Memorial Day

Forty-two years ago this weekend, the United States celebrated its first Memorial Day as an official federal holiday. Hard to believe that it took so long for such a holiday commemorating the U.S. men and women who died while in military service to become official, but it did. The holiday original began in the 1860s to honor the Union soldiers of the American Civil War and was then known as Decoration Day. Many states of the U.S. South refused to celebrate Decoration Day. The alternative name of Memorial Day was first used in 1882 and did not become more common until after World War II. It became the official name by Federal law in 1967 and by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968, Memorial Day became an official federal holiday. The act took effect in 1971.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

To my mother, wife, sister, mother-in-law, aunts, sisters-in-law, friends who are mothers, and all mothers going strong or dearly departed, Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Playoffs at The Garden

The best memories I have of Knicks playoff games at Madison Square is in the 1990s. It was the Ewing-Riley era. It started in 1992 for me when I was stationed in Korea and the games were shown on armed forces television. That was when the Knicks took the eventual NBA champion Bulls to 7 games in the second round.  The Knicks had the X-man, Xavier McDaniels, my favorite player besides Ewing.  Then it was 1993, their best season since the 1970s and the Knicks went up 2-0 against the Jordan Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.  Then Charles Smith ruined everything.

 

The next year was the best in my memory, with the Knicks finally making it to the NBA Finals.  They had many memorable home playoff games that postseason.  They had Oak's 20-20 game in the first round and Game 7 against the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals where a victorious Ewing waved his hands triumphantly to the crowd.  Then there was the Game 5 victory to put them up 3-2 against the Rockets in the Finals.  That was the last game they'd win in the series.

 

After that even though the Knicks still won 50 some games every year until the Millenium, the magic at the Garden wasn't the same.  Their biggest victories came on the road, like Houston's game winning shot in Game 5 against the Heat in 1999.

 

But, now, finally in the Melo era there is hope.  Their injury racked 54 win, Atlantic Division Champion season was the best in nearly 20 years.  Like 1994, they're the 2nd seed in the Conference and they have their best player since Ewing, a superstar in his prime playing at his very best.  Who knows if their championship draught will end any time soon, but at least starting today, Game 1 of the first round has the chance to create great new memories at The Garden.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

To all those who celebrate Easter, may you all have a Happy Easter filled with love and joy.

Good Friday, the True Date

Today is Good Friday, the solemnest day in the Christian calendar, which commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. The traditional year for the date of Jesus’ crucifixion is 33 CE (Common Era, aka AD), but this is based on the false premise that Jesus was born the year before 1 CE and died at the age of 33.

The actual date for Jesus’ crucifixion is Friday, April 5 in the year 30 CE. Matching the Gospel accounts with the Hebrew and modern-day calendars, the year 30 CE is the sole viable choice because that was only year in Jesus’ late adult life where Friday was the end of the first day of Passover (which began Thursday evening). According to Scripture, Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew Calendar. Passover in the year 30 CE was on the night of April 4 (Nisan 15, 3790) and the Last Supper was a Passover Seder.

Knowing the precise date is easier than knowing where the term Good came from. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia: “Some say it is from ‘God’s Friday’ (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag, and not specially English.”

The Promise of Spring

The first day of spring was last week and as it usually is this time of year, it still feels like winter. Nevertheless, spring remains my favorite time of the year. The sun shines more, the air is warmer, and everything seems more alive. There's always a sense of promise, a promise that things will get better. It's not always the case, of course, but it just seems that way.

 

Spring is about renewal and change and I'm going through that change right now. The firm I've worked in for the last thirteen years is shutting down for good this week, another victim of The Great Recession. Fortunately, I start at a new firm the following Monday and I'm excited. I'm also deeply sad because so much had gone into my old firm, there were so many memories, but now that will be all gone. I figured it out that I had never been in a place that long except for the house I grew up. It had been huge part of my life and I'll miss it greatly.

 

The official last day is Sunday, March 31, which is Easter Sunday. An important day for Christians, of course, and my family in particular as my son prepares for his First Holy Communion. Somethings end and something begins--the essence of Spring. Life renewed.

 

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

March 17 has come again and that means another St. Patrick’s Day, one of my favorite holidays of the year. The holiday is named after the patron saint of Ireland, who was born in Roman Britain circa AD 387, was captured by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland where he lived for six years before escaping, became an ordained priest when he returned home, and returned to Ireland as bishop and Christian missionary. Legend has it that me died on March 17, but there is debate as to whether it was AD 460 or AD 493.

St. Patrick’s Day began as a purely Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 1600s. Today—except in Ireland where it is a holy day of obligation—it is a secular celebration of Irish culture. A little known tidbit is that the original color associated with St. Patrick was blue, but over the years the color green became associated with the holiday. Blue St. Patrick’s Day? Nahhhh.

My office used to have a breakfast spread for the holiday that I never miss. I love office comp! A few years back the office administrator got creative and had all the bagels and muffins dyed green. She also had the milk for coffee dyed green. It looked great, but no one dared eat or drink any of it. She insisted that the food in milk didn’t taste any different, but our stomachs couldn’t overcome the barrier our eyes had set up.