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"Short Notes" | will's weblog | current entries |

| 5-6 dec | 11-13 dec | 18-22 dec | christmas |

Holiday Greetings: the christmas tree adventure | holiday gift ideas

25 dec | Christmas Day Reflections | It is wise, sometimes, to reflect on one's reality from the perspective of someone else. In some respects, it's a chance to recognize what happens to our collective thoughht process when we question the history of our culture. Memorialziations are written to extol the virtues of the Conqueror, not those of the conquered.

History may be written by those in power, but those in power can never forever suppress the Truth

Such is the case with Christianity, whose 4th and 5th Century leaders knowingly conspired to destroy as many different points of view about the Christ as possible, if they seemed to call into question the legitimacy of the ursurpers of power amongst the faithful.

Book burnings, wholesale destruction of documents, persecution and ostracization of those whose thoughts differ from the power elite all tools to make folks in the future no even aware that there were a wide range of thoughts and opinions about the origins of the Faith.

Yet time also has a way of unmasking the false. As evidence of this, we can go to 1945, in Egypt, when an Arab peasant, fleeing from enemies in a blood feud, accidently unearthed an earthen jar fulled with papyrus texts that made up the Gnostic Gospels, who talk fo the Christ not as some mythic "personal savior but as a more highly evolved spiritual guide who provides humanity with a benchmark of what each of us can achieve. A point of view touted as a form of heresey by religious authorities who ~more intent in establishing their power over others than in advancing human spiritual development~ had a strong and vested interest in duping the rest of us from the truth.

With this in mind, Christmas has been a series of conversations around spiritual growth and development that has included reflections on Gnostic Gospels, the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, (an outgrowth of watching a videotape of the Daili Lama speaking in London's Royal Albert Hall in 1999), Neale Donald Walsch's Conversations with God and ruminations about the import of the partial solar eclipse occurring on Christmas day.

The Daili LAma spoke of the need to get rid of hatred, anger and resentment, that we must rid the world of hate and embark on a course of inner disarmament. Now it is to the rest of us to accomplish this challenge.

24 dec | Christmas Greetings
| My friend Lorraine and I have a tradition of going to the ocean on Christmas morning and witnessing the sunrise. It got started after a dear friend of Lorraine's passed away from heart disease. Prior to that passing she had promised the friend that, once he'd recovered, they would go to the beach and do just what we have done every year since that time. When he died, she went to the ocean anyway.

She vowed to look for something that indicated that he was aware of her sojourn. Sure enough, on the way back from the ocean, along the side of the spur road back to I-95, there was this tree, alone and not near any dwellings or stop points. It was adorned with ornaments and garland. She stopped and added ornament to them.

The next year, I joined her on the trip. During that year a close friend of my own had passed on (Brian C.) and I felt it important to pay him my respects. It also seemed a perfect way to reflect on the meaning of Christmas. Peace on Earth

Every year we meet in the middle of nowhere at 5 a.m. and armed with coffee, hot cocoa delectible cookie treats, and ornaments. We park our vehicle where we are able. Sometimes we're far from the beach; on other occasions, the gate to a state parking lot has been open and we go right to the edge of the sand. Over the years, the conditions have varied. Only once was it impossible to Lorraine at the Tree

actually see the sun (due to heavy rains). Other times the beach was almost totally eroded away (from early winter storms), or unseasonably warm. We never know what to expect. And we find things. Horsehose crab shells. Starfish. Strange pieces of driftwood and styrofoam.

We share and reflect upon what's happened to us both during the past year, and pay silent rememberance to our friends who have passed away or with whome we have lost touch.

And we add our tribute to the tree. To both of us, it seems a much more suitable to pay our respects to this holiest season.

This year, neither of us is able to go, so this page is our cyber sojourn to the beach.

Merry Christmas everyone.

P.S. Congratulations to Bethany and Warren | wed on 23 december 2000

NOTE | We are traveling, and in New Hampshire as I write this. Before leaving I forgot to upload the days between 18 thru 22 december so the detailed explaination of the next item (No Coal for Christmas) is not available. When I return home, some time tomorrow night, I'll put them up and the archilved pages shall then click on as the ought to.

23 dec | no coal for Christmas

"Bah Humbug" Award redux | Can't vouch for everybody that the Connecticut State fuel assistance program serves, but the case which brought this situation to my attention was granted a reprieve, of sorts. In part 'cuz some good Samaritin paid for a delivery of fuel before Christmas (not a whole order, but enough to get the people through the holidays); in part becuase the non-profit agency, on the strength of knowing that a couple of small fuel supply vendors sent in their authorization forms (though DSS has yet to process them) was willing to say yes to some other fuel deliveries.

Still no thanks, mind you, to the uncaring bureaucrats at DSS

For information on Poverty and social justice issues:

Poor Peoples' Economic Human Rights Campaign

The Economic Human Rights Tribunal

Resources for a New America

Changemakers | Achieving Social Justice using tools of Entrepeneurship

current entries |

| 23 nov | 1-2 dec | 5-6 dec | 11-13 dec | 18-22 dec |

Catch you on the rebound!

~Will Brady

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about "Short Notes"

"Short Notes" was the title of a column I wrote while working for a newspaper in the Adirondack Mountains some years ago. The format was similar to what you'll find here, except augmented with pictures and maps. The subject matter shall sometimes be personal, at other times comments on events or situations of which I am aware. Comments, suggestions welcomed but not always acted upon.

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I hope you've found this site interesting, even thought provoking || Occasionally some images come from commercial sources and are reproduced here under fair use guidelines of US Copyright law || Please don't write to me about the content of other peoples' sites linked from here || On the other hand, please let me know of any inactive links || Constructive comments, suggested links to add, are welcome.

This website is maintained by Will Brady / wbrady@connix.com / Last update: see most recent entry

since 12 June 1999