#90: Two Years Behind

The guy pictured to the left joined the crew of the Grey Havens a week or so ago and seems to be a good picture for the title of this post. Well, I'm NOT two years behind on what needs to be done. (That would be more like two DECADES, from a human point of view. I'm running right on schedule in God's Mystery of Providence, however!) I've occupied the Grey Havens for two years now, so that time is behind me. In simple mathematical terms, 104 weeks without having to commute 10 hours a week means that the Lord has graciously given me 1,040 hours of time to do more productive things...like sleep in (not in a hammock, however), play Civil War Generals, Heroes of Might and Magic IV & Super Nisqually, read all kinds of things (like the 6 Puritan classics I finished in 9 days recently), write a variety of things in my journals (176,911 answers right now), sit around and think or shoot the breeze with folks at The Park Bench (with or without a Fincke maduro), and as a result of all that: BLOG!
I had some thoughts over the weekend, but was just too lazy to drag my butt up to my office to write them down, so here they are for today's entry.
Saturday was the 15th, the Ides of March; which proved fatal to Julius Caesar in 44BC and has sparked the phrase, "Beware the Ides of March." Howcome we in America don't say "Beware the Ides of April" instead? After all, that's the day that our Federal Income Tax forms are due. I've often thought it somehow ironically appropriate that our taxes are due on the same day that Abraham Lincoln died from the assassination attack on Good Friday the 14th of April, 1865.
OH, YEAH...let's hear it for the Ides of November!! (My birthday, now that I've just thought about it. Only 8 months to go, for those of you considering present and/or greetings-sending.)
And how about celebrating the Ides of EVERY MONTH for those of us who get paid on the 15th and 30th/31st?!! OOORAH, OOORAH!!
Sunday the 16th had some interesting things go on in history, based on some of my previous research noted down in my on-going research (part of the 1,040 hours, I guess):
In 37AD, Caligula succeeded Tiberius as Emperor of Rome and stepped up the persecution of Christians. (I would highly recommend the series "I, Claudius" for a picture of THIS guy!)
In 1935, Adolf Hitler broke the military prohibitions set down in the Treaty of Versailles limiting Germany's build up of arms. (You might say that folks back then should have SEEN what was coming, considering that Hitler made it abundantly clear in Mein Kampf!)
In 1968 the My Lai Massacre occurred that rocked America a little more in a very troubling time. (I still don't see why folks were so shocked, given what a barbaric species we are!)
Well, today we celebrate St. Patrick of Ireland and his evangelization of the land that made him a slave for a time before he escaped back to his own land, only to return to preach the Gospel to his former captors. It's also the anniversary of the birth in 1828 of Confederate General Patrick Cleburne, the Christian who came to be known as the "Stonewall of the West" in comparison with General Jackson.
So what's my point? Well, take stock of where you've been and some of the milestones in your life the Lord has given you and then take a moment to thank Him, knowing that He's gone before you in whatever direction you're heading under His lead. (Oh, if you're walking across the grain of his plan for you, you might also want to think about reversing course!)
Got Footprints?