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Life in General

Have a Very Merry, Horribly Conflicted Christmas

(Cross-posted at DailyKos and at Street Prophets) I have always loved Christmas: the decorations, the special services at church, the parties, the time off. When I was young, the gifts were part of the attraction, but over time getting gifts has become much less important than giving them. One of the main things I’ve loved […]

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Life in General

Ray Charles Truth for NO

(cross-posted from dKos, from a reply down the page) as I stated on another blog, I heard this song by Ray Charles and Gladys Knight on WMNF radio. After the song, the commentator stated,”We will not forget and we will not forgive! It was not the SLOW response, but the NO response!”   Heaven help […]

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Life in General

Courage to Write, Courage to Speak

I’ve been re-reading an important book in my life, The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes. The basic premise, of course, is that fear in all its infinite variety is part and parcel of writing, and that the act of writing is itself an act of courage. The corollary to this is that most writers […]

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Life in General

A Paean to Small Joys

Let us sing the praises of small joys, of everyday joys, of the little blessings so often missed and ignored: — Of independent coffeehouses, in old buildings with wooden floors, with classical music playing on the CD player and young people with dreadlocks behind the counter. — Of independent bookstores right next door, full to […]