My mother told me: never discuss religion or politics. That is about all I talk about.
People are somewhat schizophrenic in focus during the holiday season. On the one hand they want to spread cheer, be jolly and bright, and lighten each others day; on the other hand they get stressed with the effort, become pushy and grumpy, if not outright hostile. They drive more erratically, become exhausted with their efforts and worried about their budgets…. unless… Unless they slow down,... 
I started an online Advent blog sometime in 2006. Something like one of those old fashioned Advent calenders like my grandmother used to send me as a child, each day holds a devotional thought and a picture. Over the years I chose different themes and some years included childrens activities or Christmas recipes. Our family uses them for the daily Advent times ( admittedly we sometime have to... 
Autumn Is Ended ~J. Hazard Hartzell~ DOWN drop the painted leaves; The world lies stripped and wounded, cold and bare; Piled are the golden sheaves; And past is every object sweet and fair. Now faded are the flowers And grass on sloping hills and tranquil dales; And songless are the bowers Where lovers came and breathed their secret tales. The fruits are ripe and gone; The fields have lost their wealth... 
We usually think of New Year’s Day as the time for new beginnings, but the year has several entries for a new beginning. Easter week is one of these, as well as the new school year, which coincides closely with the time of Yom Kippur. Many of the symbols or icons of Eastertime elicit thoughts of new starts, like baby chicks or Easter eggs. Springtime is a natural new beginning as all of nature rises... 
Today I am giving thanks. Real heartfelt thanks (which is what I should give to God everyday) derived from the reminder of a National holiday. I have a mixed bag of circumstances, and that has seemed the rule for me, rather than the exception; but whatever our circumstances, whether we are without a job, under financial strain, struggling with family breakups, isolated and overlooked, however challenging... 
“Passion” is a big buzzword now, especially on the internet and in marketing. I don’t know if most people are prepared to be passionate in our culture today. I know it seems I am conflating the meaning of Christ’s Passion, but let’s look at these things for a little while. If the word passion connotes anything in the English language it is certainly intensity. Intensity in... 
Reposted from 12/09/07, Some Advent history: Originally Advent was a preparatory time somewhat like Lent- it’s liturgical colors of purple and violet calling up penance, fasting, and repentance. We have exchanged that for the often forced gaiety of prolonged Christmas celebrating. No wonder we get tired! I like downplaying the secular clamor and rush for as much quiet soul-preparing contemplation as... 
first candle, originally uploaded by mekkes2082. New Covenant, Rusty Lopez, posts on “hope”. Poem, thoughts, and photo not to be missed. I have started my own Advent week’s set of... 
The time of the 17th of Tammuz, when the walls of Jerusalem were breached to the time of the 9th of Av when the temple was destroyed. The days of “dire straits” (‘bein ha Metzarim’), Tisha B’Av. Historically, the twenty-one days extending from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av represented a notable time of bitterness and destruction for the Jews. This time for our calender... 
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Nicholas Christakis, a physician and social scientist at Harvard, found when examining data from a long-term study of the residents of Framingham, Mass., health habits can be as contagious as a cold virus. By his calculation, a Framingham individual’s chances of becoming obese shot up by 57 percent if a friend became obese. -People Who Forget To Die
0Through Liz’s Example 
“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass … it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”0
This is the bible study I did last summer- I recommend it. Esther Leader's Kit: It's Tough Being a Woman
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