If you are in the country of India today, there are celebrations and special events all over the country to celebrate World Sparrow Day. It is also celebrated in Europe and to a lesser degree Africa. The holiday is catching on in the United States and the rest of North and South America. We hope after you read this article, you will put this special March 20 holiday on your calendar and help to spread the word about sparrows and World Sparrow Day.

World Sparrow Day is an international initiative promoted and sponsored by the Nature Forever Society of India and the Eco-Sys Action Foundation of France. These two organizations recognize the declining populations, especially in big cities. They are also concerned about the negative impact of a changing environment on these birds. The goal of this special day is to raise public awareness about sparrows and celebrate the relationship between sparrows and humans.

Sparrows are a popular bird at your backyard bird feeder, especially in winter when food sources dwindle as winter progresses. Bird watchers are thrilled by their presence. Sparrows often visit bird feeders in waves. They crowd the bird feeder and the ground in search of high-energy seeds. A large population of sparrows can empty the seeds in your feeder in a single day.

UNESCO declared World Poetry Day at its 30th meeting in Paris in 1999. Their goal is to recognize the uniqueness of poetry to capture the human spirit. According to their website, the purpose of this March 21 holiday is to “support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.”.

Poetry makes the world go round, making it a much better place in which to live. Poetry is an extremely important and powerful art form. Humans have been writing poems for thousands of years. When we think about poetry, romance and love is what first comes to mind for most people. But, poetry is so much more. Poetry is a linguistic expression of just about anything: feelings, emotions, values, hopes, dreams, messages, and more. It addresses, war, peace, sickness, health, fear, happiness, and anxiety, to name just a few. Yes, poems are written about any subject you can imagine.

While we often think poems should rhyme, there are plenty that do not. There are over a dozen types of poems. The most well know are sonnets, Haiku, Limericks, ballads, odes, and free verse.

Are you ready to create your first poem, but don’t know how to begin? We’ll help you out. Begin with “Roses are red. Violets are blue………” The rest is up to you!

World Day of Prayer is today. Christians in over 170 countries around the world pray for the theme of the current year. The world and all of its inhabitants can certainly use all of the prayers they can get. In the U.S., this holiday is sponsored by “Church Women United”, a Christian group of women that strives to work for justice and peace.  

The origin of World Day of Prayer dates back to 1887, when Mary Ellen Fairchild James, a Methodist from Brooklyn, NY called for a day of prayer for home missions. Fairly quickly most Christian religions began their own Day of Prayer. In 1927 it became the World Day of Prayer and the date was formally established as the first Friday in March. Oddly, it wasn’t until 1967, as a result of the Second Vatican Council, that Catholics were allowed to participate.

Each year, Church Women United selects a women’s group from different parts of the world, to write a prayer service for the day. Then, everyone, men and women alike are encouraged to attend a prayer service using what the group wrote.

Did you Know? Planning for the prayer service actually begins three years in advance. A theme is selected for the service. Each year a different country writes the prayer for all to use at the service.

World Backup Day reminds us how important backups are for information, equipment and systems, and for people in their jobs and the many other important roles they serve. Use this March 31 holiday as a very important reminder to secure vital files, by making a backup copy. In addition to your computer files, use this March 31 holiday to back up your paper files, too. 

In today’s world, nearly everything is on an electronic file stored in your cell phone or computer. At the same time, life is so busy and fast-paced, that many of us do not take the time to back up our files. Just imagine how you’d feel if you do not have those precious photos stored in a backup file or up in The Cloud. If you don’t back up those important files and documents on your computer, a system crash can cause you many hours to re-creating them. And, when it comes to photos, you just can’t recreate them.

Backups are essential. If your computer hard drive goes bad, you’re in deep trouble with a recent backup file. Those second and third-string players on a sports team can be the difference between making the playoffs or watching them on television. Who is your backup at your job? Can they operate if you are out ill or on vacation? Sometimes not. Backup lie support systems are vital for astronauts.

So, this special day encourages us to stop and back up all of our files. Yes, do it now. It only takes a few minutes.

Today is Weed Appreciation Day, a March 28 holiday. It’s a day to go out and hug the common weeds found in your lawn or garden. Why appreciate weeds, you ask? What possible good can they be? Read on………..

Common weeds do offer some benefits. They provide the very oxygen that you breathe. Weeds take in the carbon dioxide that you exhale. Many weeds offer food and shelter for birds and wildlife. And they make good garden compost if they have not yet produced seeds.

Take some time today, to hug your weeds, water your weeds, fertilize them, or do whatever you prefer to do to enjoy them. As for me, I’m going to celebrate this special day by pulling them from my garden.

We hope you and your weeds have a very happy Weed Appreciation Day!

Don’t miss out on Take a Walk in the Park Day. This March 30 holiday is an opportunity for exercise and relaxation. After being cooped up indoors all winter, it’s great to get back into the fresh air in the great outdoors. Are you stressed out? A walk in the park is just what the doctor ordered. It’s calming and therapeutic. Taken after a busy workday, it helps clear your mind and re-energize you. Or, take the walk during lunch and you will find the afternoon of work goes by quicker and easier.

A walk in the park will likely be the most enjoyable part of your day. However, make sure to do so with a clear mind and with your eyes open. In addition to avoiding a fall, open eyes will allow you to take in the beauty of nature’s wonders: flowers, and trees, birds, and wildlife.

Tip: We suggest you take a walk in the park with a friend or your lover. It will prove far more enjoyable if you have company on your walk.

Today is International Waffle Day, a March 25 holiday. While it originated in Sweden, waffles are popular all over the world. people have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Today is a day to get out the waffle iron and eat waffles.

This holiday originated in Sweden. It is called Våffeldagen. The holiday coincides with the Christian Feast of the Annunciation. This day was also considered the start of spring in Sweden and Europe.  It became a custom for Swedish families to celebrate the two coinciding events by making waffles on this day.

Another thing you can do today is waffle on the issues when making a decision. This is clearly not the objective of this day. But, if you need an excuse to waffle for any reason, cite this holiday as your justification. 

Have them any way you’d like There’s plain, buttermilk, blueberry, cinnamon, and many more flavors and topping. more. When you make them at home, the flavor choices become endless.  Finally, don’t forget Belgian waffles. They are a treat at any meal.

Today is Turkey Neck Soup Day, a March 30 holiday. We suggest you follow the aroma coming from your kitchen, waddle on in, and pour yourself a bowl of turkey neck soup. You are certain to gobble it up and even waddle back for more. Will this become your favorite soup of all time!? Perhaps.

While some people are turned off at the thought of eating a turkey neck in any way, shape, or form, we encourage you to get over your hesitation. Turkey necks are very flavorful. It makes an excellent soup stock, ready for you to add some of your favorite veggies and spices.

You won’t find this soup at the grocery store or a restaurant. So, plan on making it at home from scratch. The morning before you make it head to your local butcher shop to purchase the turkey necks to make the stock. Start the soup in the morning, allowing the stock to cook for a few hours. Then, add the veggies. Your soup will be flavorful and ready by dinnertime.

Tea for Two Tuesday is established for two or more people to enjoy a cup of tea together. Tea is a very relaxing and soothing beverage. And, how much more pleasant it is, when it is enjoyed with others. While the name of this very special day, is Tea for Two Tuesday, we encourage you to have “a spot of tea” with any number of people. Go ahead…. make it a Tea party. The more, the merrier!

The older we get, the more we turn to tea over coffee and other drinks. Call yourself a “Teetotaler” if you like. But, drinking tea does not make you a Teetotaler. (Sometimes spelled Teatotaler, Tee Totaler, and other variations) By definition, a Teetotaler is someone who has sworn off alcohol, often turning to tea as a substitute.

They say variety is the spice of life. We encourage you to try different types of tea today. There is no shortage of tea flavors, some have caffeine, and some are caffeine-free, the latter of which is best for evening consumption.

 Tea goes well with crumpets, scones, cookies, and coffee cake. may we suggest Grandma’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake?

Please drink responsibly! If you drink tea, you can still drive. And, it is good for you.

Supreme Sacrifice Day recognizes the ultimate sacrifice made by some for the good of others. History is filled with examples of people who offered the supreme sacrifice for other people. While most often we think of someone who gave their life, the supreme sacrifice could be something non-fatal. Can you think of an example? When you give up something you want or need, you are making a sacrifice. And, sometimes, the sacrifice is extreme. Use this March 18 holiday to remember them, the sacrifice they made, and why.

We offer these examples:

• Jesus Christ gave the supreme sacrifice when he died on the cross for us.
• Soldiers in battle gave their lives to protect our freedom, and our way of life, and to keep us safe.
• Firemen and police officers sometimes give their lives in the line of duty while saving and/or protecting people.
• More often than you think, a young man or young woman caught up in a love triangle, gave up the chase for the sake of their loved one.
• A person gives up their job and career to tend to an elderly parent.
• The list goes on and on and on.

Today is a day to reflect and offer thanks and appreciation to those who made the supreme sacrifice for us.