Today is National Maritime Day, a May 22 holiday. From its very beginning, the United States of America has been a maritime nation. Since those early days, the Merchant Marine has been there to support the maritime needs of both the civilian maritime industry and the U.S. navy. In recognition of the Merchant Marine, the U.S. Congress created National Maritime Day in 1933. Congress chose this date, to also commemorate the anniversary of the first trans-Atlantic voyage of a steamship. On May 22, 1819, the U.S. steamship Savannah, left from Savannah, Georgia, bound for Liverpool, England.

The Merchant Martine supports maritime interests, charged with overseeing the movement of people and goods over the seas, in times of both peace and war. In times of peace, it supports commercial U.S. maritime interests. During peacetime, the Merchant Marine is a civilian organization, managed by both the public and the U.S. government. In times of war, it is part of the U.S. military.

Did You Know? The Merchant Marine played a major role in World War II. moving soldiers, military arms, equipment, and supplies. During the war, over 250,000 people served in the Merchant Marine. Over 6,700 lost their lives. Over 800 merchant ships were sunk or damaged.

Today is National Hamburger Day, a May 28 holiday. It comes at just the right time, as the outdoor grilling season has arrived. Hamburgers are America’s favorite sandwich. What would a Memorial Day, or Fourth of July picnic be without the very American hamburger? So, it only fitting that we have a special day to celebrate our cherished burgers.

Hamburgers are American in origin. However, there is much controversy as to whether Hamburgers were first created in the 19th or the 20th century. We won’t fret over when they were first created. We’ll just savor the flavor.

Have it your way. The best way to cook a hamburger is grilled on an outdoor grill. You can also cook them indoors on a frying pan. Add your favorite fixings. Cheese is all but a must. Then, there’s lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, bacon, and so much more. And, don’t forget the condiments. Mustard, ketchup, and relish are the favorites.

The World’s Largest Burger: On September 2, 2012, the Black Bear Casino Resort in Carlton, Minnesota cooked the world’s largest hamburger at 2,014 pounds. That’s the equivalent of 8,056 Quarter Pounders!

Hamburgers always seem to taste best with a side order of French fries. See National French Fries Day

Did You Know? May is National Hamburger Month

Do you want to live a longer, healthier life? Then, physical fitness should be one of your top priorities. National Fitness Day in the United States is today. It encourages us to get off the couch, turn off the television, and work out. According to the creator, the goal of this day is to “celebrate strength and empowerment through fitness”. Today you are encouraged to “get your sweat on”. Use today, to establish a regular routine of exercise, and to maintain a regular exercise schedule all your life.

So, you think it’s hard to begin a lifetime of regular workouts and physical exercise. You also might feel that it is hard to fit exercise into your already busy schedule. Absolutely no one will disagree with you. Getting started is the hardest part. Start out slow. Getting started can be painful. In the beginning, your body may immediately disagree with your “no pain, no gain” exercise plan. In the early days of your new workout routine, just remind yourself that you are adding many years to your life. Then, in a little while some amazing things happen. The aches and pains subside, eventually going away entirely. All of a sudden, you feel better, much better. You are stronger, you have more energy, your endurance goes up, and you can do physical things you haven’t been able to do in years.

So, on National Fitness Day, we energetically encourage you to begin your new workout and exercise routines…. for life!

In compliance with a law passed in the U.S. Congress in 1988, each year the President of the United States issues a statement proclaiming the first Thursday in May to be a National Day of Prayer. But, the first National Day of Prayer was declared hundreds of years earlier. Religious roots in this country go back to its formation. In 1775, the Continental Congress set aside a time for prayer. In proclaiming this very first  National Day of Prayer, the Founding Fathers asked the colonists to pray for our fledgling country. Many immigrants to America, came here in search of religious freedom. Our God-fearing forefathers felt so strongly about religious liberty, that they wrote the First Amendment to the Constitution, specifically to protect the right to religious freedom.

Each year on the National Day of Prayer, there are over 35,000 prayer gatherings, by churches, temples, and synagogues. Religious leaders across the country participate in some way. A national prayer broadcast can be found on GODTV, Facebook Live, and many other media channels.

Have a Blessed National Day of Prayers. Personally, I pray for your health, safety, and happiness today and every day.

Welcome to National Brown Bag It Day, a May 25 holiday. The brown bag has been around for a long, long time. It seems like just yesterday, everyone was “brown bagging it”, taking their lunch to work or school in a brown paper bag. My how times have changed. Nowadays, very few people brown bag it.

If you extend this line of thought to include in the definition of “brown baggers”, people who carry their lunch in a lunch bucket or a lunch pail back in the day, that would include most people.

Then, somewhere along the way, Brown Bagging your lunch grew out of style. Busy, working moms did not have the time in the morning to pack a good lunch. School lunch programs were initiated or expanded, to the point where almost all kids bought their lunch at school. Then, government programs provided free school lunches for more and more students. Nowadays, bringing your lunch is not considered “cool”.

Today is the perfect day to go “retro” if only for a day, and brown bag your lunch. Nostalgia aside, there are good reasons to brown bag it. First of all, it can save a lot of money, over buying lunch on a daily basis. Second, homemade or foods packed from home always taste better. In addition, Mom or Dad can pack a lunch that is more healthy and nutritious. That’s a lot of good reasons to brown bag it. Now, if we can only get people to look at brown bagging as being the “cool” thing to do.

Today is National Babysitters Day. It is a time to give recognition and appreciation to those to whom you entrust your kids. Parents turn to babysitters to go on the occasional date night to dinner and a show when parents need a break, or when they have somewhere to go and can’t take the kids. Ask any parent what is the most important thing in their lives. They will tell you their children. They’d give anything to assure the health and welfare of their kids. So, choosing a reliable babysitter is nothing to be taken lightly. It is as important a decision as it gets.

The need for a sitter can be short notice. A list of potential babysitters should be constructed in advance with care. Babysitters are often grandma and grandpa, a brother or sister. They are usually the first “go-to” sitters. Neighbors and fellow parents are often good choices, too. Teenagers are also common choices. When it comes to selecting teenagers to watch your kids, you should look to find those who have taken childcare classes, and first aid training, including CPR.

Parents are understandably pretty picky when it comes to selecting a babysitter. Safety, security, and reliability are tops on the list when deciding who will watch your precious little ones. But, babysitters are often called upon to do more than just watch the kids. The babysitter’s tasks may also include changing diapers, being a tutor, helping with homework, organizing play time and activities, as well as providing snacks and meals.

Important Tip: Make sure to thoroughly check out any potential babysitter that is not your direct family.

 Today is Buy a Musical Instrument Day. Everyone was introduced to a musical instrument in grade school. Remember the Recorder? It was the first musical instrument we played and hopefully learned. If we were all thumbs or tone-deaf, the recorder was the only instrument we ever played. However, if we were musically inclined at all, most students advanced to other instruments. Eventually, they joined a school band or orchestra.

Isn’t it obvious how to celebrate Buy a Musical Instrument Day? If you are a musician in need of a new instrument, today could be a very good day indeed! If you have been considering taking up a musical instrument, today can be your starting point. And, the good news is you’re never too old to begin playing a musical instrument. Many senior citizens pick up musical instruments as a hobby. They even form senior bands, often playing in public.

Song of the Day: American Pie (The Day the Music Died) by Don McLean (1971)

Children, parents, and grandparents are going to love this May 1 holiday. Aunts and Uncles will, too. It’s Mother Goose Day. It was created as a day to appreciate nursery rhymes and stories. Reading early childhood stories to your kids is a fun and memorable time. And, Mother Goose stories are the best of them all.

The term “Mother Goose” dates back to the 1650s. It referred to stories like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood , and Sleeping Beauty. It does not appear to represent a particular person. Many of these stories were written both before and after this term was first used. And, the stories were written by numerous authors.

National Missing Children Day draws attention to the plight of an estimated 2,300 children that go missing in the United States every day. This day is your chance to play a part in finding missing and exploited children. There are a whole lot of reasons why a child goes missing. And, none of them are good. The only good news is that most missing children are found. Of approximately 500,000 missing children in the United States each year, about 98% of them are found. About half of the missing children are parental abductions.

Having a child go missing is the worst thing that can happen to parents. Unfortunately, child abductions can happen to any child, any family. No one is immune to child predators. We don’t say this to scare you. We say it to help promote awareness and education to help you guard against it. 

Did you know? The U.S. Department of Justice estimates more than 50,000 children are victims of non-family abductions annually.

Today is Mint Julep Day. This May 30 holiday is a day to enjoy and savor this frosty and refreshing classic Southern drink. Perhaps Mint Juleps are best known as the official drink of the Kentucky Derby (1938). Today, over 120,00 Mint Juleps are served at the two-day “Run for the Roses” event.

Mint Julep is a bourbon-based alcoholic beverage. A related version of it uses gin instead of bourbon. It originated and is very popular today in areas south of the Mason-Dixon line in the United States.  The roots of Mint Julep may have Arabic origin, where a similar drink called Julab was made with rose petals. Considered a sign of hospitality, Mint Juleps were first served in the early 1800s on Virginia plantations. It quickly spread in popularity across the south. In 1850, Kentucky Senator Henry Clay introduced it to Washington, D.C., at the Round Robin Bar.

Did You Know: Mint Juleps were used medicinally for stomach maladies and other ailments.

Mint Juleps are a frosty cooler. We suspect the originator of this special day set May 30th as the date to celebrate them, as hot weather has arrived in the south by this time. And, it was wise to give this popular drink its’ own holiday separate from the date of the Kentucky Derby.