Well, it's a rainy day today, the 3rd Sunday of Easter, over here in 757, a.k.a. Hampton Roads. Grey skies, a little windy, with no sign or sliver of sunshine, while the ground is soaking wet, everywhere..! What a Spring storm or nasty Nor'easter we have in the East Coast! But, happy are the shrubs and bushes and trees, and flowers for they needed raindrops to grow and feel refreshed. They all look lovely and pleasing to the eyes. Green leaves, green grass, verdant valleys, hills and mountains...what a healthy living we have envisioned! Thanks to God!
And it's Earth Day, today! But because of the wet weather, I learned that, in Hampton Roads and elsewhere, there were cancelled scheduled activities today supposedly to celebrate/observe this worldwide event (more than 175 countries observing it, per Wikipedia) that aims to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth's natural environment. As for me, everyday is, and should be, Earth Day! It's everyday that we do, or should do, something benevolent or positive to save/protect Mother Earth from numerous environmental issues, such as oil spill, air/land/sea/space pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, global warming, climate change, etc. Yes, we all can do something to make a difference for Mother Earth, i.e., minimizing consumption/consumerism, reusing/recycling things, observing environmental protection laws such as no littering, proper disposal and management of wastes; wise utilization and conservation of natural resources, especially water; planting trees; reporting environmental violators to proper authorities, etc. This time, I remember participating in Clean the Bay Day program, when I was still active duty in the U.S. Navy. Tons and tons of debris and other things polluting the waters were removed each year. There was also this workshop that my wife and I participated in years ago. It focuses on Keeping America Beautiful. That was very educational and informative activity. Anyway, friends, all of us can do something for Planet Earth, as I've said. We can be environmental activists or plain law-abiding citizens who care about the Earth we live in. Let's all step up and do our part to save and protect Mother Earth. Thank you all.
All right, despite the wet, but mild, weather, my sis-in-law, my wife and I managed to participate in today's Mass at our parish. With our parochial vicar, Reverend Fr. Jarek, celebrating the Mass with us, parishioners, we graciously welcomed newly-baptized children as new members of the Catholic Church. We prayed and sang to, and praised and worshiped God, our Heavenly Father, and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, together as one family of faith. Once again, we received Jesus, through the Holy Eucharist. Thank you, gracious God. Thank you, Jesus, for coming into our lives. We'll forever believe and trust in you, and acknowledge you, our Savior and Redeemer for all the sins we've committed. We'll always praise and glorify your name. Amen.
Now, after Mass, as usual we ate lunch at a Seafood Restaurant in a neighboring city. But, of course, we did pray for God's grace before and after meals. As usual, I enjoyed the fish-and-fry food with coleslaw, and a glass of sweet iced tea, with a slice of lemon, while listening to the overhead music played in the 60s and/or 70s, the likes of Diana Ross of The Supremes, Michael Jackson's Ben, etc. We were the very first diners today, having just gone to church service today. Eventually, older, or elderly, couples, in pairs of two, kept arriving to dine, like us, with their best (formal) church attire, too. I, personally, found that restaurant a wholesome, cozy place to dine and relax, even for thirty minutes to an hour, while outside it keeps on pouring down! Not cats and dogs, though. Just a consistent downpour, that's all. But the variety of music played in the 60s and 70s made the day, for me, a relaxing, "feel good" day. You see, appropriate (and upbeat) music that lifts the spirit and soul, like those church songs, is such a powerful panacea, for me. And a comforting, relieving one, too. But, of course, there are music out there that serves different purpose/s. (I, for one, love to listen to classical music when in bed, getting ready to retire for a long day, you know.) But when dining out, upbeat, "oldie but goodie" songs, like the ones in the video below, always make me feel good. Thanks to God to/for those artist-singers and musicians who shared their talents and were able to produce good music for humanity. For those who have gone to another life-world, like legendary pop star Michael Jackson, may they rest in peace. Amen. (Now, let's enjoy the music, shall we, folks? Thanks for listening.)
P.S. As always, thanks YouTube and the uploaders of the above videos I embedded with this blog post. Thanks Google, Blogger, and Wikipedia, and all people of goodwill. May God bless us always!-caq
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