Palm Sunday then (2011) and Now (2020)

IMAGE CREDIT

Today is Palm Sunday 2020 also known as the beginning of Holy Week, which will ends on Easter, a season that then lasts for fifty days.

This 2020 Palm Sunday is like none I've ever known as is the case for people throughout the world affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which is forcing (as a precaution) houses of worship to remain closed to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus.

Therefore, for today's entry, please allow me to revisit some content I published re this holiday back in a 2011 blog post titled A&P Catholics.

On 2011's Palm Sunday my morning routine was what I had I have been doing since the year 2002 or 2003: I went to the Seventy-Fourth Street Home (known as The Home) — an ecumenical assisted living center in the Upper Westside of Manhattan, to visit the homebound, and to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion.

However, on Palm Sunday 2011, we had no hosts, and we could only offer palms; not communion.

The reason for this was that there were throngs of people at the mass (where the hosts are picked up prior to coming to The Home) and the priest ran out of hosts.

The residents at The Home were good natured about their loss, and not surprised that there were not enough hosts to go around, for it is common knowledge that throngs of people do show up at mass on Palm Sunday; as well as Ash Wednesday: The "A  & P" Catholics.

"But I bet the church did not run out of offertory envelopes," a male resident named Vincent (who happens to be blind and who can be seen in the next picture) quipped.

VINCENT IS FEATURED IN "THE RESIDENTS"

Vincent is the author of Wino in a Three Piece Suit, and is dry-humored remark had caused another resident Mada (pictured below) to laugh heartily.

MADA IS FEATURED IN THE RESIDENTS

Vincent and Mada are featured in a short video within my Vimeo Library.

It is titled, The Residents, and includes a few of the other folks who were living there  at the time of this Palm Sunday humor.

Today will likely be a difficult time for residents who still live there as well as for residents of any assisted living facility throughout the world, as places like that are on lockdown meaning their loved ones and friends cannot come in to visit them as per the concerted effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Hopefully the faith of those confined to these facilities and the faith of everyone in the world will sustain them this Palm Sunday and beyond.

It's Ditch New Years Resolutions Day + MORE!

According to a web- page on Holiday Insights (HI) "If there's a day to celebrate New Years and to make resolutions for the upcoming year, then there should be a day to ditch those resolutions. That's the reason for today [January 17th]."

HI goes on to proclaim "If you haven't broken or given up all of those New Year's resolutions, you're doing better than most of us. Maybe, you're well along the way to accomplishing them. Maybe, a few are already checked off on your list. Good for you! For many of us, New Years resolutions are hanging heavily over our heads. They have become a burden, and perhaps were not such a good idea after all. Then...... of course, there's the New Years resolutions that have already been broken. If you haven't accomplished, broken, or given up your New Year's resolutions, today is your chance to get out from under them."

So in honor of this holiday, I've posted a comic strip of Dilbert as well as a cartoon by Bill Whitehead atop this entry as they "address" the making of New Years resolutions.

I guess ditching New Years resolutions won't be on my to-do list today because I didn't make any, which has been my standard for a number of years now. I confessed this in a 2011 blog post, where I stated, "It's not that I don't have resolutions to make: I have bills to pay, a temper to monitor, faith that feels watered down and it needs building up, and the habit of swearing that needs to be stopped immediately.

Tuesday's Truths, the seventy-fifth week. Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's Day (ETC)

Cupid (the figurine seen in the image atop this entry) joins me today in welcoming you, dear reader, to the seventy-fifth week of my Tuesday's Truths series. He wants to make sure that we heed the certain words (posted directly below) uttered by Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, 

All in the morning betime, 

And I maid at your window, 

To be your Valentine. 

Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes, 

And dupped the chamber-door; 

Let in a maid, that out a maid 

Never departed more.

For indeed, tomorrow is Saint Valentines Day! This year it coincides with Ash Wednesday, which means today is Shrove Tuesday.

Therefore, because Valentines Day is on Ash Wednesday (marking the onset  of Lent), you may not want to give your special someone chocolates, or champagne, but, you probably want to give the person who is near and dear to you a special gift! May Cupid and I suggest giving him/her a version of the book, Words In Our Beak Volume One.

"WORDS IN OUR BEAK" MAKES A GREAT GIFT ANYTIME

Here's the info on how to buy all the versions:

HARDCOVER:
Book Seller Info: http://bit.ly/2AFZDCz
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2zxVujM
Barnes & Noble On-Line: http://bit.ly/2AAnB26
book culture On Columbus: http://bit.ly/2FsC1Uf

SOFTCOVER:
Magcloud: http://bit.ly/2nrBJDj

DIGITAL (TWO OPTIONS):
ePub: http://amzn.to/2kzWGw0
iBook: http://apple.co/2nHZMBq

FALL 2018 ADDENDUM: 

The digital versions of Volume One within the Words In Our Beak book series that are mentioned in this entry may only remain available for a limited time, but hardcover versions of Volume One, Two and Three can now be found wherever books are sold.

Moreover, I no longer actively produce event program covers, invitations and the types of greeting cards described here or on my website but arrangements might be able to be made under certain circumstances. My focus is on the Words In Our Beak book series, pictured below...

WORDS IN OUR BEAK BOOK SERIES

...whose stories are told from the point of view of Cam, a female cardinal, whose photo is on the cover of each book. Words In Our Beak’s goal is to open readers to a simple understanding of the winged world and their environment. Set in my rooftop garden in NYC,  Words In Our Beak is directed to children and adults who are curious about birds, and want to learn about them from a unique perspective. The books include hundreds of images of flora and fauna, links to movies, as well as to informative narratives that have been created by the author.

Please click here to go to my blog post that provides details as to where you can get these books.

Additionally, I have rendered some images from these books into other formats and they are available via Fine Art America (FAA). Some of my other photographs (Black & White Collection, Kaleidoscopic Images and the famous Mandarin duck who visited NYC) can also be found on my FAA pages.

SUMMER 2020 ADDENDUM: 

                             

"Never say never," the saying goes, and I suppose that applies to saying, "I no longer....," which I did in my 2018 addendum and now I'm here to announce at the advice of Chris Deatherage, my book series formatter, who is also my web-master (for patriciayoungquist.com) I now have some versions of the greeting cards that are referenced in this blog post available via FAA, please click here to view them.

ADDENDUM SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER 2021:

When the third volume of the hard-cover version of Words In Our Beak was released, I withdrew from promoting my former versions of Words In Our Beak. 

The very first one is an iBook and went into Apple's book store in 2015.

This was followed by an ePub version...

... that is available on Amazon and was also published in 2015.

Subsequently, Words In Our Beak's digital versions were published as a soft-cover book (with slight variations) by MagCloud in 2017.

Its press release can be read by clicking here.  

Now with the release of BIRD TALES....

... I've been advised to make mention of my early versions of volume one of Words In Our Beak, they do vary ever so slightly in content from the hard-cover version of volume one.

As of this addendum, I do not intend to create digital or soft-cover versions of Words In Our Beak Volume Two or Words In Our Beak Volume Three.

It's the First Friday of 2017's Lenten Season

Today marks the First Friday in 2017's month of March. It's also the First Friday in the 2017 's Season of Lent. On Fridays during the Lenten Season, certain houses of worship offer services or masses where folks can participate in The Stations of The Cross.

The picture posted above was taken at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, located in NYC. This image shows that particular house of worship's Sixth Station of the Cross, a station which seeks to remind us that Saint Veronica wiped the face of Jesus; and the implications of the necessity in helping others, no matter how large or small that gesture might be.

And (as I've mentioned in a prior post here on Blogger) the meditation (associated) re Saint Veronica at the Sixth Station of the Cross, goes something like this, 'a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter; he who finds one, finds a treasure; a faithful friend is a life saving remedy...no sum can balance his worth...'"

The aforementioned contemplation that corresponds with the Sixth Station (where one always sees an image of Saint Veronica) is a good thing be reminded of, not only on this Friday of the Lenten Season, but always! For, indeed, faithful friends are beyond price.

No, I did not give up blogging for Lent . . . (and other TLLG Updates)

Because nineteen days (or two and a half weeks) have passed since February 21st 2012, which also happens to have been Shrove Tuesday (or the day before Ash Wednesday, a day that marks the beginning of Lent), and was the last time I posted here on TLLG, you, dear reader, might have presumed that I gave up blogging on TLLG for Lent.

On N'tl Chocolate Covered Raisin Day — During Lent

If you follow my blog, then perhaps the cartoon posted above looks familiar to you as I included it in an entry that I posted this past January, when I discussed my correlation of New Year's resolutions with the resolving to give up something for Lent. And at that time I confessed that I was not usually successful in fulfilling either intention, but had been certain, like the sentiment expressed in the Dilbert comic strip, that there are folks in my life who would like to tell me what I should resolve to do (in the case of a New Year resolution) or strongly advise me on what I should resolve not to do — or what to give up for Lent.


Last Sunday, March 20th, was not only the first "official" day of spring, but it was the second Sunday of Lent, so I am returning to the Dilbert sentiment today, because, besides the fact that Lent is  currently being observed by some people, another fact was brought to my attention this morning: today is National Chocolate Raisin Day. Today's "holiday" was pointed out to me by someone who knows I design invitations that preserve a moment in time, program covers that enhance an occasion, and cards that are about more than communication. With the information on this "holiday" came a note that expressed the idea that "the timing of this holiday (occurring during Lent) was ironic given that many Christians give up chocolate for Lent."


I am not sure what people who observe this season resolve to give up, but sacrificing the agony of not having chocolate raisins would be an easy resolution for me to keep — giving up chocolate covered almonds, chocolate covered expresso beans, or chocolate covered cranberries might prove to be harder . . . 


On another note, I still think that taking on a charitable action (visiting the homebound, assisting in a soup kitchen, helping a friend or even helping someone that is not a friend) during Lent (or anytime) is more virtuous than giving up chocolate covered raisins. I once heard a priest say, "Woe to the parent who tells his child that if you eat chocolate before dinner, God will punish you, because in reality, a loving God would say, 'see that chocolate, go ahead' . . ."
  
So, as far as National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day falling during Lent, well . . .