February 12, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Monday, February 12.
Did you watch the Super Bowl last night? Hope your team won, or at least that you enjoyed a few commercials. I thought Reba McEntire did a great job on the National Anthem. She sang it in under 90 seconds - always a good sign.
February 8, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Thursday, February 8.
Have you heard the expression, "If you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait a minute"? Hot, cold, wet, dry - we get it all, and sometimes all in the same month. On February 8,1933, the temperature in Seminole, Texas was 23 degrees BELOW ZERO!
Today, in that little panhandle town, it will reach 61.
February 6, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, February 6.
On this day, in 1936, Parker Brothers premiered a new game. They called it "Monopoly". Over 300 million sets have been sold since that day, in 37 different languages. I assume, with some confidence, that you've played this game, and I imagine that there's a Monopoly set in your closet.
February 5, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Monday, February 5.
Yesterday, at First Baptist Church of Center, we sang the scripture chorus "This is the Day", a little praise song written in 1967 by a 23-year-old pastor named Les Garrett. After listening to his song, I would have guessed that he was from Texas and grew up with country gospel music. But in fact, Les Garrett was born in New Zealand and the melody of "This is the Day" is a variation on a folk song from Fiji - imagine that!
February 2, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Friday, February 2.
February 2nd... that's Groundhog Day! At 6:30 this morning, the little furry rodent came out of his house and (drum roll please) he did NOT see his shadow! That means we'll have an early spring! Or maybe it's the opposite. I can't keep it straight. Rodent weather predicting is a complicated thing.
February 1, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Thursday, February 1.
Welcome to a new month! Welcome to February, typically our most wintry month here in East Texas. We'll see about that. February, of course, is also the month we celebrate Valentine's Day, a day that celebrates the power of love.
January 31, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Wednesday, January 31.
I've been musing this morning about the fickleness of fame. Most of us, at one time or another, dream of becoming famous. And we assume that all it takes is talent. History, however, tells us that this assumption is often false.
January 30, 2024 - Good Morning! It's Tuesday, January 30.
The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. is considered to be America's library, and boasts 32 million books. It began in 1800 when Congress moved to Washington from New York City. But in 1814, during a war with England, the British burned it to the ground. On January 30, 1815, Thomas Jefferson offered his personal collection of 6500 volumes as a replacement, and was paid $24,000 in return. That's a half-million dollars in today's money.