While out for a walk during the week I saw this beautiful mini rainbow. It wasn’t fully there but nevertheless very eye catching. It reminded me that as we remember our loved ones who have died during these early days of November, we still get those mini moments when we feel our loved one is close and near us.
Over the next few days and into next week you will see new changes to the website. It will be ongoing for the next few days. The website was working on outdated software and it needed an upgrade and facelift to bring it up to the technology of 2022.
On This Day
On Nov 5th 1605 Guy Fawkes Day came into being. Guy Fawkes a Catholic conspirator attempted to blow up King James I and the British Parliament. The plot was discovered, Guy Fawkes was caught, tortured and later executed along with seven others. It is celebrated ever since as Guy Fawkes Day, where his effigy is traditionally burned on a bonfire, accompanied by fireworks.
On Nov 5th 1935 Parker Brothers launches the game of Monopoly that has become a world
Birthdays Today
Bubba Watson (golfer) is 44
Grainne Seoige (Irish TV presenter) is 49
Eilish O’Carroll (Irish actress who plays Winnie in Mrs Brown’s Boys) is 70
Art Garfunkel (singer) is 81
Alexa Chung (Actress) is 39
Saint For Today
Saint for November 5th is the feast of Saint Zachary and Saint Elizabeth. They were the parents of John the Baptist who was the cousin of Jesus
Significance of Today
Today is World Tsunami Awareness Day. The United Nations designated this day to raise awareness about the importance of education about tsunamis to ensure that communities act decisively and without panic when tsunami warnings reach them.
Interesting Quote For Today
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” -Dolly Parton
Did You Know
You can actually hear rhubarb growm yes it pops! This is because of how fast it grows, up to an inch per day. It also can squeak and make other noises.
Thought For The Week
‘Halloween is an ancient druidic holiday, one the Celtic peoples have celebrated for millennia. It is the crack between the last golden rays of summer and the dark of winter; the delicately balanced tweak of the year before it is given over entirely to the dark; a time for the souls of the departed to squint, to peek and perhaps to travel through the gap.’ ~Jenny Colgan
Some say Halloween is silly nonsense, a commercial opportunity and a waste of money. But Halloween has a lot to offer. Children love it and always will. For adults it brings back childhood memories of snap apple and other simple games that still survive. It puts us in touch with the mystery of life and that some things in life are often clouded in darkness.
It put us in touch with the struggle between light and darkness and the struggle between good and evil. It puts us in touch with the passage of time and the cycles of nature which we so often take for granted. The transition from October into November grounds us. It reminds us of our own mortality and that we are simply pilgrims passing through this world.
The wearing of masks is another common Halloween practice. Some of the masks are funny and some can also be quite scary. A good mask will always hide your identity. They are reflective of life too. Often we put on a false mask, we pretend to be somebody else, we try to give others a different impression of who we are. But over time this drains our energy levels, especially trying to be somebody we are not. Why not remove the false mask and just simply be the beautiful person that we are. There is only one of the amazing you in our world. Why hide it? Why be somebody else? Why not let the beautiful person that God created, bring beauty and blessings to others.
Halloween may have pagan origins but the Christian message is wrapped around it. It’s a simple Halloween message that God loves you as you are, encourages and reassures us especially when we struggle with darkness, evil, mystery and the unknown.
The Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
