Goodbye 2010

2010 may well have been one of the most momentous years of my life. I retired. I moved to Colorado. I was arrested in Washington, D.C. That got your attention, didn't it? By blogging my resolution to more faithfully post in the new year, I am making a semi-public commitment to you that I am obliged to honor if I expect to keep your trust (man of my word and all that rot). I have accepted that only on rare occasion do I incite comment, but I think I may have hit upon a plan for at least encouraging the agree/disagree response. I will be intentional in the coming year about making each day's post solicitous; e.g. I'm guessing that of the three milestones I mentioned at the beginning, readers will be most interested in more details about what happened while I was at Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity. It is now up to you, dear Reader, to agree or disagree.

P.S. There are new pics at my flickr link.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Eighty-seven years is quite an accomplishment by any measure. A car that age is considered a classic, and the same applies to Dad. A child of the Great Depression, a veteran of WWII, and ordained for more than six decades, Dad is representative of what Tom Brokaw has dubbed The Greatest Generation. The proximity of our birthdays has ensured that I've never been shortchanged on distinct celebrations, and I suspect there's at least one Christmas that Dad will never forget. Innumerable people have been touched by the man that I am fortunate to have as my father, and I am sure that most of them join me in wishing him the happiest of birthdays.

Time to Get Rid of Christmas?

How Christmas is perceived says much about the worldview of the perceiver. There is little question but what the contemporary manifestation is corrupt and bereft of anything save corporate profit. Yes, this applies to institutionalized religion as well, the present example being the Church. The utter absence of the theological in our current circumstance finds expression in Black Friday preceding Christmas and Good Friday marking the day of crucifixion. I personally find merit in restoring meaning to the season, but I also sorely disagree with the interpretation of those who zealously put forth their reason as absolute. Those who sincerely seek the Christ should know that it will not likely be found beneath a tree on December 25, but will instead be discovered in the eyes of those who marvel at the miracle of love revealed.

Tuesday Afternoon (redux)

I am well aware, dear Reader, of my unfaithfulness. Discipline seems not to have followed me into retirement, nor (fortunately) has the toxicity of employment. I personally believe that there is a relationship between the two, but already I digress. I am, as I said before, well aware that my commitment to blogging has suffered during transition into this next chapter of my life. I cannot tell you what a relief it is to be free of the mandatory lunch hour! (I don't think I've opened the cover of TIME since last August. Day long doses of MSNBC has become my corporate media source, and I acknowledge that this has probably come at the regrettable expense of journalistic objectivity.) For the first time since childhood I find myself free of trying to earn my keep as a member of the human family; it's equally amazing to now discover that the cost of adult "independence" was servitude. All this is simply to say that I seek your patient company while I once again learn to crawl toward the hope of a life worthy of its creation.

Third Sunday of Advent

Solitary moments such as this one are more rare since retiring. This is equally true for Mary. The "us" that is preparing to celebrate forty Christmases together has been developing in a broader context for all these years, and I'm finding my increased exposure to Mary to be a miraculously marvelous thing! She will have to tell you how she is feeling about it. The more I learn about myself leaves no question in my mind that I am most blessed. The association between cold winter weather and Christmas logically seems more natural to both of us. The Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas yuletides frankly seemed a bit strange, even though those climates probably more closely approximate that of the very first Christmas. Anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying a relaxed holiday season with plenty of time to spend with loved ones--especially my partner in life. There are only two gospel mentions of the nativity, but the serene image of a father, a mother and a child quietly loving one another on a winter's eve certainly helps set the stage for the greatest story ever told.

Second Sunday of Advent

Dad and his wife hold an open house each year before Christmas. One of the many pluses of moving to Colorado is getting to attend such occasions. What is described as the "bond of Christian love" is quite a remarkable thing. Present this afternoon were members of the church I literally grew up in. Time and space dissolved as eyes recognized faces associated with that period from my childhood to manhood during which we lived and loved together. Though nothing is ever the same as it was, it is that sense of community--of life shared--that transcends separation. I keenly sensed the communion of saints that surrounded our gathering, and reveled in the warm goodness of being home.

Couldn't Say It Better Myself

‎"So many people forget that this season is about Jesus Christ and the sacrifices he made for mankind, including the ultimate sacrifice, having his birthday on Christmas."

- Stephen Colbert

The Tree in the Corner

I like the inadvertent symbolism of our Christmas tree this year. The lights go about two-thirds of the way up leaving the top of the tree dark. As we prepare through Advent to celebrate the birth of the Christ into our world, the lights will eventually reach a star at the pinnacle and will shed a light which will completely dispel the darkness. This is what Christmas means to me, and I pray that you might consider allowing it to have a similar meaning for you.

Existential Indifference

I make a conscious effort to be honest. Even though this is a principle to which I aspire, I have been dishonest; I have lied both to myself and to others. Nonetheless, I have an awareness of honesty and intentionally strive to agree with it in spite of repeated failures. If I could be remembered for one thing, I would hope it should be for my honesty. The test of authentic honesty is Truth, inarguable, transcendent Truth. The aforementioned article articulates existential indifference and its effects, and I—to be honest—interpreted this in the context of what is happening now that so many find puzzling. Existential indifference ultimately negates any difference between right and wrong, good and evil. I personally find existence without meaning nearly incomprehensible, but freely admit that my worldview has been shaped by the affirmation that life is meaningful. The question of the meaning of life can be cliché or profound. The veracity of human volition is borne out through this inexorable choice. Now we only need to figure out what difference it makes.

Surprise -- People Who Think Life Is Meaningless Still Enjoy Their Lives | | AlterNet

Surprise -- People Who Think Life Is Meaningless Still Enjoy Their Lives AlterNet

Better Late Than Never

Here are the new pictures as promised (just later).