Good Morning Digital Neighbors! Hello again Friends & Refugees, Phamily & Misfits, ADD Irregulars & Curmudgeons! Blessed Sunday, friends at Locals and Substack!

In Cath-O-land we are celebrating Gaudete Sunday. The third Sunday of Advent is a time to rejoice—the meaning of gaudete—as our attention turns from praying for the end of the world (not normally on people's joy list) to remembering the Incarnation of Jesus. Of course there are plenty of uptights about baby Jesus; they have been protesting Nativity scenes for decades—hardly even newsworthy now. The culture war is so far past those days. I do expect the obligatory hit pieces from the outhouse-worthy publications about Christmas. I really don't mind them, but they never seem to have the testicular fortitude to talk about Mohammed when it comes to their publications. At least shameless cowardice is one consistent trait they possess, along with the absence of credibility.

Jesus or no Jesus in your life, I hope you can discover joy from time to time. I hope you are able to find it in life and share it with those around you. There are enough emotional vampires out there that suck the joy and laughter right out of your life. Many of them work for the Enemedia or one of the other bastions of herdthink in Academia, Big Tech, Wokertainment, and of course Careerist Politics. They have a smugness that often masquerades as joy but fades so quickly when they are criticized or opposed that you have to wonder if they really ever had it. Misery really doesn't love company; it hates your company and anything other than seeing fellow inmates in misery.

Joy—it flows from gratitude. If you want more joy in your life, cultivate more gratitude. It doesn't mean you ignore the challenges of life or the real hardships that people experience, but you mentally focus on what you are thankful for in life. You determine the background music of your thoughts, and whatever is playing in your head will condition your attitude and be manifest in your behavior. You don't need a Deity to give thanks for the goodness in life; all you need is gratitude and an awareness that life is a gift and you are its surprised recipient. Have a great Gaudete Sunday!

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. — Rabindranath Tagore

Joy is prayer; joy is strength; joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. — Mother Teresa

If you carry joy in your heart, you can heal any moment. — Carlos Santana