Good Morning, Digital Neighbors! Happy Friday Friends! It used to be a bigger deal in the days before ministry, but I still enjoy the symbolism of a welcome Friday and a week well done. Whatever the weekend hold for you, I pray it is full of promise and possibility. Have a great day Friends & Refugees, Early Birds and Later Dayers, Conversants, Lurkers and Lost, all you Misfits, PHAM and Political Homeless and finally all your WSN Contributors, Curmudgeons and ADD Irregulars!
“I guess it's something about the air. Fall air always smells like possibility.” ― Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
We recently had a black pill session over on Padre’s at one of our afternoon Speakeasys and I enjoyed it as much as one can enjoy conversations of doom, gloom and imminent disaster. I am half Irish so expecting things to go to crap seems to be hardwired into my emotional and volitional makeup. The other half is English, so I am equally tempted to close my eyes and pretend everything is fine if I just ignore it. I love my heritage, but there are currents of behavior that seem to exist within them. I swim against those currents that with active faith and humor, but it is almost always lurking there in the background waiting to tell me, “I told you so.” It was a good session to chat with among friends since their presence is a good reminder that hope does not vanish. It was a realistic conversation about troubling signs for the future. A return to realism is what the WEST needs, and it begins with the company you keep.
Today’s quote reminds me that despite humanity’s propensity to screw things up there is good in the world and nature reminds us of it. Crisp mornings, vibrant days of bright blue skies and the cascade of colors with leaves and the last flowers of the season are welcome gifts. Whatever your world view and societal attitude, I pray you have experiences in your day that remind you of goodness and beauty. Perhaps that will prompt you to wonder if truth might also exist. If truth does exist, finding it will set you free. (It will probably piss you off first.) Happy Friday dear Digital Neighbor!
Autumn sky - Magdalena Mastej - Unsplash
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.
