I did not read my horoscope this morning. In fact, I never read the horoscope that corresponds to my birth. I mention this because of this being that scary day. You know the one. It is
Friday, the
13th of
April, in the year of our Lord,
2018. When and how did folks begin to identify this particular combination as being scary? Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia. ~ The fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name: "triskaidekaphobia"; and on analogy to this the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή, meaning "Friday"), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς, meaning "thirteen"). The superstition surrounding this day may have arisen in the Middle Ages, "originating from the story of Jesus' last supper and crucifixion" in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before his death on Good Friday. While there is evidence of both Friday and the number 13 being considered unlucky, there is no record of the two items being referred to as especially unlucky in conjunction before the 19th century. An early documented reference in English occurs in Henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini, who died on a Friday 13th: He [Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring friends; and if it be true that, like so many Italians, he regarded Fridays as an unlucky day and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday 13th of November he passed away. It is possible that the publication in 1907 of Thomas W. Lawson's popular novel Friday, the Thirteenth, contributed to disseminating the superstition. In the novel, an unscrupulous broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on a Friday the 13th. A suggested origin of the superstition—Friday, 13 October 1307, the date Philip IV of France arrested hundreds of the Knights Templar—may not have been formulated until the 20th century. It is mentioned in the 1955 Maurice Druon historical novel The Iron King, John J. Robinson's 1989 work Born in Blood: The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry, Dan Brown's 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code and Steve Berry's The Templar Legacy (2006). ~
I know. That's way too much information, but, it is good to be able to inform those who have issues with this day as to how all of this got started. As for me, it is just another day in the neighborhood and one that gives us all an opportunity to honor our Lord and Savior. I have never seen any of the Friday the 13th movies. I do know the iconic horror image of Jason. Some people are fans. The franchise has taken in just under $400 million here in our country. Some people like to be scared. Me? Not so much. I don't need to go to a movie to enhance my fright sensitivity. The other morning I came to the office gate. I leaned out of the side window of my truck to key in the security code. Just as I was about to hit the enter button, bam! a large 'something' crashed in the tree that was overhanging my pick-up truck. Maybe it was a large nesting bird or a squirrel or who knows? What I can tell you is that it did bring about a response on my part. My instinct was immediate. I did not want whatever it was to join me inside the cab of my truck. My window has the manual handle to roll it up. It's typically hard to roll up. Guess what? Not that morning! I spun that handle so quick and closed that window faster than a speeding bullet. Now you know why I don't need a movie to check my fear reflexes. Got it? Good. I may have also completed a heart test all at the same time.
Another week has come and gone. It will soon be in our rearview mirror. Whatever it was that we intended to do yesterday that didn't get done, well, that opportunity has left the building. I keep a rolling 'things to do' stack in my briefcase. It serves as a reminder of my status as a certified procrastinator. I earned that recognition from the woman who has observed my approach to life for well over 50 years. I appreciate her thoughts on my behalf, but, there's no way I can live up to her claim, for she has designated me as 'The World's Greatest Procrastinator'. We were going to do an awards ceremony but I kept finding reasons why I couldn't attend so we finally cancelled it. It's a joke. Lighten up a little. Had we done a formal ceremony we could have used that wonderful tune from the musical, 'Annie'. "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya Tomorrow!" I think I should have quit while I was ahead but that would have been many, many blogs ago. You know. In a blogosphere far, far away. I do hope you have a most wonderful Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. Lord willing, I will catch back up with you come next Monday. Until then, may God bless us, one and all.
Amen. ...More later.
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