Celebrating Every Day of April

April is the fourth month of the year. Each day has something to be celebrated in this month. Keep on reading and start planning something special for each day of April. It is a way to educate those that do not know some information, or have forgotten about it. It is also a way to make a family evening creative.

1. A special recipe for the occasion
2. An outdoor event
3. A change of home decoration
4. A conversation starter
5. Just to keep boring out of sight!

Every month has its own symbols to identify them. Those that are born in April may receive a nice gift about them:the color, flower or the stone (the origin of birthstones is believed to date back to the breastplate of Aaron which contained twelve gemstones representing the twelve tribes of Israel).

President Nixon created this event in 1974. Volunteers are those who are non profit, those that stay many times in the shadow of an organization, a group, or individuals that have unreached necessities.

If Mother's Day and Father's Day, etc.are important it is because the other 364 days we are living our own lives. Volunteers Day has the same merit that special days deserve. It is when we pat on the back and bring to light the good things that people do for others.

Volunteers are needed! Those people that extend a helping hand, those that are not selfish, those that have a warm heart and room enough in their spirit for someone else. A volunteer is that human that puts aside desires to give time to others. We all can be volunteers. April is a month that celebrates so many events that you can pick where you may be useful.

Since the early 1980s, recognizing the warning notice rate of abused children, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives resolved to be committed identifying and implementing solutions to prevent and end child abuse.

Since the 1970s, the Autism Society has been celebrating a special opportunity to educate the public about the autism community.

My dad (RIP) deteriorated from the Parkinson decease. The information was not spread as it is today, and I am happy that this month is taken to create awareness of what is happening to those that get attacked by it. It is a condition that the whole family and those around will be affected from. I advise you to search information and join this day in behalf of the acknowledgment of the Parkinson's disease.

Spring is here and water showers feed the earth. This month is the best time of the year to start your garden, give maintenance or plant new seeds. Great ideas are all around. Why? Because we need better environments, better health, and we need to help our planet.

Enjoying outdoor activities keep us strong and healthy. The connection with earth is the best therapy many of us have experienced. Indoor gardens are also very beneficial. Depending on your location, you should gain information of how or what to plant. Don't stay back, try to join the clan and be part of the National Garden Month.

April is frog season! Froggy213 must be happy, enjoy with him. There is so much to get from frogs. We may search and share information that can be used to apply it to our own life.

• Life cycle
• Differences between species
• The importance of ecosystem
• The diverse territories
• etc., etc., etc.

April first is the Fools' Day. The origin of this day is still in debate. Some of the ideas are that it began with:

1. The new calendar that Pope Gregory XII ordered in 1582.
2. The reign of Constantine

The truth is that it is observed with pranks, jokes or just having fun, teasing others.

April second is dedicated to the children and books for them. It is known that somewhere around 1967 this day is celebrated with the mission of inspiring a love of reading and to call the attention to children's books.

This day also relates to the remembrance of Hans Christian Anderson (April 2, 1805 - August 4, 1875) and his fairy tales.

April showers are here; how about finding your rainbow the third day of April? This is the moment to hold to our Creator's promise. Give your time to believe that rainbows have a treasure and that you need to work a plan to get your goal. Dreams can come true, but only if we do something for them. This is a good time to start taking responsibilities. Rainbows symbolize hope. The mix of light and drops...How much poetry we can find not written, but experiencing them. Walk with caution looking to the sky, and when you find your rainbow think about your tears...there is light for all problems that will result in something special.

April fourth is the day for walking around things!

It is not about myths or luck. Perhaps it sounds like a metaphor, but this day from wherever it was created (since there is hardly information about it) will give us awareness to apply the act to other days. Everything should work for good, and trying this day out as another celebration in April will not harm you. I should say that the list you wrote on January 1^st and you have let pass three months without doing some of them, do it this day.

The purpose is to have a happy day! Walk around potential problems (literally and figuratively). It is just trying to evade bad moments or risky situations. I think it sounds fun, being cautious! Trying to miss holes or other potential situations that by examining them will help you keep out of problems later.

For the Fifth day of April plan a trip with the traditional way: a map in hand. The use of Internet is great, but not always available; cybernetic maps are not found when you are lost without your computer. A GPS is handy, but does everybody have one? Take this day and celebrate it educating yourself or those around you. Try to find the North, South, East and West. Use your imagination and have fun making an unforgettable National Read a Road Map Day.

The sixth day of April is the day you will use those gross motor skills. It is similar of the "Walk around things day".

The good part of this day is that it will help us create conscious that we need to move our skeleton.

A healthy person is a happy person. A healthy person knows what love is about. You cannot love others if you do not love yourself. You cannot love yourself if you don't take care of yourself.

April seventh is the day to start once and for all a balanced diet, avoid addictive chemicals and start a simple exercise routine. Get appointments for health check ups. Love yourself!

When was the last time you visited a zoo? There is a zoo very near your location, I bet! If you cannot visit a zoo you may take time this day to search about animals on April eighth.

April Ninth is the day to change your name. It will be fun and challenging to remember name changes around. Invite your family, neighbors and those around to take a break this day and feel they are called by different names.

April tenth is the day to show your love to those who have your same blood, or are like if they were your sister and/or brother. Thanks to Claudia Evart for this special day.

Sometimes we take time for granted. That call we wanted to make, kept accumulating time after time, sometimes for years and never came. Write a letter on this day. Demonstrate the appreciation you have to know there is someone else from your parents. Family values are based on love. Love is just an abstract word if it is not demonstrated.

On the eleventh day of April the Major Baseball league memorializes a great baseball player. Jackie Robinson is known for his career being the first "black" major league baseball player in 1947. It is a memorial day for everybody, since it is part of the value given to the effort of a person without being discriminated against.

Start searching wind vocabulary, or weather information on April twelve. This same day in 1934, the Observatory of Mount Washington recorded by its staff the highest surface wind ever measured on earth.

More sharing moments! April 13^th is the day you may stay with your socks on to sit cozy and near your loved ones. It is the time to dedicate a few rounds playing the game created in 1938 by Alfred Mosher Butts, we all know this game called "Scrabble". It is very educative and it really challenges our minds.

This is the day... April 14^th to reach that highest goal that you have left aside, thinking that it is to high to be reached. Lift up your ego and go for it! Today, try more than usual to get what you have desired so much, but you have not reached it. At least try, you won't lose anything putting more effort than you have. It really does not matter if you get it (who knows) it will give you great satisfaction that at least you tried.

April 15^th is the due day for filing taxes. It is not a celebration for some, to others that will receive money back, it is good to be celebrated. If there were no taxes paid, there were no benefits. Yes, I understand the robbery around and over going on, but we do see common good coming from the income tax.

Be responsible and give to Caesar what it is for Caesar and to God what it is to God. Romans 13:7
says: "Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor."

April 16^th is to leave back the stress that Income Tax Day gave us, or those daily stresses that we overcome just by being alive. Stress comes from many directions. Stress is a killer. We need to breathe, relax, and learn how to deal with things that we cannot handle.

My advice is to take this day and make a list of what is happening in your life bringing stress. Work with problems and deal with solutions. Make a difference from those things that you can really change.

Take a break and just start over again. Changing pages of our lives is necessary to get to the next chapter or paragraph. Don't stress yourself, it is your life and only you can make a change to it.

By the year 1860, around 4,000,000 humans (almost all from Africa) were enslaved by European descendants. President Abraham Lincoln signed on April 16, 1862 the Compensated Emancipation Act. Slavery was legal until 1865 in most States after the American Civil War (1861 – 1865). For this reason, this same day April 16, Emancipation Day is commemorated.

Cheese is a nutritional food product based on milk. It has a diverse range of flavor, color, texture and manufacturing procedure. On April 17^th get a good recipe from the many already existing, or create one and share it.

Cheese ball day invites to celebrate in a creative way just like snowballs!

April 18^th is the day to make your pet happy. You may get the opportunity to take it with you to work. A pet is that special household animal we treat in a distinguished way. It is like another member of the family. It is that animal that awaits for us to come to the house; and its love for us is appreciated by the way it is manifested by it.

Become a pet owner rescuing one of the many abandoned. Save a cat, a dog, or any other animal to be your pet.

On April 19^th you will flex the muscles near both ends of the mouth with a smile, or make someone else. You may also involuntarily react to certain external or internal stimulation, and laugh, or make others! It is humorous day for jokes! Be happy smile, laugh and forget the tears. Think in moments when something made you laugh and let it at least make you giggle.

Spring is here and the bird named cuckoo arrives singing! On the twentieth day of April open your ears and let the cuckoo sing to you. There are various species of this migratory bird. Have fun learning about them this day.

Everything has a beginning as Kindergarten, started by Friedrich Froebel. He was born on April 21, 1782 and for his honor, is celebrated Kindergarten Day.

Take this day to remember the fun of how you started your educational phase. Have also fun with those little ones around you of this age. You may take a moment to feel the celebration with some artistic activities.

Froebel believed that having real gardens at that age cultivated their own inner lives. I believe that everybody should work out at the same time a real garden and their spiritual garden.

I admire the fact of dedicating a day to earth, because this is our home. Genesis 1:31 says: "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day." On April 22, let's demonstrate our gratitude and encourage others to keep our home, the Earth, neat. Join the billion people making the number grow taking part in Earth Day, acknowledging our amazing home, and take action protecting it.

Hank Aaron is today a retired American Major League baseball player from 1954 making his first home run, playing through 1976 He grew up poor picking cotton and unable to afford baseball equipment; he practiced using sticks for bats and bottle caps as balls. This humble effort made him achieve many remarkable plays, like breaking the career home run record by Babe Ruth. Hank made his goal and today it is recognized every April 23^rd.

A day dedicated to eat those small in size sausages wrapped in biscuit or croissant dough, pancake, and baked. This April 24 make your favorite recipe celebrating at breakfast, lunch or dinner your pigs in a basket. Enjoy your meal, Bon appetit, Buen provecho!

Since 1794 with Claude Chappe's non-electric telegraph to the first telephone of Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922). Communication has advanced to the mobile industry. Internet has many people in contact, but on April 25^th, celebrate surprising those that you have not heard their voice and give them a telephone hug! I know that just thinking about it brings tears to some.

April 26 is that wonderful special day to act like a bear. Give a bear hug to that friend that normally you say just hello or shake hands with. I can imagine their eyes when a hug will be received instead. Who does not like a hug? Everybody needs a hug. Love is the answer and love is an action...hugs can say "I love you". Miracles happen with hugs!

April 27^th is coming, prepare yourself and tell that story you have been holding to yourself. Gather your family and/or friends and listen to their stories, as well as tell them your story. Go to a library or a school and share with our children some good challenging stories. Let others feel experiences by words. Tears and laughter are needed today by stories that say much.

On April 28^th rhymes will be heard. This day is inspiring, creative and romantic. Poems are for any age. Poets are hidden with their poems. April 28 may be a beginning for all those talented people to rise. Reading is a great activity and many have forgotten it. Start this day with a little poem, perhaps you will keep on reading and bring insight to your life with such lovely poetry to be read.

Since 1913 we have been using zippers when Gideon Sunback of Hoboken, NJ patented it. April 29^th celebrates this event. You may celebrate this day in many creative ways, the thing is to use something with a zipper, and enjoy sharing the facts of the Zipper Day. Little things in life like a zipper, that big changes have not been seen since the first, are those we take for granted and should be looked on with gratitude.

Did you start April fooling somebody? April 30 is the day to make it up being honest. Honesty brings freedom when it is said in a harmless way. The truth hurts sometimes, but said with caring and love, is a relief. Expecting losses is an effect. Being responsible is celebrating the National Honesty Day, and keeping it through the year. M. Hirsh Goldberg is the establisher of this National Day, because of the deceitful lies and pranks brought by April Fool's day.

Enjoy the month of April with your family. It will be nice to read what you have done with all these activities. I think it is a month with great messages like those found in the Bible. God wants us joyful!

Blessings to all!

© Maria Magdalena Ruiz O'Farrill