Unable to go back to sleep at 5:30 thanks to the < sarcasm > lovely< /sarcasm > chattering of the birds outside my window, I reorganized my quotes page…it was that or finish cleaning up the guest room, so which would win out was a forgone conclusion. Besides, Maìre doesn’t get here for another 10 hours.
Author: Joe White
One of my friends from the LBJ School, Dan Benavides, took his life last week. Dan was an incredibly kind and thoughtful man. We had a lot of fun in Austin playing racquetball and poker and joking in the Hobby/Keel PRP. Dan was an Assistant DA in Dallas, and was making a difference.
He called me the week before, and we played phone tag, but he never said what was wrong…just asked me to pray for him.
I did, and I am. I don’t know what was torturing him…I just know that he didn’t have to go to this extreme.
To everyone: please, please, please!!!! If you ever think about hurting yourself, call me or someone else before acting. I beg of you.
And say a prayer for Dan.
Today is the day that I and other Christians observe the death of Jesus. We remember the ultimate sacrifice that He made on behalf of every single person on this planet. I am reminded of my own selfishness and egotism and am greatly ashamed.
There are those that I have wronged, and for that I am truly sorry.
Just as Easter announces the hope of new birth, I hope I can become a better steward of the gifts I have been given and use them not for my own selfish ends, but to help others.
For my Jewish friends, I give you the one Passover joke I know:
Each year on her birthday, the Queen of England announces the Honours List, those people whose contributions in various fields are worthy of recognition and are given honorary knighthoods and such. One year a Jewish doctor was named to the List. He was very excited, and immediately began learning the formulaic Latin phrase he would have to recite after the Queen had dubbed him. When the day arrived, he stood in line with all the other honorees. Each in turn would kneel before the Queen, receive the three shoulder taps with the sword from the Queen, then recite the Latin phrase thanking her for the honor. At last came the Jewish doctor’s turn. As he kneeled before her to receive the dubbing, his mind went blank. He couldn’t remember the Latin phrase! Frantically he tried to recall the Latin as the Queen touched the sword to his shoulders, but he could not remember them. As the silence grew, he finally blurted out the first thing that came into his mind:
“Baruch atah Adonai elohenu melech haolam….”
Upon hearing the strange words, the Queen turned to her swordbearer and asked:
“Why is this knight different from all other knights?”
—-
Also, courtesy of Michelle Mellon-Werch, an updated Haggadah.
A gag on 1 April that is very effective and snookers many of one’s friends into thinking one is moving; else, the same gag, not so warmly received.