Good Morning Digital Neighbors! I have other early morning writings to do for the parish so the bulletin can be sent so my musings and ramblings here are rather limited this morning. Two of the fond realities in my life are quotes and stories.
I appreciate quotes for the doors of the mind & heart that they can open. Some quotes are so rich and powerful that they reveal more meaning than a good book. Few things are worse than a bad book, and far worse to not know until it has robbed you of too much time. Good or bad, quotes don't ask for much and can often deliver a lifetime of meaning. Some quotes are so meaningful that they become something of a motto or mantra that grounds us. Quotes - maximum meaning for minimal time, almost as powerful as asking for a pill to heal us or a remote control to serve us. We might be a little more skeptical about the pills these days and we may try to free ourselves from the dependency on remotes. Quotes, good ones, rarely fail us.
Stories - we are all part of one right now, in another chapter of living be it the beginning, middle or end of this current chapter. It is challenging to prevent the current chapter from consuming our total attention. We become absorbed in the present moment and the feelings of the moment can make us lose sight of the fullness of the current story. Understanding our own story, understanding ourselves, without turning into narcissists is not easy, turning the right kind of attention to ourselves is needed. To understand our role, to question and ponder the meaning of past experiences, is the integrate them into the current chapter. The BIG STORY be it life, faith or some greater meaning, is not about us but invites us to discover our role, discern our lines and seek them with joyful determination. It it not all about us, but it does involve us, you in particular. A few quotes about story seems fitting. Happy Tuesday my friends!
Today marks the three hundred and thirtieth birthday of the Frenchman François-Marie Arouet, better known by his nom de plume, Voltaire (1694-1778).
Born into a bourgeois family during the reign of Louis XIV, the “Sun King” (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, Voltaire’s main love was writing—an 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.
Quite apart from the fact that I utterly admire, even love, her, this is the best possible response to an idiot, who, in his defense, asked a pretty good question.
https://x.com/TBifford/status/2087992591279407133/video/1?s=61
The Beautiful
Said the Disciple to the Lover, “Sir, 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. Were they then speaking the truth?”
The Lover answered, “Those 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. 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.”
