Daily Jots

Thought of the Day:
“New Year’s eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.”
Hamilton Wright Mabie
Thinking Outside of the Box:
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days of auld lang syne?
“And days of auld lang syne, my dear,
And days of auld lang syne.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.”
Unknown
Thinking Outside of the Box:
Everyone is thinking about resolutions right now. Which ones to make, which ones to rationalize around so they don’t have to be made, but it all narrows down to something. Making resolutions means looking into the past. “I need to change this,” or “I need to stop …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“As the season of believing seems to wind down let me gently remind you that many dreams still wait in the wings. Many authentic sparks must be fanned before passion performs her perfect work in you. Throw another log on the fire.”
Sarah Ban Breathnach
Thinking Outside of the Box:
Do you ever have problems with creativity? I do. We all do. Any author who tells you that they don’t, is lying. There are days when ideas just “t’ain’t” gonna happen. This whole week has felt that way; since Madelyn, my parrot passed away on …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“The answers you get depend upon the questions you ask.”
Thomas Kuhn
Thinking Outside of the Box:
I had several reactions to that quote. One, I must confess, must have come from my baser personality, because I couldn’t help the thought that ran through my mind: That sounds like a perfect justification for a lie by omission. To many people, that is exactly the rationale they use for telling a partial truth. And in some instances, I suppose it is even appropriate. Telling someone their new outfit is really nice when it is the most hideous …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“Integrity is oneness; the fusion of walk and talk, the acceptance of our own inner darkness; the determined acceptance of reality, however unappealing it sometimes is. …hypocrisy, is the opposite of integrity.”
Molly Wolf
Thinking Outside of the Box:
I found the most interesting article at the “Christian Science Monitor,” the other day. It is a newspaper I read regularly because they still write in the ‘old’ style of journalism. To quote Officer Friday, “Just the facts, ma’am.” I like new journalism, which is probably a good thing because I write in that style, but …read more

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I had planned on writing this particular piece about Christmas – the whole “day after” thing. But something horrible happened on Christmas this year, and I feel a need to share it with you. I can’t think outside the box; I can’t hardly think at all. I just know that it was never how I anticipated spending my Christmas.
I have had an Amazon parrot since 1985. She was a wild-caught bird; that was back in the days when it was legal to do so and we really didn’t know any better. I tamed her and …read more

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Merry Christmas to all!
I hope you enjoy the lyrics to these Christmas carols – if you really read them, they are very special – we tend to sing them and not really pay attention to the words. These are my favorites:

O Holy Night
O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Fall on your knees,
O hear the angels’ voices!
O night divine,
O night when Christ …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away;
While quite unselfish, it grows small.”
Eva K. Logue
Thinking Outside of the Box:
I don’t have many thoughts outside of the box for Christmas Eve; they all seem to be wrapped up in a box waiting for someone to open them! But earlier today, I had some thoughts about candles and why we light them for Christmas. It’s quite simple really – candles represent truth burning through the darkness, destined to reach the heart and soul …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the word seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.”
Taylor Caldwell
Thinking Outside of the Box:
When something is “big” within us, it fills us and it spills out. We just have to share it. And so it is with Christmas. Christmas fills up all the empty places in our hearts, and for some reason, when we …read more

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Thought of the Day:
“On Chrismas Eve all animals can speak. However, it is bad luck to test this superstition.”
Thinking Outside of the Box:
My first reaction on reading that quote above was, “Well, duh… I wonder why?????” I really don’t think animals can talk on Christmas Eve, or any other day for that matter, except in ways to each other and in ways we can’t understand. But I won’t test it and talk to the first donkey I run into December 24th.
Having said that, I think it is important that we remember that Christmas is not just a …read more

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