Good morning, Digital Neighbors! Happy Sunday, ADD Irregulars, Coffee Talkers and WSN Curators, Friends & Refugees, Early Birds & Later Dayers, Coversants & Lurkers, Phamily, Misfits & Dawn Patrol, and Seekers of Sanity & Civility! An attitude of gratitude is more than a trite bumper sticker; it is a light to the heart and a beacon of the will to set your life compass in the right direction.
Gratitude is the dominant attitude of the mind and heart that I try to cultivate. I can't say that I live every day grounded in gratitude, but many of them are awash in gratitude and reasons to be thankful. Even on the days that test me, I know my greater reality is unmerited blessings and gifts of living that have come my way. Since I believe in a Giver, it prompts me easily enough to pray and worship. If you don't believe in a Giver, I would think that it would give you even more reason to wonder at the amazing nature of our life.
Gratitude does not mean that we ignore the realities of life such as hardship, suffering, and death, but rather that we return to the greater cause for gratitude after the episode of sorrow and stretching has passed. Sadly, sometimes it does not pass, and one must struggle to find gratitude while in the trial. That is perhaps the most difficult path to walk. Well, enough of the morning babble—off to some quotes and a beautiful barn from somewhere in our reality. Blessed Sunday, Digital Neighbors!
“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.” - Tecumseh
“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” - Marcel Proust
“Live a life full of humility, gratitude, intellectual curiosity, and never stop learning.” - Gza
Autumn Barn - Maxim Berg – Unsplash - Vorderer Gosausee, Австрия - Austria
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.
