Good morning, digital neighbors! Happy Saturday! As we finish our week on friendship, I leave you with one of my favorite reflections on the subject. Zoomer @zoomerqc posted this a few years ago at Padre’s, and I hope that wherever he is, he is doing well. I am thankful for Phetasy, where I met Zoom and got to know him and his dogs, Bella and Crue. I thank him for bringing David Whyte into my life and his beauty and depth. His reflection on friendship is long; here is the audio link and a few sentences that stand out in this beautiful prose.
"An undercurrent of real friendship is a blessing exactly because its elemental form is rediscovered again and again through understanding and mercy."
"Friendship is a moving frontier of understanding, not only of the self and the other but also of a possible and as yet unlived future."
"The dynamic of friendship is almost always underestimated as a constant force in human life. A diminishing circle of friends is...
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.
