April Fools’ Day (10/04/04)

The previous message noted the visit of my nephew and family and included information regarding the French horn that his daughter plays. That nephew is the son of a younger sister of mine who is the only one of the six children in my family who remained in the hometown where all of us were born and raised. She married a good friend of mine. Although he was born 8 months before me, we were in the same classes from 1st grade through high school and he became the mayor of that town. His birthday was easy to remember since it was the first day of April, which is well known throughout the country as April Fools’ Day. There are a number of different explanations regarding the reason why the centuries-old tradition of playing practical jokes on that day developed among the English, Scots and French. A popular form of April fooling has been to send an unsuspecting person on an absurd errand—to buy some pigeon’s milk or sweet vinegar, for example, or to obtain information on Adam’s grandfather. Needless to say, there is no such thing as “pigeon’s milk” or “sweet vinegar” and, according to the creation stories in the first chapters of Genesis, “Adam,” the Hebrew term for “man,” was the first man created, so he had no grandfather. In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, we find these meaningful words regarding fools: “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue” (17:28); “A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions” (18:2). (1294)

Cherry Blossoms (10/04/08)

In the yard behind the house where I was born and raised, there was an apple tree and a pear tree. In the next-door neighbor’s yard, there was a cherry tree. Each of these fruit trees produced small, pretty flowers, called “blossoms,” before producing fruit. Although the flowers were pretty, it was the fruit, which was important. While living in Japan, however, I realized that cherry blossoms, which may be considered the national flower of Japan, are more important than the cherries. Every year, at this time of year, celebrations are held under the beautiful cherry blossoms. In the American capital city of Washington, D.C., there is also a Cherry Blossom Festival this week. It was in 1912 that the city of Tokyo made a gift of 3000 cherry trees to the American capital city as a gesture of friendship. Now, these cherry trees provide beautiful scenery at various parts of the city at this time of year and thousands of visitors come to view them. The Chinese character for “cherry tree” consists of the combination of “tree,” “woman” and two “shells,” seemingly to convey the meaning of “a beautiful tree.” There was a cherry tree in our yard in Nagoya that produced beautiful cherry blossoms, but it required time and effort to sweep them up after they fell to the ground. We are faced with the difficult question of how to define “beautiful.” In his very critical comments regarding the religious leaders of his day in Matthew, chapter 27, Jesus makes clear that there is a great difference between beauty on the outside and beauty within (verses 27-28). (1295)

April: Good or Bad? (10/04/13)

It was in the year 1582 that Pope Gregory XIII sponsored the calendar now used throughout most of the world. According to the Gregorian calendar, we are now midway through April, the fourth month of the year. The name, “April,” is probably derived from a Latin verb meaning “to open” for the buds of trees and flowers open during this spring season. Although we do not have a definite “rainy season” in the U. S. A., there is a well-known saying that “April showers bring May flowers,” so we are thankful for the rain. In our individual lives also, there may be cloudy or rainy days, which upset us at the time, but for which we should be thankful for the final results they bring. “April,” along with “May (Mae)” and “June” are also used as feminine names, but the only name of a month used as a masculine name is “August.” The month of April is mentioned in the stories and poems of many writers, usually in a positive sense. In William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, we find these words: “Men are April when they woo, December when they wed, maids are May when they are maids, but the sky changes when they are wives”(Act IV, Sc.1). T. S. Eliot expressed a different viewpoint when he wrote:

“April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.”

Cremation (10/04/17)

According to my dictionary, “cremate” means “to incinerate (a corpse).” “Incinerate” means “to consume by burning,” and a “corpse” is “a dead body, esp. the dead body of a human being.” How to dispose of dead bodies is a question that must be faced by all societies, but the answers given vary, depending on culture and tradition. In most American communities, there are cemeteries, or graveyards, where bodies of the dead are buried. The casket, or coffin, in which the corpse is placed and lowered into the ground, may be very expensive and beautiful, depending on the situation of those involved. There are also various kinds of markers or gravestones on the ground above the caskets and some families have cemetery plots with the graves of relatives together. In Japan, where land is not so plentiful, cremation has been the common method of disposing of corpses, but it is becoming more popular in the U. S. A. also. According to Japanese custom, some relatives may gather at the crematory; following the cremation, the ashes of the cremated corpse are displayed and relatives are given bamboo-chopsticks, with which they are able to retrieve parts of bones that were not completely burned. The ashes are put into an urn, which may then be put in a certain place in the home to remind the family of the continued presence of the deceased or added to the family grave in the cemetery. Many graves in Japanese cemeteries have large gravestones that have room within for urns of ashes. The bodies of my parents are buried in a family plot in the cemetery in my hometown. My wife’s parents were cremated and their ashes were scattered over the Pacific Ocean, which connects the U. S. A. with Japan. My wife and I have both registered to have our bodies cremated and the ashes spread on the gravel in the Garden of Hope in this retirement community’s cemetery. (1297)

Homophones (10/04/22)

There are many English words that are classified as “homophones” or “homonyms.” The prefix, “homo,” is derived from a Latin term meaning “same.” According to my dictionary, a “homophone” denotes “One of two or more words that have the same sound but differ in spelling, origin and meaning,” and a “homonym” signifies “One of two or more words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but differ in meaning.” Homophones and homonyms can be both confusing and amusing. There are times when I am talking with somebody who uses the term “more often” and I suggest it be replaced with the more significant term “oftener,” which is a homonym of my surname. The stimulus for this message, however, was the recent visit of our daughter from Thailand. She was with us for almost two weeks, during which time I often introduced her to others. At such times, I sometimes made a few remarks about the country of Thailand. “Thai” is a homonym of “tie,” which has a number of different meanings, including the necktie I wear on formal occasions or when I go to church. I sometimes mention that Sue brought me beautiful silk ties from Thailand. Thailand is known for the beautiful silk it produces, derived from the cocoons made by silkworms, but the word “Thai” means “free.” Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that has never been colonized by a European power. Our daughter is the editor of a Thai publishing company named Silkworm Books, which publishes many books in English which may be considered the source of beautiful handiwork. (1298)

Birthday Holidays (10/04/26)