National Joe Day

By Diane Forrest 

During the 2008 Presidential Debates against John McCain and President Obama, an unknown hero was born, his name is Joe, the Plumber.   McCain used his name as a metaphor to describe every man who was not in favor of redistributing the wealth as Obama had discussed.  The name Joe is frequently used when addressing someone who's name you don't know...such as " What do you know, Joe?"

While the name Joe may not appear on the top 10 list of names for boys according to the ssa.gov website, the name Joe has had a long history, and belongs to several fascinating people.  One of the first famous Joe's that I can think of is the father of Jesus, Joseph.  I wonder if Mary would say, "So Joe, what do you know?" I have had a few wonderful men in my life named Joe.  I had an Uncle Joe, who was a calm, quiet man.  I went to school with a guy named Joe, who was a wild and crazy guy, and today, one of my best friend's is named Joe.  The common thread in each of these Joe's is they all have big  hearts, and would go out of their way to help a friend or stranger in need. It was their desire to make the world a better place, and their actions made me a better person just by knowing them.

One of the sweetest stories I know about a Joe, is about Joe DiMaggio, who put roses on Marilyn Monroe's grave every week until he passed away.  Such love and loyalty and devotion is truly heartwarming.   Today is National Joe Day.  Its a day to celebrate all the great Joe's you know, and if you don't have a wonderful Joe in your life, then for today, you can change your name to Joe and be a wonderful person to someone else.

As for my best friend Joe, he recently celebrated his 75th birthday, and has been under the weather with bouts of the flu, viruses and seasonal allergies, and I would like to give a shout out to him, and pray that he recovers soon, so he can get back to doing what he does best, being a wonderful friend to everyone he knows.  Get Well Quick Joe!! We are praying for you!

Here are some other famous Joe's:

• Mighty Joe Young
• Joe Six Pack
• Joe Camel
• Joe Montana
• Joe Biden
• Joe Cool
• Joe Lieberman
• Trader Joe's
• GI Joe
• Joe Jackson
• Joe Dowdle
• Shoeless Joe Jackson
• Joe Mauer
• Joe Mantegna
• Joe Palca
• Joe DiMaggio
• Joe Namath
• Joe Theismann
• Country Joe McDonald
• Joe Strummer
• Joe Jonas
• Joe Louis
• Joe Spano
• Joe Satriani
• Philly Joe Jones
• Joe Cocker
• Joe the Plumber
• Joe Torre
• Joe Frazier
• Joe Flacco
• Joe Stevenson
• Viewtiful Joe
• Joe Calzaghe

(All images from Google) 

National Joe Day

(Google Image) 

By Diane Forrest

As I was looking over the month's assignments, I checked out March 27th first.  That is my father's birthday, and I wanted to see what other occasions were celebrated on that day.  The first thing I saw was National Joe Day.  I was curious about it because I have a great friend named Joe.  After doing some research on the day I learned that National Joe Day is a day where everyone can change their name to Joe for the day.  So I thought about it, why would someone want to change their name to Joe?  I looked up the meaning of Joe, or Joseph.  It means he will add, or enlarge.  Then I thought about Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus.  What a wonderful man he must have been.  Imagine, here is this young man, engaged to a young girl.  He imagines their future together.  Then out of the blue she is pregnant.  He had not had intimate relations with her, that sort of thing wasn't done back then, so he knows he isn't the father of her baby.  Can you just imagine what he must have thought?  Consider this day and age, if your fiancé came to you and said she was pregnant, how would you handle it?

Joseph was child of God, when the angel visited him and explained that Mary was having God's son, he supported her, believed in her and stayed by her side, ignoring all the gossip that must have surrounded him.  He married Mary, raised Jesus as his own, taught him his trade, the skills of a carpenter, and provided for his family.

(Google Image)  

This made me think of my friend Joe.  He is also a child of God, a carpenter, and a supportive man that provides for his family.  He recently turned 74, and he amazes me every day.  He is constantly learning and trying new things.  He is very interested in the country's politics, not only the current races, but his knowledge of past elections not only in this country, but other country's leaders would make any history teacher envious. He recently started an exercise program at his local YMCA that would put younger men to shame.  He owns his business, and continues to work every day along with his sons.

(Google Image)  

Even though he works daily and exercises most days, he still makes time to spend with his family and friends.  He regularly visits friends in the nursing homes, making sure they have the things they need, and he spends time with his grandchildren, teaching them to read and learn new things.  There are days when he wants to stay in bed and sleep, but he pushes himself up and gets moving to continue to keep in good health to be able to provide for and support his family.  Even while doing all of this, he still makes time for me, keeping me company so that I am not alone.

(Google Image)  

I'm sure many of you have a "Joe" in your life.  Someone you can look to and think, I want to be like him". Someone who makes you want to be a better person.  So, today, on National Joe Day, I wanted to show my appreciation for Joe, and would be honored to be called Joe for a day.  Here are some other famous Joe's:

• Jo
• Mighty Joe Young
• Joe Six Pack
• Joe Camel
• Joe Montana
• Joe Biden
• Joe Cool
• Joe Lieberman
• Trader Joe's
• GI Joe
• Joe Jackson
• Joe Dowdle
• Shoeless Joe Jackson
• Joe Mauer
• Joe Mantegna
• Joe Palca
• Joe DiMaggio
• Joe Namath
• Joe Theismann
• Country Joe McDonald
• Joe Strummer
• Joe Jonas
• Joe Louis
• Joe Spano
• Joe Satriani
• Philly Joe Jones
• Joe Cocker
• Joe the Plumber
• Joe Torre
• Joe Frazier
• Joe Flacco
• Joe Stevenson
• Viewtiful Joe
• Joe Calzaghe