, Writer's Life|1 Comment

Christmas means fruitcake time. It’s the most belittled icon of the season. I’m a fruitcake lover and this is such a sad, sad thing to me.

Johnny Carson began the trend of fruitcake bashing with his comment that there was really only one fruitcake in the world, passed from family to family.

In 1996, Manitou Springs, Colorado started a Fruitcake Toss Day. A group of Boeing engineers, using the “Omega 380” machine they designed (a mock artillery piece fueled by compressed air pumped by an exercise bike) set the all-time toss record of 1,420 feet in January 2007. A total waste of good fruitcake imo.

It’s a shame poor fruitcakes get such a bad rap. Even if you can’t stand the taste, its history is fascinating. Did you know?

December is “National Fruitcake Month.”
Fruitcakes date back to the Romans who baked fruitcakes with pine nuts, barley mash, pomegranate seeds, raisins, and honeyed wine. When candied fruit was introduced, fruitcake became cheaper and more common.
Fruitcakes get better with age. Cooks recommend fruitcakes be stored for at least a month before eating.
An alcohol glaze of rum, brandy, or whisky not only enhances the flavor, it also extends the shelf life. Reportedly, a well-stored fruitcake will last 25 years.
Fruitcake has long been a special occasion cake for British royalty.

Queen Victoria served a fruitcake at her wedding to Prince Albert. Prince William and Kate Middleton also choose fruitcake for their wedding, bringing the tradition into the 21^st Century. According to this TIME article, slices of royalty wedding fruitcakes are auctioned for large sums.

Mademoiselle magazine published Truman Capote’s short story “A Christmas Memory” in December 1956. The story begins with an eccentric woman in her sixties looking out her window one winter morning and announcing, “Oh my, it’s fruitcake weather!” It’s often included in many Christmas story anthologies.You can check it out here

Interesting fact, Capote’s story is autobiographical according to this article.

Fruitcakes can tell fortunes and bring good luck.

Single females who sleep with a piece of fruitcake under their pillow after a wedding will dream about their future husband.

Nut growers bake a fruitcake at the end of one growing season then eat at the end of the next season to ensure good luck and a successful harvest.I’m not alone in my fondness for fruitcake.

A bakery mail-order fruitcake began in 1913. My favorite Christmas fruitcake comes from Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas.

If you should receive a fruitcake for Christmas this year, please don’t toss it. Use the contact form here and let me know. I’ll gladly take it off your hands.

Photo Credit: Collins Street Bakery

26 11, 2018

Family Traditions around the Thanksgiving Table

By judythemorgan|2018-11-25T19:22:27-06:00November 26th, 2018|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Our children are married with families of their own and some of their children are married so our attendee number for holidays varies every year.

This Thanksgiving we were only missing the members living out-of-state. The rest of the clan – all seventeen of them – arrived with their traditional offerings to share.

Daughter #2 served as hostess and prepared a Pioneer Woman brine turkey that was moist and tasty and the dressing and homemade cranberry sauce. Her traditional chess pies were baked this year by her step-daughter. Tradition remained though the cook varied. As she said, “it’s good to pass the torch.”

Daughter #1 brought pecan-crusted sweet potatoes and a bag full of yummy baked goods like cranberry orange bread, enough for all to carry home. And, a can of jellied cranberry, a husband’s favorite.

One Aunt brought deviled eggs and brown-and-serve rolls, her annual contributions. She served the eggs on a special egg dish of another gone-to-glory aunt. We felt her presence, smiling down from heaven.

Another Aunt brought her special recipe cheese ball. This was the first Thanksgiving she and her husband weren’t together in their fifty years together. His Parkinson kept him at his Memory Care home. The beginning of new tradition, we’re hoping.

Granddaughter #1 brought her husband’s family tradition – a pound cake made by his grandmother’s recipe. A new tradition, we all agreed when she and hubby join our festivities. Newly married, they alternate holidays between their families. We had them this Thanksgiving.

Step-daughter’s mom joined in with homemade mash potatoes that were creamy and smooth. We’re counting on a repeat performance for next year’s Thanksgiving feast.

I contributed the scalloped corn and the classic green bean casserole and an orange pineapple jello salad no one has eaten since they were toddlers. I can’t seem to stop myself

A vintage 1950s fall tablecloth covered one of the tables. A remnant from family or a prize antique shop purchase, no one remembers. It’s just always been around along with the honeycomb tissue paper turkey in the center of the table.

Pepa carved the bird and grandchildren lined up for first tastes of slices from the carver himself. We all know nothing tastes better.

The football game played on the very large screen TV. Grandsons and Pepa cheered their team to victory.

The granddogs, banished to the bedroom, quietly wondered at all the commotion and Auntie’s dog, who came along, relished the pats and extra laps.

All in all a lovely day filled with traditions that remind me of Tevye’s words in the song from Fiddler on the Roof.

“Tradition. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as… as a fiddler on the roof!”

But I was also reminded Thanksgiving traditions, while lovely and touching, aren’t based on the things on the table or around the table but in the love that surrounds us.

Make Me Think Monday

Beannachtí na Feile Pádraig

Happy St Patricks Day

The LEGEND

THE ORIGIN

The Bicycle By Morgan Hixson

The Bicycle
By Morgan Hixson