Good morning, Digital Neighbors! Happy Monday, friends and refugees, early birds and later dayers, conversants and lurkers over at the Rubin Report. Hey there, PHAM—all you misfits and political homeless milling about on Phetasy! Hello again, free thinkers at Outspoken, a community I stumbled into and have enjoyed the fine souls I’ve encountered there. And, of course, those dear curmudgeons, WSN curators, and ADD Irregulars that make Padre’s such a fun place to visit. Happy Easter Monday to all of you. As I love to remind my parishioners, Easter is a season, not just a day.
Well, with it being Monday, it is quote day. The longest quote outside of scripture and religious quotes that has permeated my life is from Nicolas Chamfort. A few years into ministry, I came across it, and it has been on my office door ever since:
“No day is wasted on which you laugh.”
After faith, nothing has helped me deal with life, self, and neighbor better than laughter. Not all laughter is created equal, though. There is humor that is demeaning—that seeks to humiliate, mock, or cynically address a subject or a person. That type of humor is not interested in shared laughter; it is interested in making its target feel stupid, inadequate, or awkward. While it might be great for occasional stage comedy, it is not a way to build bonds through shared joy.
What is amazing about humor is that well-crafted words and phrases can puncture the most pretentious of airs. Both Mark Twain and Ben Shapiro recognize the power of laughter and humor to make something look stupid. Once an idea can be cast in a humorous light, it may well die there.
The CABAL of the Left that I have ranted about for years now on Rubin Report, Phetasy, and Padre’s has little to no humor. Their main emotional currency is anger and outrage. Anger, outrage, and perma-hurt are unappealing to the majority of people, especially the young. If you adopt a mindset of perma-hurt—believing the myth of the unhealable past—your future will never know joy.
Good humor, playful humor, gently self-deprecating and slightly poking humor can build bonds faster than anything else. Humor has a way of deepening the bonds of friendship and making all shared endeavors more enjoyable. It is one of the things that cuts across all age groups and can bond the oldest with the youngest in mere moments. After faith, nothing has enriched my life as much as laughter. Blessings this Easter Monday, Digital Neighbors!
baby laughing - E Hillsley - 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.
Don’t argue with people over sixty.
Just don’t.
It’s not just an age; it’s a masterclass in survival.
They grew up without Google, without DoorDash, without therapy podcasts, and without an "undo" button. If something broke, they grabbed duct tape, WD-40, a hammer, and a look of sheer determination that made even the broken appliance second-guess itself.
As kids, they knew exactly what kind of mood their mom was in just by the sound of how hard she slammed the cast-iron skillet onto the stove.
They were the original latchkey kids — walking home from middle school with a house key tied around their neck, with strict orders to heat up lunch and not burn the kitchen down. By the time they were ten, they could bike to the corner store, buy a gallon of milk for the neighbor, feed the family dog, and still have time to play freeze tag in the yard until dark.
Their knees were a permanent canvas of scrapes, bruises, Mercurochrome, and rubbing alcohol. Their universal first-aid kit was just ...
