Good morning, digital neighbors! Happy Friday, dear friends—another week is passing, and hopefully it has been a good one. One of the words I use often is "neighbor," and at the heart of community are good neighbors with shared or complementary attitudes. We don’t have to be 100% on the same page, but mostly looking in the same direction and hoping for the same perceived goods. I have a deep appreciation for patience, mutual respect, actual listening to others, and not hip-shooting labels to silence dialogue. Once we label, we clearly aren’t listening. Not all labels are bad; some are illustrative and accurately succinct. I think that is why they exist. Human beings always want shortcuts. It is a safety feature hardwired in our survival instincts.
I think of my childhood in the 1970s and how much PBS shows emphasized the importance of being good neighbors. Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, and The Electric Company all played their part in trying to build upon a more traditional yet expansive concept of being good neighbors. Those days of early PBS were very inclusive in the real sense of the word in terms of the racial, gender, and age diversity. I cringe at the word, because "diversity" almost always now means having every fringe identity as a check-marked part of your community, business, or group. “SEE HOW DIVERSE WE ARE, WE HAVE A BLANK!” It used to be a black or gay friend back in the 1980s. I miss those days. One thing that is not considered an expression of diversity is being male or of European heritage. Bad news again for Jews and fair-complexioned Asians—you are mostly dumped into the group of demeaned descendants of Whitelandia and all its evils. Go figure. On to the quotes, thank you all for being good neighbors!
The happiest people I know are people who don't even think about being happy. They just think about being good neighbors, good people. And then happiness sort of sneaks in the back window while they are busy doing good. —Harold S. Kushner
When we look for what's best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does, so in appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something truly sacred. —Fred Rogers
A bad neighbor is as great a calamity as a good one is a great advantage. —Hesiod
No man is a good citizen, a good neighbor, a good friend, or a good man just because he obeys the law. The intrinsic worth is determined mainly by the intrinsic make-up. —Clarence Darrow
Pexels-Rfera-Kandergrund, BE, Switzerland
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.
Good Morning, Digital Neighbors, and Blessed Sunday to one and all!
Sundays are for gratitude, and few things impact our lives more than intentional gratitude. It is not enough to say you are blessed or that you are fortunate; the actual naming of our blessings plants them deep in the heart, transforming us as persons rather than leaving us with the bland “thankful for everything.”
Two years ago, I wrote this reflection on resentment and gratitude. In light of the celebration of our nation’s 250th anniversary, I think it’s worth revisiting. We can choose to be among those who are thankful for America or among those who find nothing but fault with it.
You cannot build a future based on resentments of the past. You cannot grow if you are mired in the injuries of yesterday. God and life do not call us to ignore such experiences, but He constantly calls us forward—to be more, to receive more, to live more. Heal those wounds and work through those injuries, but do not be defined by them, and do not try to ...
