Job's birthday approaching

Poor Job had a tough time of it, back in the Old Testament. God chose him to prove to the cynical that human devotion was not based on getting material rewards. God's methods were harsh--he took away Job's cattle, his home, his family, and his health. And Job remained devout.

But he didn't remain happy about it. In fact, he literally cursed the day he was born in Job 3:3:

Let the day perish wherein I was born...Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it...let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

Some people say that this prayer was answered--because Job's birthday was February 30th. This tradition was recorded in the Memoirs of the American Folklore Society in 1925 as a common belief among black people in Maryland.

We'd suggest raising a glass to Job this February 30th, but we can't write it on our calendars, so we're sure to miss the celebration.