I am always amazed at the variety of information that is available on the Internet. Some of it is interesting, some of it is who cares, and probably there is no proof that all of it is true.
Writing a column for October, I decided to look up special days for the month, just to see what I could find. One of the first things I discovered is the birthstone and the flower. I knew these existed, but not which was the right one for each month. For October, these are an opal and the snapdragon.
I couldn't believe what else I found.
There are special days and weeks for each month that run the gamut from worthwhile to ridiculous. Two of the special monthly October observances included Domestic Awareness Month and Sarcastic Month. Those two certainly don't belong together, but are probably found in the same household more often than not. Where one exists the other is probably present as well. Hopefully we all understand the importance of loving our family members and even when they do things we are not happy with, we respect them and treat them as we would want to be treated. I would guess most of us have responded with a bit of sarcasm when we were unhappy with how we were being treated. However, a verbal response is always better than a physical one and hopefully we can eventually work through our differences and return to a positive relationship with loving communications.
Other special weeks in October include those set aside for Getting Organized, Customer Service, Fire Prevention, Pet Peeves and Pastoral Care. Nowhere was I able to determine how any of these came about, but at least some of them had a positive meaning. Certainly fire prevention should not be confined to one week a year and probably getting organized shouldn't either.
However, when it came to the special days listed for this month, the limits were pushed. To name just a few:
• Oct. 1, World Vegetarian Day
• Oct. 2, Name Your Car Day
• Oct. 3, Virus Appreciation Day
• Oct. 4 , National Golf Day;
• Oct. 5, Do Something Nice Day.
They went on to include Moldy Cheese Day, International Newspaper Carrier Day, National Angel Food Cake Day, Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day, World Smile Day, Moment of Frustration Day, Wear Something Gaudy Day, Mother-in-Law Day, Bosses Day, National Bologna Day, and on and on. Some seemed unbelievably bizarre, yet others actually caused me to think they might need to become part of my everyday outlook.
Probably two that caused me to pause and think were Oct. 19, Evaluate Your Life Day, and Oct. 22, Make a Difference Day. If I really did what was suggested on the 19th, then perhaps I would do what I should on the 22nd. It's how we think each and every day that determines who we are. We all have basic personalities. They go a long way in deciding who we build relationships with, who will become our friends. For some there is an immediate connect and for others a disconnect is almost as rapid. Those who fit into our comfort zone become our friends and we think of some of them almost every day. To truly make a positive difference in someone's life, we need to be a friend. There is a sign in a restaurant we frequent often that says, "A friend is a nice thing to have and one of the best things you can be." How meaningful do daily encounters become? In the case of family, it is vital. We live in the same space and have to work out a way to interact with each other in the most positive way possible. And when members grow up and move on, hopefully, we still look forward to keeping in touch.
How does our relationship with God fit into the October pattern? Is God our friend or do we only think of Him when we go to church or to a Bible study? Or maybe we only think of Him on special days or those occasions when He is featured in our celebrations such as Christmas or Easter? Hopefully it is more than that and He is part of our every day. He doesn't have to evaluate our lives.He already knows who and what we are. But He can make a difference in our lives, especially if we follow Him each and every day. Wouldn't it be interesting to look on the internet and find every day of every month listed as God's Day. What a wonderful world we would live in if that were the way it was for each of us. We can make it that way in our own lives. God is with us today, tomorrow and every day, and if we acknowledge Him, talk to Him and pray for His presence in our daily life, that would make all the difference in the world -- and the world would be a better place for everyone.
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Jan Burgess moved to Bella Vista in 1995. She considers each day a gift -- although some are more fun to open than others. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Community on 10/05/2016