January 17

Benjamin Franklin's Birthday

Benjamin Franklin was born on this day in 1706. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. More than that, he was a an author, printer, political theorist, scientist, inventor, civic activist, and diplomat. A man of many talents, he is credited with establishing the American values and character which define this country.

It is strange to note that though he helped define American values, Franklin himself was not a mainstream Christian, but a Deist. As were several of the Founding Fathers. Franklin himself aserts his view on religion in a letter written shortly before he died.

"As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupt changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his divinity...."

A Way to Celebrate

Creating your own 'Poor Richard's Almanack' for a week would be fitting. The almanac used to contain a calendar, weather forcasts, astronomical and astrological information as well as games and puzzles.

Think about the upcoming week and what you will be doing. Create a box for each day. Add the dates and any events or appointments you have. Next, watch the weather forcast and record the temperatures and/or the weather for each day. Using a Spell-A-Day calendar or other almanac, you can find out the astrological and astronomical information to add.

Once your basic week has been filled in, think about all the things you would like to happen. Would you like to have a fantastic Monday instead of your usual roll-out-of-bed-and-grab-a-coffee routine? Perhaps you'd like your hair apointment to be spectacular on Thursady. Whatever it is, write it down as a prediction and add it to the calendar. You may also want to cut out or print out a crossword or suduko to do during the week and add it, too. Whatever you choose, have fun with it. Franklin did, and look how far he went.