Earth Day is celebrated today April 22nd. It is about doing things to help protect our planet earth, to keep it clean and healthy. The cynic might say why bother, the optimist says every little helps. It’s the simple things that we can all do, that make the biggest difference.

On This Day 

On April 22nd 1970 The First Earth Day was celebrated. It was founded by American politician and conservationist Gaylord Anton Nelson and it quickly grew into an international event

On April 22nd 2016 More than 170 countries signed the Paris Agreement on climate change, a landmark treaty that sought to control and reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere

On April 22nd 2018 Liverpool’s Egyptian soccer forward Mohamed Salah is named Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year

Birthday’s Today🎂

Amber Heard (Actress) is 38

Jack Nicholson (Actor) is 87

James McClean (Irish Retired Footballer) is 35

Significance Of Today

Today is Earth Day. Our planet Earth, due to human activity, is in trouble. Our ecosystems are being lost and our planet is heating up. Many people in developing countries are struggling with crop failures and food shortages. Endangered species are disappearing rapidly, our water and air is becoming increasingly polluted.

Thankfully we are making progress in coming up with solutions.  Earth Day, one of the first global initiatives to protect and conserve the earth, has become an annual event that strives for positive change on a global scale. It aims to inspire individuals, communities, businesses and governments all over the world to take action and help preserve the planet.

Interesting Quote for Today

“As I walk with Beauty
As I walk, as I walk,
The universe is walking with me,
In beauty it walks before me,
In beauty it walks behind me,
In beauty it walks below me,
In beauty it walks above me,
Beauty is on every side.”  ~Traditional Navajo Prayer

Saint For Today

Saint Joseph of Persia

Did You Know😇

Even if you’re little, you can do a lot, you mustn’t let a little thing like little stop you’ ~from the musical Matilda

It is amazing how the weather can be such a topic of conversation. It is great this weekend that we can all finally enjoy some lovely dry sunny weather. It is also such a welcome break for our farming community too. They will be so busy these days catching up on jobs that were on hold for so long because of the weather.

It is true how the weather can influence our mood and this weekend we can allow our spirts lift and get outdoors to feel the beauty of spring unfold all around. It reminds me of the musical ‘Matilda’ and one of its key songs is called ‘When I Grow Up’ and at its heart is a wish to be positive, upbeat and that nothing is impossible if we truly believe that it will happen.

But for many people it’s the little things that become the stumbling blocks. In our Gospel stories Jesus is the one who constantly helped people remove the obstacles that stopped people living their lives to the full. We worry about all that happened yesterday and what will happen tomorrow and forget all that today has to offer.

We often say it’s the little things that matter and they do. The invitation is to allow them to become stepping stones to appreciating the beauty of the present moment.  Life can so often be complicated and difficult. The little moments get squashed and trampled upon. This week is a lovely opportunity to reclaim and celebrate the smaller moments of your life. It is dropping the letter t in I can’t to leave I can!

Thought For The Week is updated each Monday