Today is Capt. Tom's 100th birthday...or should I say Colonel Tom's birthday. I think you will agree that Tom Moore (does he really need an introduction?) has captured the nation's heart. To date, he has raised £31 million for the NHS. He was live on TV this morning as a flypast of a Spitfire and a Hurricane went passed as a tribute to him. There were birthday messages from the Queen, Prince William, the Prime Minister and a host of celebrities and he received 125,000 birthday cards! As well as being giving the honorary title of Colonel, he was made honorary English Cricketer.
At this dark time in our history, the nation needs something to smile about and Colonel Tom Moore does that. A veteran of WW2, he reminds us of the generation who pulled together in dark and difficult times. Reaching his hundredth birthday reminds us that life goes on...regardless!
All over the world people are marking their birthdays behind closed doors. It is my son's birthday at the weekend and we will be celebrating by having a family game of bingo over Zoom. There might even be cake but it will be three different cakes and eaten in three separate households! I know that many people will be forgetting all about their birthdays this year. It isn't easy, is it, especially if you live on your own? I do happen to know a few people who like the idea of skipping their birthday, providing of course that they don't advance their age by another year!
We don't hear much about birthdays in the Bible. There are only three references to birthdays... one referring to Pharaoh, who gave a feast on his birthday (Genesis 40:20) and the other two refer to the same birthday party of Herod's (Matthew 14:6, Mark 6:21). We do, of course get good accounts about the birth of Jesus even if we are not given an exact date.
I don't know about you but I am losing track of the days. The pattern of my day has changed so much and there is only Sunday morning where I have a fixed time in my calendar. How are the days for you? How are you filling your time? I started a jigsaw the other day. I've have always loved jigsaws but I haven't done one for years. I remember when I was about 11 years old and I was given a 3,000 piece jigsaw for my birthday. We had a large drop-leaf table at the time and the jigsaw took up the entire space. It took the full family weeks and weeks to finish it! I find doing a jigsaw quite therapeutic. I can switch off from the world and be lost in my own thoughts as I piece together the puzzle before me. Quite useful really with all that's going on in the world at the moment. This time of lockdown really helps us to put things in perspective and sort out what is important in our lives. So keep on smiling. As Colonel Tom has (now) famously said "The sun will shine on you again, and the clouds will go away."
All over the world people are marking their birthdays behind closed doors. It is my son's birthday at the weekend and we will be celebrating by having a family game of bingo over Zoom. There might even be cake but it will be three different cakes and eaten in three separate households! I know that many people will be forgetting all about their birthdays this year. It isn't easy, is it, especially if you live on your own? I do happen to know a few people who like the idea of skipping their birthday, providing of course that they don't advance their age by another year!
We don't hear much about birthdays in the Bible. There are only three references to birthdays... one referring to Pharaoh, who gave a feast on his birthday (Genesis 40:20) and the other two refer to the same birthday party of Herod's (Matthew 14:6, Mark 6:21). We do, of course get good accounts about the birth of Jesus even if we are not given an exact date.
I don't know about you but I am losing track of the days. The pattern of my day has changed so much and there is only Sunday morning where I have a fixed time in my calendar. How are the days for you? How are you filling your time? I started a jigsaw the other day. I've have always loved jigsaws but I haven't done one for years. I remember when I was about 11 years old and I was given a 3,000 piece jigsaw for my birthday. We had a large drop-leaf table at the time and the jigsaw took up the entire space. It took the full family weeks and weeks to finish it! I find doing a jigsaw quite therapeutic. I can switch off from the world and be lost in my own thoughts as I piece together the puzzle before me. Quite useful really with all that's going on in the world at the moment. This time of lockdown really helps us to put things in perspective and sort out what is important in our lives. So keep on smiling. As Colonel Tom has (now) famously said "The sun will shine on you again, and the clouds will go away."
"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens."
and a season for every activity under the heavens."
Ecclesiastes 3:1
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