Calligraphy (10/02/01)

The word “graph,” derived from the Greek word meaning “write,” denotes “a drawing” of some kind, “a pictorial device.” There are a number of words in English that include this word in them, including “telegraph” and “phonograph,” “monograph” and “polygraph.” In the cultures of China and Japan, “calligraphy” is also a recognized term. It is derived from Greek words meaning “beautiful writing.” Manuscripts found in both Europe and Asia which were written over a thousand years ago, indicate that, in ancient times also, letters or characters were sometimes written in an artistic manner as a work of art. Chinese characters written as calligraphy often cause a problem for me as I try to recognize them. I now have a long, thin piece of wood on my desk that has three calligraphic Chinese characters in vertical order written on it. It belongs to a resident in this retirement community who has asked me their meaning. Although I recognize the first two characters, I am unsure of the basic form and meaning of the third one. This week. I may take it with me to a Japanese restaurant a few miles away, where we enjoy Japanese food at times and ask the Japanese couple who own and operate it. As I prepared this message, I was surprised to discover that in the New Testament, written in Greek, the noun, graphe, which means simply “a writing,” is regularly used to signify the Jewish scriptures, the Old Testament. One example is the word of Jesus in Matthew 26:56: “all this has happened in order to make come true what the prophets wrote in the Scriptures.” (1280)

Boy Scouts (10/02/06)

A person seeking carefully to gain information may be called a “scout.” There are many different kinds of scouts and nowadays, one of the most common uses of this term is related to an organization for boys that was founded in the United States of America one hundred years ago, on February 8, 1910. The aim of the Boy Scouts of America is to develop the character and personal fitness of boys over 12 years old and train them for the duties of adult life and participating citizenship through influence brought to bear on their work and recreation. The program of activities for boys aims at a threefold development, mental, moral and physical. According to the organization’s charter and bylaws, its intention is to “. . . promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance and kindred virtues . . . .” When joining the group, the boy takes the following oath: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” The Scout Law notes the 12 characteristics which a Scout should embody: “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.” For boys younger than 12, there is another, similar organization called Cub Scouts, and for girls, there are Girl Scouts. My wife and I are thankful that there were Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts at the international school, which our children attended in Nagoya, Japan. (1281)

Presidents’ Day (10/02/12)

There are over 500 residents in the Penney Retirement Community where my wife and I live. A “resident” is one who “resides” in a certain place. “Reside” is based on two Latin words meaning “to sit back.” If a “p” is added to the word, it is changed to “preside,” based on Latin words meaning “to sit in front of.” A “president” is a person with authority who sits in front of the group over which he/she presides. From the time of its official establishment in 1789, the United States of America has had 44 presidents. Two of the most memorable presidents were George Washington, the first president, and Abraham Lincoln, the 16th who served during the Civil War. Both of their birthdays are in the month of February and for many years in a number of states, their birthdays were celebrated as official holidays: Lincoln’s on the 12th and Washington’s on the 22nd. In the U. S. A., official holidays are established by the states, although most of them follow the decisions of the federal government, which in 1971 changed the day to celebrate Washington’s Birthday to the third Monday of February. Depending on the state, that day is the day to celebrate the birthday of George Washington, of both Washington and Lincoln, or of all the presidents. As we consider the meaning and significance of “Presidents’ Day” with recognition of the great influence a person holding that position has, I advise all of us to include a prayer for the president on that day. (1282)

Busyness (10/02/15)

It is not only businessmen who are busy. I am surprised at how busy people in retirement may become. Many in our retirement community who were very busy before they retired have continued to be busy following their retirement—including my wife and me. We have noticed this busyness especially since we moved to an assisted living unit. Although over a month has passed since the move was made, we still do not feel settled. Some of our things are still in boxes, either here in one of our two rooms or in our garage and we do not always remember where they are and must look for them. There are also many activities included in the daily schedule of this community, which my wife and I enjoy even though they make us busier. Over and above the regular busyness, during the past week, we had five visitors who stopped to see us. One couple we knew well during our time in Japan stopped here on their way back from a meeting they had attended further south, stayed in a community guestroom and joined us in our regular activities for three days. A couple of hours after they left, one of the pastors of our church in northern Illinois stopped in to visit for a few hours. Then at the dining room this noon, we met another couple we had known in Japan and had not seen since leaving there. So it goes. Even in retirement, we can keep busy. I eventually hope to read some of the books I brought with me for that purpose. In his letter to the Philippians, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Rejoice! Do not be anxious about anything. With thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (4:4-7) (1283)

Almanac (10/02/20)

Today as I sat in front of my computer, trying to think of an appropriate subject for a message, a small booklet with a colorful cover on the dresser next to my desk caught my attention. It was entitled “The Almanac for Farmers & City Folk.” Do you know what an “almanac” is? Do you ever make use of one? I do not think I made use of an almanac until I resided in Japan and began composing “Daily Word” messages. This almanac has the letters “MMX” on the title page. I presume you know their meaning. They are three of the seven capital letters (I, V, X, L, C, D, M) used for Roman numerals and you should know their meaning, which I will write at the end of this message in case you don’t remember them. Regarding the contents of the almanac at hand, this is a quotation from the title page: “Containing Astronomical Phenomena for the 12 months beginning with January 2010, and Detailed Weather Forecasts and Fishing Tables for the 14 months starting with November 2009. Also included are calendars and tide tables, stories and articles, and a grand assortment of nostalgia, trivia, and anecdotes, plus enough cookery, puzzles, and helpful information to provide edification and entertainment for the whole family for the entire year.” Although the origin of the word “almanac” is unclear, there are theories that it is derived from a Medieval Latin or Late Greek word or a Spanish-Arabic combination. Now, I see that I will need another message to complete my observations on this subject, so the “Almanac” theme will continue in the following message. [Note: the letters indicated above are Roman numerals for the following numbers: 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000.] (1284)

Almanac #2 (10/02/24)

In today’s message, I will note a few items in the almanac I found in my room yesterday that I think will stimulate a smile for readers who understand them. I was surprised to read an article entitled “Vertical Cukes.” I had never seen the word “cukes” before and discovered the writer used it as an abbreviation of “cucumbers.” According to that article, growing cucumbers vertically requires less space and helps keep the fruits straight, clean, and disease-free. An article entitled “Special Qualities By Sun Signs,” explains the 12 constellations, considered signs of the zodiac and the special qualities which those born during the particular period related to each sign. Reading the qualities supposedly personified by those born during the sign of Sagittarius (November 22-December 20), which includes both my wife and me, we should be “truly fearless,” “take everything that happens in stride,” “have a sense of humor and generous nature.” “Sagittarians tend to be the go-getters of the world” and “have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.” How happy we would be if this were actually true. Finally, on the page of “Strange Headlines,” which “either because of typographical errors or grammatical bloopers, headlines come across with unintended humor,” I will include a few of them for your amusement: “ LAWYERS BACK DESPITE USE OF BUG SPRAY,” “CHURCH OF ENGLAND BEGINS WEIGHING FEMALE BISHOPS,” “ONE-ARMED MAN APPLAUDS KINDNESS OF STRANGERS,” “POVERTY MEETING ATTRACTS POOR TURNOUT.” (1285)

St. David (10/02/28)

When some people hear or read the word “march,” they will think of walking in a formal military manner. Others will think of the third month of the year, which is spelled with a capital M. Which meaning comes first to your mind? In the ancient Roman calendar, March, derived from Mars, the name of the Roman god of war and of the fourth planet that circles the sun, was the first month of the year. Later, the two months of January and February were added to the end of the year and then were moved to the beginning of the year. Since February, the second, shortest month, usually has only 28 days, anyone born on the 29th day, which usually comes only once every four years, will have fewer birthday celebrations than others. The first day of March, which follows the last day of February, is the feast day of St. David. Have you heard of him? Those of us who are acquainted with the Jewish scriptures, the “Old Testament” in Christian Bibles, will think of King David, who reigned in Jerusalem a thousand years before Jesus appeared and who wrote a number of the psalms included in the Old Testament, but he is quite different than St. David who was a zealous Welsh monk. About 500 years after Christ died, this David is said to have founded 12 monasteries which are characterized by strict rules in Wales, the part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain located on the western part of the island of England. In the year 1120, he was canonized and thus officially became a “saint.” This word, meaning, “holy one,” is used in the New Testament for all genuine believers in Jesus Christ. (1286)