Wednesday Hodgepodge

Join

Joyce at From This Side of the Pond

for the

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Has your April been filled with showers? Do you carry an umbrella, wear a slicker, or make a run for it? Besides rain, what else has filled your April?

Yes, we have had a few showers and one really good hard rain this month.  I do not normally carry an umbrella but keep one in the car just in case.  I don't wear a slicker and neither do I run for it unless it is absolutely necessary.  Can't even remember the last time I did that.

Besides rain, April has brought gorgeous, sun shiny days; several trips to Dallas to see our family there for various events; spending time with friends; reading; planning an up-coming trip.

2. What's something you could you give a 30-minute presentation on at a moment's notice and with zero preparation?

Nothing!  I don't mind public speaking as long as I am well prepared and "at a moment's notice" does not meet that criteria for me.

3. Share with us a favorite food memory from childhood.

Almost every Sunday afternoon found my sister, mother and I in the kitchen making chocolate fudge.  We would meticulously drop a tiny bit into the cold water until we were sure the fudge would be perfect.  In spite of everything, we would often have to eat it with a spoon.  But spoons full of rich, delicious fudge instead of a little square didn't upset us girls at all.

4. What's a song you thought you knew the lyrics to, but later discovered you were wrong?

I was once a soloist, but rarely sang without the music for fear of forgetting the words.  That happened one too many times for my comfort.

5. According to one travel website, the most overrated tourist attractions in America are-
Niagara Falls (NY), Hollywood Walk of Fame (California), Times Square (NYC), Epcot (FL), Seattle Space Needle (WA), and Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (Boston). How many of these have you seen in person? Did you feel like a tourist? Did you care? Tell us about a place (not on the list) you've visited that might be considered a tourist trap, but you love it anyway.

The only one I have visited is Niagara Falls and did feel it was overrated.  We happened to be there on Memorial Day weekend and had to contend with at least one family from every country in the world, it seemed.  We couldn't wait to get out of Dodge!

Las Vegas is definitely a tourist trap although we enjoyed our trip there.  Just like Niagara Falls, been there done that and no need to return.

6. Your signature clothing item?

Jeans and a tunic.

7. What's an experience you've had you think everyone should experience at least once? Why?

Other than having grandchildren?  Perhaps spending time in the mountains either driving or hiking.  There is nothing more beautiful to me than the panoramic view from a mountain top.  But, I think the one thing everyone should experience at least once is visiting the Holy Land.  For the Christian, it makes the study of the Bible come alive.  For the none Christian, it is still the land of history and remarkable scenery and experiences.  There truly is something Holy about that land.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of Jews, our church hosted the Holocaust Remembrance Service this past Sunday afternoon.  I had never been to one and was so impressed.  Ten family members of someone killed during the Holocaust and one actual survivor, lit one of eleven candles in memory of the 11 million lost during that time.

A Holocaust survivor

The guest speaker was Armin Guggenheim from Cleveland, Ohio.

He told of how his family was able to escape Germany into Switzerland and then miraculously able to emigrate to America in 1939.  It was such a stirring account of what life was like for the Jewish people during those horrible years.

He told how if any one of the things listed below had not happened, his family would not have survived, as every family member living in Germany was killed.

 As horrible and distasteful as it is to see pictures and read accounts of the Holocaust, we must never allow ourselves or future generations to forget what happened and those who lost their lives.  The lessons we forget are the ones we are bound to repeat.

 "May the One who causes peace to reign in the high heavens let peace descend on us, on all Israel, and on the world, and let us say, Amen."