June 3, 2020
Another holiday that is observed on June 3 is “National Repeat Day.” So today is “National Love Conquers All Day.” So today is “National Love Conquers All Day.”
** Speaking of love, on this day in 1937, Edward, the Duke of Windsor – formerly King Edward VIII of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – married Wallis Warfield Simpson, the American divorcee for whom he abdicated the British throne in December 1936. George V, Edward’s father, died on January 20, 1936, and Edward was proclaimed king. To the Church of England and most British politicians, an American woman twice divorced was unacceptable as a prospective British queen.
Several solutions were suggested and rejected by Parliament. With no resolution possible, the king renounced the throne on December 10. The next day, Parliament approved the abdication instrument, and Edward VIII’s 325-day reign came to an end. That evening, the former king gave a radio broadcast in which he explained: “I have found it impossible to carry on the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge the duties of King, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love.”
** It may not fit your definition of a game show, but Bowling For Dollars was popular in the 1960s and 1970s, so popular in fact, that more than two dozen cities in the United States and Canada had local versions. The show was actually a franchise, created by Bert Claster of Claster Television, who also created Romper Room.
To keep the television audience interested, viewers were invited to send in a post card so they could become a Pin Pal. Each contestant picked a postcard from a designated container. Whatever the contestant won, the Pin Pal won also (or half of the prize, depending on the market). A Pin Pal was only eligible once per show, in case a Pin Pal tried to send an overwhelming number of postcards at one time.
This link is not to Duckpins And Dollars but to the end of a regular duckpin match. It is an incredible sequence of the last two frames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS8B59xuKz8
** The world’s new Covid-19 epicenter could be the worst yet. “[Latin America] is the new epicenter,” said Dr. Marcos Espinal, director of communicable diseases at the Pan American Health Organization.
Latin America recorded its first confirmed case in February, when a 61-year-old man tested positive in São Paulo, Brazil after returning from a trip to Italy. The first death wouldn’t be recorded until March 7 in Argentina, but by the middle of May, Latin America was reporting higher daily total increases than both the United States and Europe.
The governments of Latin America’s two largest countries, Brazil and Mexico, representing roughly half of the region’s total population, chose not to act. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador both consistently downplayed the threat of the virus in March. Bolsonaro called it a “little flu.” López Obrador held up two amulets at a press conference and said they would protect him.
Today there are roughly 920,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 50,000 deaths across the region’s 33 countries, and those numbers are on the rise. Latin America now stands as the world’s sole region where the outbreak is unequivocally reaching new heights.
** Today’s closing is from my pastor, Linda Birchall. With thanks!
Linda says, “I took this photo at dawn one morning over Jackson Lake, Wyoming, in 2005, during a time of some despair. Those bright rays of light seemed to tell me that God is there, even in my darkest times. In God, I always have hope and he always hears my cries.”
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem (Psalm 130, select verses).
Like many of you, I almost have no words to say in these chaotic and outrageous times, when our nation is torn apart and our hearts are hurting. I turned last night to Psalm 130, part of which is quoted above, to cry out to God. I also remembered some modern words that also cry out to God and help me to do the same. And that reminded me that often these Psalms of despair and crying out – they end in hope, just as Psalm 130 above does. All of these words spoke to me, and I hope they will speak to you this morning as well. Sometimes, like the Psalmist of old, we just need to cry out to God. This is one of those times. So here, in addition to the Psalm above, is a modern writing from the book Christ Beside Me, Christ Within Me by Beth Richardson
TOO MUCH
Some days
it seems like
too much to bear.
Too much sickness,
Too much dying,
Too many stories of terror and sadness.
How can I bear it?
These people I love
Are crazy with grief and fear.
The world I love
Has lost all sense and reason.
I watch, I weep, I wait.
I wait for you to show up
With your healing.
Your comfort,
Your wisdom.
Come quickly.
Please,
Be present.
And then I remember another writing by Beth in the same book, one which cries out in hurt, but ends in hope. I want to share it today, during this time of turmoil, national angst and illness, as the heartfelt prayer that it is, and for the hope that it offers.
THE HURTING PLACES
There is a world of hurt around me today,
And my heart fills with pain.
Sometimes I hear myself saying,
“All I can do is pray.”
And then I remember that praying
Is no small thing.
Sometimes it is the only thing,
The one true thing for this hurting world.
Healing God, send your wholeness,
Loving Christ, your strength,
Holy Spirit, your comforting presence,
To all who hurt,
To all who struggle,
To all who mourn. Amen
-30-
thank you
ReplyDelete