April 20: Volunteer Recognition Day

Today we celebrate volunteers of all types. Let volunteers know how much you appreciate their hard work. Then, if you don’t already volunteer somewhere yourself, go find something and get to work. Whether it’s cheering up hospital patients, providing disaster relief to tornado victims, or cleaning up the highway, volunteer work helps both the receiver and the giver.

Personally, many of my favorite projects are those that are personal (mowing a neighbor’s lawn while he/she is sick), but there are many marvelous organizations doing great work. Whatever you decide, today is the day to get involved, and tell everyone you know “Thanks for volunteering.”

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.”

Ephesians 6:7-8

April 19*: National High Five Day

I wonder how many cyber fives I can get today! If your hand is that small then there shouldn’t be any danger of damaging your screen.  

The object of National High Five Day is simple: give as many high fives today as possible. In fact, if you ask me, low fives, double handed fives (tens?), and even fist bumps are totally suitable.

While you’re out it, check out the National High Five Project. The creators of this holiday also began the National High Five-a-thon to raise money for cancer research.

And for today’s verses . . . (drumroll, please): Biblical greetings, Nabal style and a la Abigail.

Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”

1 Samuel 25:10-11

“Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. . . She fell at his feet and said: ‘My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say.’”

1 Samuel 25:18, 24

Update: National High Five Day is actually celebrated on the third Thursday in April. That was April 19, 2012, but it’s April 18, 2013.

April 18: International Jugglers Day

It’s a party! Today is International Jugglers Day, so grab your pins, balls, flaming torches, or whatever else you like to juggle with and get going. If you don’t juggle (I totally sympathize!) give it a shot anyway, or at least toss a couple balls in the air (there’s a free tutorial located here).

“Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.”

Psalm 55:22

Juggling in ancient Egypt . . . this image is from the 15th Beni Hasan tomb, circa 1994-1781 B.C.

April 17: Blah, Blah, Blah Day

Happy Blah, Blah, Blah Day!

Do this, do that, don’t forget to . . . blah, blah, blah! Today is the day to take care of all those things people have been nagging you about.

Either that, or today is the day to remind everyone of all the things they need to be doing.

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”

Exodus 4:1

April 16*: Patriot’s Day

Patriot’s Day (or Patriots’ Day, depending on where you live) marks the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the battles of Lexington and Concord, and “the midnight ride of Paul Revere.” Many New England states have a huge celebration on the third Monday in April, although the battles were actually held on April 19.

I’m a minor history buff, so I really enjoy this type of holiday. Someday, I’d love to celebrate Patriot’s Day in Massachusett’s Minute Man National Historical Park. Besides the parades, ceremonies, and general excitement, they also host a huge reenactment with all sorts of people completely dressed for the part.

“The LORD is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The LORD is a warrior;
the LORD is his name.”

Exodus 15:2-3

[This day should not be confused with Patriot Day, commemorating those lost in the 9/11 attacks in 2001.]

April 15: National Rubber Eraser Day

If you have ever made a mistake, today is for you.

If you haven’t, then you’re not human so why are you reading this post?

On April 15, 1770 an English man named Joseph Priestley officially discovered the erasing properties of Indian rubber – a vegetable gum from North America – and elementary math homework has never been the same. So let’s celebrate National Rubber Eraser Day by stepping away from the computer, picking up a pencil (not the pen! drop it!), scribbling something, and enjoying that lovely eraser on the back of the pencil.

Or, if you’re really into this holiday, go grab a great big pink eraser and shade a drawing with it. It may be the first time you’ve picked on up since elementary school, but I bet it still feels nice to make mistakes disappear.

 

“As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Psalm 103:12

April 14: International Moment of Laughter Day

Two guys walk into a bar.
One ducks.

Okay, I realize that was terrible and far too common, but the first time I heard it I laughed and laughed (of course, some of that laughter was because it took me a moment to catch what was going on!). I know it was bad, but, go ahead, just try to top it! Today is International Moment of Laughter Day, and I intend to spend a million moments laughing all throughout the day.

So, here’s the plan for today’s celebration: Laugh all you can and do your best to make others laugh too. Jokes, funny costumes, nice pranks, whatever tickles your funny bone. Here are a couple of my favorite ideas to get you started:

• watch old comedies like “I Love Lucy” or “The Court Jester.” Danny Kaye has the best facial expressions ever!
• get your friends and create a great scene in a public place like Improv Everywhere’s “Food Court Musical.”
• look up some jokes and perform them at the water cooler, in between classes, or wherever you can find a captive audience.

Have fun!

“When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.”

Psalm 126: 1-3

April 13: National Scrabble Day

I love Scrabble. Actually, I love games of all kinds, especially board games, and Scrabble just happens to be one of my favorite board games ever. Happy National Scrabble Day!

April 13 is National Scrabble Day because the games inventor, Alfred Mosher Butts, was born on this day in 1899. Although Mr. Butts (Don’t laugh! He can’t help it!) invented the game in 1938, it didn’t really catch on until a Macy’s executive fell in love with it fourteen years later. His first game was called Lexico, but his 1938 version was reworked and renamed Criss-Crosswords. He sold the rights in 1948 to a man named James Brunot, who made a few minor changes and renamed it Scrabble.

Wouldn’t it be funny if this verse were about playing Scrabble?

So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.”

1 Samuel 16:17

I can totally imagine a depressed King Saul, furious at having beaten every one he ever played against, ordering his attendants to find him a real Scrabble challenge!

Everybody knows how to play Scrabble, but I prefer a different version known as Take 2 or Speed Scrabble. Here are the directions:

• No board is necessary. Turn the tiles upside down and mix them up. Have every player draw seven tiles.
• At the same moment, every player flips their tiles over and begins making an individual crossword with their seven tiles.
• As soon as a player uses all their tiles, that player must call out “Take 2.” Then every player will draw two more tiles.
• The goal of the game is to use all your tiles first and to get the most points.
• Points are given for each used tile, according to the number on the tile. Tiles that are used twice (as in, they connect two words) have their points counted twice. Any player that has unused tiles at the end of the game must subtract those points from his or her score.

Okay, let’s celebrate National Scrabble Day. Everybody get your tiles out, and . . . go!

April 12: Look Up at the Sky Day

Everybody stop and look up at the sky. For best results, go outside. Looking through a window from inside can be used, but only as a last resort. And, please, if you don’t stop to look at the sky, don’t blame me when you fall. Not everyone can look at the sky and walk at the same time!

“Sing to God, sing praise to his name, 
   extol him who rides on the clouds
his name is the LORD— 
   and rejoice before him. 

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, 
   is God in his holy dwelling.”

Psalm 68:4-5

Look Up At The Sky Day sounds like a wonderful day for cloud watchers, photographers, and meteorologists. (One of my favorite movie moments goes to Up! The beginning sequence tells a great love story without words, and it includes a beautiful scene where they both look for shapes in the clouds, a fun pastime at any age.)

I suspect Look Up At The Sky Day has something to do with another celebration on April
12: the commemoration of the first manned space flight ever. Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on April 12, 1961 when he orbited the earth in Vostok 1. This year, 2012, marks the 51st anniversary for humans in space.

This holiday has several names, including Cosmonautics Day, Russian Cosmonaut Day, and Yuri’s Night. As far as I’m concerned, pick your favorite, look up at the sky, and celebrate!

April 11: Barbershop Quartet Day

“My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and make music.”

Psalm 57:7

Today is Barbershop Quartet Day! I suspect just about everyone is somewhat familiar with this very American style of music, where four men sing a capella in close, moving harmony. However, I suspect far less people know about the women’s version: Sweet Adeline. Barbershop is a correct term for a women’s group, but Sweet Adeline is just for women (and kind of fun sounding, if you ask me).

My first exposure to barbershop was probably the school board’s “Sincere” and “Lida Rose” in “The Music Man.” Where did you first hear barbershop? In my experience, people seem to either love or hate barbershop quarters, with very few people in between. Which end do you fall on, or are you somewhere in the middle of the spectrum?