Weekly e-news October 25, 2019
Hey, everyone!
Happy Holidays!
“What!? Little early with all that, ain’t it?”
Well, not really. I guess, technically, we never really left the holiday season. If you snoop around enough, you find that everyday somewhere is a holiday.
Take today, f’r instance.
Did you know that…
Today, October 25 is…
National Greasy Foods Day? (Yuck!)
National Frankenstein Day? (Double yuck!) Did you know they’ve made over 60 movies about him? And I ain’t never seen one! And bet I never will!
National Sour Day? (It’s a day to celebrate pessimistic attitudes and raise a half-empty glass at your own pity party! Triple Yuck!)
October 25 is George Bizet’s birthday? (You should go on youtube or spotify and listen to the tenor-baritone duet of "Au fond du temple saint" from his 1863 opera “Les pecheurs de perles” for his birthday! Unbelievable!!)
And it’s Coach Bobby Knight’s birthday! (I’ve heard when the doctor slapped his rear, Baby Bobby picked up a chair and threw it!)
And today’s Minnie Pearl’s birthday! She was born in 1912 in Centerville, Tennessee (I thought she was born at Grinder’s Switch?!)
And today is St. Crispin’s Day!
I love this holiday because it reminds me of the time on a Sunday morning at Triple C, when I ridiculously quoted the famous speech (which I had never heard of!) by Henry V from Shakespeare’s “Henry V”.
Since, I’ve NEVER read “Henry V” (and don’t know hardly a thing about the Henrys, whether there were XV or LV! Or CVX!) I could have been fined for quoting Shakespeare without a license! It’s actually a speech I found quoted in a book.
And, even tho’ I was WAAAY over my head, Shakespearily speaking, the speech IS awesome!
Hank, King of England, was trying to pump up the troops against the French on the day of the battle of Agincourt in 1415 (October 25th!). And they needed some encouragement!
They were all hungry…
a long way from home…
lots of them were suffering from chronic diarrhea (it’s what finally got Henry “in the end”)
As he got ready to give his super-important pre-battle speech, Henry #5 remembered that it was October 25, 1415…
St. Crispin’s Day!
It didn’t really mean much to the troops that it was the Day of St Crispin.
‘But it could!”, yelled the King!
Henry was dirty, sick, and weak. So was everyone! But the fight was before them! They needed courage their hearts didn’t yet feel.
Where would it come from?
Courage would come from thoughts of…
St Crispin’s Days yet-to-come!
Listen, weary warrior!
“…This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian!
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil, feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's Day.'
Old men forget…But he'll remember
What feats he did that day!
And Crispin’s Day shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers
(For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother)…
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day!”
Wow!
Did you get it? This is a holiday that only a few notice.
October 25.
St Crispin’s Day
But you and I have battles to fight today!
…against temptations to do or say stupid things we could regret to the end of our days…
…against depressions or despair, when those we love NEED us to believe for today that God is always good and wise and loving…
…against accusations of an unseen enemy who brings absurd slanderous thoughts to our minds, even tho’ we are clean and bright in the Lamb of God…
(And “that ol’ serpent” even trying (imagine this!) to make us believe those ridiculous thoughts come from our own hearts and not from him!)
And when we fight…
against temptations…
doubts…
despair…
and the devil…
and when we win!…
next week and/or next year, we’ll be thankful we fought for spiritual victory and for our joy on this St Crispin’s Day!
AND angels and saints in heaven watch and cheer us! And years from now in Heaven, they will never forget that on this day, October 25, the year of our Lord 2019, you and I fought our battles!
And won!
Happy St. Crispin’s Day, everyone!