2008 Independence Day Parade In Laurel

I’ve got some pictures from the parade, starting with this one:

All of the pictures I have are in a photoalbum on PhotoBucket which is located here.

Howard at Delmar Dustpan has several pictures with commentary at this link.

I got a different view of the parade this year, carrying a banner for Christine O’Donnell’s campaign:

I’m the guy in the shades. That beautiful blonde behind me is my wife.

Call For Pictures of Parade

Attention everyone! I will be in tomorrow’s parade thus I won’t be able to take pictures. My daughter will be taking some pictures which will be featured on this blog as quick as I can upload them. I am pretty sure that Howard from Delmar will sneak into town limits (like he’s done before) and take some pictures. I am certain that some other readers are using their cameras to capture some memories. Would you like to share them with the readers of this blog? Please drop me a note and I’ll post a link to your photo album on the web.

Please be warned. If you take a picture of me during the parade your camera may stop working.

Drop me a note at thatselbert at gmail dot com.

Laurel’s Independence Day Celebration 2008

Laurel’s 14th Annual Independence Day Celebration will take place on Thursday July 3rd and Friday July 4th, 2008.

The parade will kick off the celebration on Thursday at 7:00pm. The theme for this year’s parade is “Born Free”. It will follow the typical parade route, starting at Evengreen Drive and traveling north on Central Ave.

Friday’s Festivities start with a prayer breakfast in Janosik Park at 8:00am. The breakfast cost is $10. Reservations can be made by calling Payroll Plus at 302-875-0370. Tickets must be purchased and picked up in advance. The deadline for ticket sales is June 27, 2008. No tickets will be sold on the day of the event.

The day’s activities will be held at Janosik Park. A variety of food and entertainment will be available all day. The day will end with a fireworks display sponsored by local businesses and individuals.

In addition to all described above, a carnival will be in operation Wednesday July 2nd through Saturday July 5th.

For more information, Please call Karin at 302-745-3293 after 5 or Lori at 302-858-6744 in the evening. These events are sponsored by the Laurel Chamber of Commerce.

Come to Laurel and join us in the fun!

UPDATE: More details for the celebration are at this link.

Sunday Thoughts: Father’s Day

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her… (Ephesians 5:25 )

…husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church…(Ephesians 5:28-29)

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. (Colossians 3:20-22)

Simply put, love your wives and encourage your children.

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A child performs better in school if his father takes an interest in his education. Children have more confidence when their fathers spend time with them and show them affection. Kids learn from watching their fathers’ decisions and listening to logical explanations. (Traci Gray, Fatherhood)

A sad snippet, but something to remind us that separation from your children can hurt.

If you have never been separated from your children for long periods of time, you may not understand, though I’m sure you share a deep love for your children. However, if you’re one of the thousands of fathers who are separated, divorced or incarcerated, you know exactly what I’m saying.

We long for the opportunity to patch a scraped knee, soothe a hurting spirit, or chase away the monsters under the bed. These little, yet significant moments pass us by as our children seem to grow up much faster when we’re apart. We would like to be there at that moment when our children need us, perhaps just once when they’re hurt from a bicycle fall or sad because of a classmate’s unkind remark—just once. But for most of us, those moments pass us by.

Sure, we have our visits, and if our children get hurt we comfort them, but visits aren’t real day-to-day life. They’re condensed time capsules, crammed with an abundance of activities, trying to make up for lost time. Just when the visit begins to slow to a normal pace, it’s time to take them home. All that fills the silence after the good-byes is the sad sensation that so many things were left undone or unsaid. You pledge to do them during the next visit, but by then she has grown so much that you need to find your bearings and get over the initial discomfort, and your visit time flies. (Randell Turner, The Hug That Changed My Life)

An exhortation:

On this Father’s Day, then, may we not only count the blessings of fatherhood, but also commit to honoring those attendant obligations every day. May we also examine the job we are doing as husbands first, and then as fathers. (Mark Alexander, Patriot Post 08-24 Digest)

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I got some early Father’s Day gifts. The first gift was two large bags of 8 O’Clock Columbian Whole Bean Coffee. It’s my favorite, and yes, I grind my own. The second gift was two t-shirts, a “Global Warming” shirt and a Third Day shirt.

I also got a gift card to The Gospel Shop in Salisbury. It will probably be used on books but if not, music will work just fine.

Finally, I’m linking to my daughter’s page. She has written something for Father’s Day that deeply touched my wife and me. Click here to see the post.

Family Celebration for Earth Day 2008

This year it seemed appropriate to celebrate Earth Day with some of my family and a friend by hugging the only tree left on our property.

National Smoke Weed Day?

Today is April 20 or, in numerical form, 4/20. I have heard that this is unofficially National Smoke Weed Day. The reason: “420″ is a code-word for smoking marijuana, thus 4/20 would be the best day for inhaling an illegal substance. Wikipedia has some historical information on “420″:

Although many diverse theories exist to explain the origin of the term, one central root of the phrase stems from a group of teenagers at San Rafael High School in San Rafael, California in 1971; the teens would meet after school at 4:20 p.m. to smoke cannabis at the Louis Pasteur statue. The term became part of their group’s salute, “420 Louis!”, and became popularized in the late 1980s by fans of The Grateful Dead. Many North American cannabis users continue to observe 4:20 as a time to smoke communally. By extension April 20 (”4/20″ in U.S. dating shorthand) has evolved into a counterculture holiday, where people gather to celebrate and consume cannabis.

And here’s the charm to the Wikipedia entry:

In some locations this celebration coincides with Earth Week.

That speaks volumes!

There is some information posted here about marijuana. The web site provides a list of dangers which include:

• Impaired perception
• Diminished short-term memory
• Loss of concentration and coordination
• Impaired judgement
• Increased risk of accidents
• Loss of motivation
• Diminished inhibitions
• Increased heart rate
• Anxiety, panic attacks, and paranoia
• Hallucinations
• Damage to the respiratory, reproductive, and immune systems
• Increased risk of cancer
• Psychological dependency

The article also points out:

Although dangers exist for marijuana users of all ages, risk is greatest for the young. For them, the impact of marijuana on learning is critical, and pot often proves pivotal in the failure to master vital interpersonal coping skills or make appropriate life-style choices. Thus, marijuana can inhibit maturity.

So maybe the best thing to do on 4/20 is don’t smoke weed.

Mandles!

If you are having trouble getting that man in your life a gift, you have got to see this…

If the video above doesn’t work, try this link or this one. The Mandles web site is here. And just in case you’re wondering, I want Hardware Store and Chuck Norris Sweat. Remember, Father’s Day is just around the corner!!

Random Thoughts #4

I’m off work this week. There are various things to do at home but there’s either no motivation or no money to do them. Throw this on top of it all: the van starts spraying coolant late Monday night. So for right now it’s out of commission and I’m getting our family around in a 3 seat pickup truck. Nice. Hey, if you know anyone I could barter computer services for auto repair, let me know!

We did get through one event for the week today, and it went very well, actually better than expected. It helps to bathe those troubles and the things that worry you in prayer. The Lord just seems to have a way to make those speedbumps less bumpy. What I’m tackling now would best be described as a “speed mountain”. I’d like to see it knocked down to a speedbump or less. Applying Mark 11:22-26 to life isn’t easy.

I would imagine that some are getting weary of the many religious posts recently. It’s a part of my life that’s real, and I like to talk about it.

Kavips noticed that there wasn’t much said on the Delaware blogs about Easter. All that was posted here was the Sunday Thoughts post and the sunrise service pictures. There wasn’t a whole lot to add to the day. Our Sunday service contained several performances by our drama team, an extended worship music set, then a brief sermon from the pastor. Our family enjoyed a day of peace and a nice turkey dinner. We didn’t have a ham because I like turkey better, besides we already had a turkey in the freezer. Honestly, a day of peace was just fine for me.

Lest I forget. kavips has been kind enough to mention me on the blog twice, so kavips is in the blogroll now. Welcome! And shame on me to leave out another blog that has linked here: ShoreBlogs. It’s in now too.

ShoreBlogs had a recent post about Technorati’s Authority Numbers for several of the blogs he has listed. I got on his list at #8 with a 23. My friend Michael at Monoblogue tops the list with a 73. He was certainly happy about it.

Finally, a big welcome back to Karen at A Woman’s Point of View. You were missed!