Wednesday Words: about grace and gratitude

Today's Wednesday Word is not one that has a surprising meaning or background story. It is simply one that I have had a little change of perception or attitude about. We see it in different forms -- grace, gracious, gratitude -- all from the Latin gratia.

I was thinking about this because last week I had lunch with a friend and former pastor/preacher. As we sat down to eat, he asked if I wanted to bless the food (give thanks, say grace, etc,). I declined and let him do that.

Here's the thing (for me).
I don't ever want to reach the point where I take the good things of life for granted. I always want to express my gratitude, but I do believe there are different ways to do that. 

"Oh, this is really good!" is an expression of appreciation and of gratitude.
The enjoyment of sharing a meal with a friend is an expression of gratitude.
A smile, a hug, an acknowledgement of a gift or favor received -- all are ways of being grateful. 

At this moment I am sitting in a coffee shop, sipping an iced cold-brew, using the hot-spot feature of my new smart phone, and typing words on my Chromebook that will travel great distances and be read by a handful of people.
How could I not be thankful for the life that I have?
I often joke (sort of) about being a curmudgeon-in-training or about being a grumpy old man.
I'm not.
Mostly, I do want people to leave me the f--- alone, but that's just because I am so thankful for the quiet time that life provides for me!

Today, I will do a little of the outdoor work that I've been putting off because of the midsummer heat and then I will be thankful for the simple little pool that I have as I enjoy a cigar and evening drink. 

Will you be grateful today?
How do you express gratitude in ways other than simply saying -- Thank you?

Thanks for reading!

John

Wednesday Words -- Lights out!

How about a new alliterative category for Wednesday?
I'm about tapped for wisdom. Although I've often been called a wise-a$$ or a wise-guy, I've seldom been thought of as a truly wise man.

And besides, words can be fun.
For an older generation of kids that played outside all day, the streetlights coming on was often the signal for kids to head home for the evening. Not always, though. We played kick the can, hide and seek, tag, and many other games with the neighborhood kids well after dark.
The electric street lights came on automatically and stayed on all night. Nobody had the job of lighting the gaslights when the sun set or extinguishing them when it was time for everyone to be safely at home for the night.
Although there are many good reasons for streetlights to remain on throughout the night, it's weird to remember that electricity or even gas jets haven't been around for most of the history of humanity. For most of our history, turning out the lights meant putting out a fire. Nighttime light came from candles, lanterns, or fireplaces.
Today, lights out is as simple as flipping a switch.

Our word curfew comes from the French couvre feu which means cover fire.
The French were the first to use street lamps in an effort to reduce nighttime crime in Paris. When it was time for the street lamps to be extinguished (couvre-feu), it was time for everyone to be at home.
Instead of be home when the streetlights come on; it was be home before they go off -- curfew!

And now you know.

John