Category Archives: Through the Calendar

Observations engendered by different seasons, celebrations, and times of the year.

The Gift of Realism

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts   Good, fast, cheap: Pick two. Who says you can’t have it all? Well, apparently software developers do, and good for them.  This short injunction neatly sums up … Continue reading

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The Gift of Motivation

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts The best is the enemy of the good. Voltaire, in a letter to Frederik of Prussia Voltaire’s words come as a bit of a shock: we are more … Continue reading

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The Gift of Humility

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts In the spirit of surprises, it turns out that the Hippocratic Oath does not include these words: First, do no harm. Maybe the reason so many think it … Continue reading

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The Gift of Surprise

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts When I was born, I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and a half. Gracie Allen The older we get, the less surprise there is … Continue reading

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The Gift of Familiarity

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts In the kitchen, reach for the paring knife without thinking or looking. In the shower, reach for the face cloth in its accustomed spot without having to open … Continue reading

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The Gift of Doubt

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts Doubt is not an agreeable condition, but certainty is a deplorable one. Voltaire Balancing the gift of faith is the gift of doubt. Questioning what we read, see, … Continue reading

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The Gift of Faith

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts Whether we are Christian or not, this 1st day of Christmas is an ideal day to rejoice in the gift of faith: faith in a god, in a … Continue reading

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You Say it Best…

You say it best, when you say nothing at all. Tomorrow marks the start of short reflections on 12 gifts, one for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Tonight, following the advice of Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz in … Continue reading

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The Perfect Moment

Marking the conclusion of a 12-year project to send letters on palindromic dates that won’t be seen again in this century.   I am standing outside the Astoria OR post office, 11 years, 11 months and 11 days since the … Continue reading

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