Good Morning Digital Neighbors! Back in the saddle for these morning rambles on Padre's, Rubin Report and Phetasy. Happy Monday ADD Irregulars, Refugees & Phamily! Hello again Early Birds, Later Dayers, Dawn Patrol, Conversants, Lurkers and Vagabonds of the WSN!
How about looking at a weeks worth of quotes and grammatically challenged and typo ridden commentary on opportunity. Opportunity, the opposite of the constant whining about privilege in our culture. No one is equal, we are all individual. Life is not fair, nor can it be made fair with all of its variables. Two siblings can have very different stories based on the relationships within their household as well as the gifts and talents they possess or lack. The best a culture or society can try to ensure is equal opportunities for people to strive to develop their potential. Whining about privilege is to slide down into the pit of envy, resentment and excusatory behavior. "Not my fault - I am __________________." Whining, self-pity, is one of the most isolating states of mind and probably the greatest hindrance to motivation. We all have our moments on the pity-pot as Momma Peggy called it, but no one should want to remain there. Anyways, off to the quotes now that I have set the table as it were for my thoughts on opportunity.
As tools become rusty, so does the mind; a garden uncared for soon becomes smothered in weeds; a talent neglected withers and dies. - Ethel Page
The richest soil, if uncultivated, produces the rankest weeds. - Plutarch
I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are there because they are good or there because they are lucky. - Katharine Hepburn
Use it or loose it! Be humble if you have it. š Have a great day my friends and neighbors across Locals!
Lees Summit, Missouri
Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman FranƧois-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the āSun Kingā (r. 1643-1715), Voltaire suffered tragedy at a young age when his mother died. Never close with his father or brother, Voltaire exhibited a rebellious attitude toward authority from his youth. His brilliant mind was fostered in the care of the Society of Jesus, who introduced him to the joys of literature and theater. Despite his later criticisms against the Church, Voltaire, throughout his life, fondly recalled his dedicated Jesuit teachers.
Although he spent time as a civil servant in the French embassy to the Hague, Voltaireās main love was writingāan endeavor where he excelled in various genres, including poetry, which led to his appointment as the royal court poet for King Louis XV. Widely recognized as one of the greatest French writers, and even hyperbolically referred to by ...
Padre - Tom Miller invites you to a Coffee Talk, Speakeasies, Schmoozes, Tea Times, Afterhours and other gatherings.
https://teams.live.com/meet/93792382189049?p=DiBHsYfuECPgDrG7vO
2026 Coffee Talk with the ADD Irregulars
Thursday, January 1, 2026
6:00 AM - 8:00 AM (CST)
Occurs every day starting 1/1 until 12/31/2027
Coffee Talk - Daily beginning at 6:00 AM Central Time Zone - USA
White Pilled Wednesday - A break from the heaviness of news and current events to focus upon things more personal & positive for the first hour of Coffee Talk.
Afternoon Chats - Most Tuesday, Friday & Sundays 2:00 PM Central
Other chats as posted in the community.Ā
Happy Friday, Digital Neighbors!! Slept in a little this morning. Woke up at my ordinary time, hit the hour timer, and wandered back into short, incoherent dreamland. It was a good hour to try and get a little more rest after a long day yesterday. We had a good staff team-building day with personal prayer and then looking at the DISC tool as a way to appreciate our gifts as we work together for the good of our parish family.
Had a meeting in the evening to explore using our auditorium for an Emergency Overnight Shelter in the winter for the homeless and unhoused in our local area. Lots of potential, lots of work if that is to come to fruition. As I mentioned last night, this is where the rubber hits the road on personal charity. People feel comfortable giving money to support charities, but the possibility of hosting and staffing one is way out of the comfort zone for most. Prayer and time will tell.
Off to some āifferismsā for your Friday cup of Joe.
If you get gloomy, just take an ...
Ā
The Beautiful
Ā
Said the Disciple to the Lover, āSir, before I left the world I heard certain men who were held in high esteem and thought to know the will of the Beloved say that those who loved the Beautiful did not love the Beloved but loved idols, yet in the Garden of the Beloved we are ever striving to create beauty for the pleasure of the Beloved.Ā Were they then speaking the truth?ā
The Lover answered, āThose who said this had never glimpsed the form of the Beloved nor ever truly sought Him, for all beauty is but the reflection of the beauty of the Beloved, although seen very dimly as in a dark and faulty mirror, even as all goodness is a dim reflection of the goodness of the Beloved.Ā So it is that those who love beauty and goodness recognize dimly in them the form of the Beloved and though often in ignorance those who are seeking the Beautiful and the Good are seeking after the Beloved.ā
