I grew up hearing stories of strange happenings on Good Fridays in the far past -- Good Friday in the 33rd year of each century. The stories were fascinating and I believed them to be true so I was eagerly awaiting the year 1933 to see what great event might transpire on Good Friday.

In 1733, as the story went, members of the family (though I've no idea who they were) watched a red cross shine all day in the eastern sky. In 1833 my great-great-grandmother (a saintly lady who would never think of telling even a white lie) was afraid to go to the spring for water because "the stars were falling all day," and she feared she would be hit by one.

And so I watched excitedly all day in 1933 but I neither saw nor heard anything of an unusual nature. I don't know -- maybe I missed something because I did not know what to look for. And then again, maybe I just was not saintly enough!