Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 in the new year. We wish you a very Happy New Year!
January is named for Janus the two faced god who looked into the past and future. Some believe he was Noah who may have been worshipped by his progeny. He certainly looked into the pre flood world and the new world. The Anglo Saxons called this month Wulfsmoanth. Let's talk about January.
1. January 1, 1892 Ellis Island opened it's doors. Did any of your relations enter the United States through Ellis Island? If not, do you know your family's history?
My fathers parents came through Ellis Island at the turn of the last century on a ship named the Mauritania, a sister of the Lusitania. On a subsequent trip back to Scotland, they had to run silently at night due to German U-boats (WW1) and one night a man who went up on deck with a flashlight to search for his wife's earring was shot through the head by a sailor on watch. This was about 1914 or so and my father was only about 5 but he remembered it.
The other side of my family were always in America.
2. January's birth stone is garnet and the flower is the carnation. Do you have favorite gem stones or flowers? I like the Padparadscha which is an orange Ruby and one of the rarest stones there is. They range in color from bright orange to a clear pale peach. I also like the Green Beryl which is the color of clear sea water. A dark green Beryl is an emerald and I am fond of Peridot.
3. January 6 is Epiphany. Many take that day as the final day of the Christmas celebration and take down their décor. What about you? When I put up holiday decoration I like to get some enjoyment from it.. not up one day down the next. So I leave things up for a bit of time.
4. There is some evidence that January can set the tone for your entire year.
What do you think of this? Do you make resolutions, etc?
Proverbs says, "as a man thinks, so is he". Your thoughts are what make you who you are. Change them, change you! You can decide to work with things or fight them. How you think and respond can make a lot of difference.
What an interesting yet sad story about the man looking for his wife's earring. It seems he would have been warned about doing that. I've never heard of a Padparadscha and I don't believe I've ever seen one. As soon as I'm done with the comment I'm going to research it and look for pictures. It sounds beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts. And you named a gemstone I'd never heard of before. Like Mary above, I may just have to do some research to see it! I always learn the most interesting things here. The story about the man on the ship is very sad, and I'm not surprised your father remembered it even though he was only five. It must have been very traumatic for everyone. Yes, I like to leave our decoration up for at least a month. It is a lot of work to put them up and then take them down again. Hubby said today as we were taking them down that next year we may not want to put up so many things...I told him we will see what we feel like next year, but I'm not making any such promises today, even though I was very tired and my back was killing me by the time I was through...getting old isn't for sissies. LOL. I hope you have a blessed and beautiful New Year, Annie. Thank you for continuing to do this for us. Toni would be so pleased.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of that orange Ruby. I need to look it up, it sounds beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI like having my Christmas decorations up for a long time too. Loved your answers! Have a nice week. ♥
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I love the last quote. I am weighed down right now and need to let some things go. Change....that's the ticket! Happy new year!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of an orange ruby..it sounds stunning. So does the Green Beryl. I'm heading to take my decor down now. I enjoyed your answers.
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