Good morning and Happy Wednesday Digital Neighbors! Hello again Friends & Refugees, Early Birds & Later Dayers, Conversants, Lurkers & Wanderers on the Report. Hey, hey all you Political Homeless, Misfits and members of the PHAM! And finally, always good to be among the ADD Irregulars, WSN Contributors and Curmudgeons and Curmudgeonessas, it is a small and peculiar crowd but always open to additional members. Come join us!
IF I KNEW THE WAYS OF ANIMALS
If I knew the sweep of winged things
—the sulphur among the alfalfas
the lark in the sky—
I would know everything
the eagle knows
about the earth’s fine geometry
and its handsome curvature
If I knew the compass of creeping, crawling things
—the worm that comes out to greet the rain
the caterpillar that has its cheek on beauty—
I would know everything
the garter snake knows
about mixing colors
to match the palette of mottled leaves
that have fallen from the paper birch
If I knew the ways of majestic beasts—
the lion’s proud strutting
the elephant’s lumbering walk—
I would know everything the wolf knows which has left
a scattering of feathers
that belonged to a grouse
If I knew the sail that belonged to swift things
—the cheetah’s explosive dash
the quick scamper of a squirrel to the tree top—
I would know everything
the gazelle knows
the way he walks
among the sounds of the forest
If I knew the habits of near-home creatures—
the owl in its bower
the cat at the window sunning himself—
and could meditate on the grandeur that marks the land
I would know everything
a good heart knows
the voice of God
from his resplendent tower.
S. RAMNATH
Bison - Gapz Bee - 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.
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 “ifferisms” for your Friday cup of Joe.
If you get gloomy, just take an ...
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.”
