Empire Day. Protect Your Children From Technology. “Exceedingly Wise" Ants. Update.

 

Victoria Day, the 24th of May

ARCHIVAL MOMENT

Queen Victoria: Born May 24, 1819

“Victoria Day as we know it today has been known under a number of different names. Our parents and grandparents perhaps best remember it as Empire Day.

With the death of Queen Victoria, who died on 22 January 1901, the nations of the British Commonwealth  including Newfoundland began to search for a way to best celebrate her contributions.

The first ‘Empire Day’ took place on 24th May 1902, Queen Victoria’s birthday. Newfoundland was among the first of the commonwealth nations to officially declare Empire Day an official holiday in 1903.

The holiday has given rise to the

“The 24^th May is the Queen’s Birthday. If we don’t get a holiday we will all run away.”

Empire Day remained on the calendar for more than 50 years. In 1958 Empire Day was renamed as British Commonwealth Day, and still later in 1966 it became known asCommonwealth Day. The date of Commonwealth Day was also changed to 10th June, the official birthday of the present Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1957, Victoria Day was permanently appointed as the Queen’s birthday in Canada. In the United Kingdom, the Queen’s birthday is celebrated in June.

Archival Collection at The Rooms: What have we in the archives about Queen Victoria:  In the search bar  type Victoria: http://gencat1.eloquent-systems.com/webcat/request/DoMenuRequest?SystemName=The+Rooms+Public&UserName=wa+public&Password=&TemplateProcessID=6000_3355&bCachable=1&MenuName=The+Rooms+Archives

Victoria Day in Newfoundland and Labrador marks the beginning of the summer, it is time to open the cabins  and get the camping gear out!!”

From: http://archivalmoments.ca/2016/05/remember-remember-empire-day-the-24th-of-may/

Now known as Victoria Day in Canada.  Happy Victoria Day, to our friends across the border.

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Technology isn’t necessarily bad, but excessive screen time can produce a host of digital dangers. How can you guide your children toward safe and wise choices?

10 Ways to Protect Your Children From Technology Traps

“Like it or not, today’s children are growing up in a digital and increasingly wireless world. Smartphones, laptops, tablet computers, e-book readers, MP3 players, video game consoles and other electronic devices have become an integral part of their lives—and ours. That’s in addition to “old technology,” such as television, which young and old alike still gravitate to.

And that’s not necessarily bad. The Internet, computer apps, interactive video games and TV programs can all be excellent sources of education and entertainment for children. Communications technology like Skype, webcams, email, Instagram and Facebook can actually augment relationships and help children stay connected to people who care about them—for instance, when grandparents or other relatives live far away.

In balance, technology is certainly useful. The problem is, many children today have strayed beyond a moderate use of electronic devices.

Digital dangers

A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that, on average, kids aged 8 to 18 spend practically every waking moment when they’re not in school engaged in entertainment media of some kind—a staggering 7½ hours a day. Somehow in the midst of all this, teens find time for texting. According to Nielsen statistics, teenagers send and receive around 3,700 texts a month, or around 125 each day.

To be fair, parents are often just as absorbed in technology as their children, which only makes matters worse.

“There’s not a lot of time for family members to talk with each other anymore because it’s consumed by all our entertainment devices,” observes Arizona psychologist Lisa Strohman, J.D., Ph.D., director of the Technology Wellness Center and author ofUnplug: Raising Kids in a Technology Addicted World (2015). “Even when family members are in the same room together, they’re often all on their own screens, so they’re not really ‘present’ for each other.””

Complete article at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/relationships/parenting/technology-traps/

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Exceedingly Wise" Ants

“An Amazing Fact: Some ants live in super colonies that contain more than 300 million individuals.

Wisdom Verse:
“The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their food in the summer.” —Proverbs 30:25.

Perhaps you have heard of the famous “parasol” or “leaf-cutter” ants that make gardens and raise their own crops! These amazing creatures are often seen walking in processions, each one holding a piece of green leaf above its head! These bits of green leaf are not for food, but are taken to their nests and made into a compost soil—for these ants are actually farmers. They deliberately sow, prune, fertilize, weed, harvest, and store a fungus crop as carefully as any gardener tends his vegetables.

 
Some ants living in Texas clear a “field” of one or two square yards and then plant rice. They lay out the rice in beds with pathways running among the plants, and they keep their rice fields carefully weeded. When the rice seeds ripen, the ants harvest them, remove the husks, and store the kernels for food. Later, the ants with very large jaws crack the seeds and crush the kernels into meal for the rest of the ants. If the rice gets damp and is in danger of spoiling, other ants have the sole responsibility of carrying the damp grain out into the sunshine for drying.

There are thousands of amazing scenarios to be found among the roughly 10,000 species of ants on earth, and probably many thousands of lessons to be learned from this tiny creature. In fact, the Bible calls the lowly ant, which typically prepares in advance for the colder months, “exceedingly wise.”

 
It’s important for us to store the bread of life in our minds and be prepared in advance when it comes to our relationship with God. As a Christian, you always need to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV). And we should be “sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).

 
Most important, we need to be prepared to meet the Lord when He returns. In Jesus’ story of the wise and foolish virgins, only five of them carried extra oil along with them and were ready to meet the bridegroom when He arrived at an unexpected hour. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2, 3). The Lord has prepared to receive us into His awesome presence. Are we prepared to go home with Him?
Father in heaven, give me the oil of your Holy Spirit and make me wise. Help me be prepared to meet my Savior at His soon return.”

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Update:

The new worker, Roy, and I have been working on the guest house floor again.  We found out that the far north wall also needed repair as the bottom plate was damaged.   Jay has been too messed up to work, and didn’t go to church with me either.  His mother is getting very exasperated.

We had the Property Owner’s meeting on Saturday, and I had intended to go to the afternoon service at another church, but made it to the morning church by the second hymn.  That was a good thing as the pastor’s wife was at a hospital with a sick relative, so my help was needed with the potluck in the dining hall kitchen.  I had made a very large pot of food for the potluck (fresh tomatoes in an Italian sauce, ground turkey and whole-wheat pasta), thinking that I was going to the larger church, but it was well received by our little congregation, and I had left-overs for a hungry neighbor.

The Bible readings were Lev. 26:3-27:34, Jer. 16:19-17:13 and John 14:15-21.  Pastor Bobbie gave the Teaching on “The Bible, Our Instruction Book.”  It is our “how-to” book and tells how to raise your kids, treat your spouse and anything else that you need to know.

A dog that looked like the Lost Dog that we have been searching for was on the Petharbor.com website so Roni and I drove the 45 mile round trip to the County Pound, but it wasn’t him.  A disappointing but still a beautiful day.