There’s
a saying where I come from – “knee high by the fourth of July.’ It means if a field of corn is knee high by
Independence Day, the crop is off to a good start.
There
are other seasonal bits of wisdom that have become part of our language. “In like a lion, out like a lamb,” sometimes
describes the month of March. Or how
about, “April showers bring May flowers.”
(What do May flowers bring?
Pilgrims, of course).
This
one’s new to me: “A swarm in May is worth a load of hay; a swarm in June is
worth a silver spoon; but a swarm in July is not worth a fly.”
The
Old Testament books of Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Proverbs are the
Bible’s books of wisdom. The book of
Proverbs contains a number of collections of short sayings that are often true
about life. Here are a few:
“Hatred stirs up disputes, but love covers all offenses” (10:2).
“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by virtuous
living” (16:31).
“Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears
the Lord is to be praised” (31:30).
The
book of Proverbs has 31 chapters. You
could read one chapter each day during the month of July—read chapter 1 by July
1, chapter 2 by July 2, chapter 3 by July 3, and read chapter 4… “by the Fourth
of July.”
