The big day is here. It’s time to prepare for Christmas. The lists are in. The requests have been made. Santa is aware. Classical Christmas is on Apple Music. Turkey is behind us,aand joy is before us.

We ride our horse-drawn sleigh through the woods, the new-fallen snow glistening. The Deer Family nods their heads and smiles at us. We wait for the Turkey Family to Turkey Trot across the path. We drink happily from the spiced apple cider. Christmas Dreams fill our heads. Stars fill our eyes.

A little girl sits by the side of the Woods Path. She is ill-clad and ill-fed. We are all laughing, but sheiis crying.

Join us we cry…come aboard. We have plenty to share…

Now we feel complete. Joy has taken up residence in our hearts. The Little Girl sings with us, ‘Joy to the world’…

It is Thanksgiving Eve. The turkeys are cooking. The pumpkin pies are on the window sill to cool. Loved ones are coming home. Mylo is freshly groomed. Hopes are at their zenith. Anxious fears are gone. All will be well if we stick together.

Soon we will gather around the fireplace and tell tales. Victories won and lost. Health scares and health improvements. Romances rekindled as we placed another log on the fire. New jobs and new opportunities. Faith that has abided through the storm and sunlight. The family we have not seen in years. Relationships mended. Excitement renewed…

War surrounds us yet we are safe from the storm. Hate is outside our door but it has not been invited in. Hope for a better world. A world of love and acceptance inclusive as God intended. No more self immolation. No more yokes of guilt for being who we are. Freedom to love and be loved.

We have a sanctuary. Sticks and stones can not reach us here. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is on. The joyfulness of the performers is infectious. We want to dance with the Rockettes. Flying with the character balloons, we see the world clearly. Our fears are shadows. Our anger is misplaced. The Grand Experiment is love and joy, not fear and loathing.

We affix our masks securely before we leave our house each morning. The mask fits naturally. We have constructed our mask with care. They represent what we want the world to see.

Politicians, Preachers, and Leaders have personas. They wear masks that have proven their worth. When we think of a person, we think of their persona. The real person is resting at home by the fireside. We are complex. We are a mystery to ourselves.

The politician tells us what he thinks we want to hear. He or she is advised what it takes to get elected. The politician decided years ago what he or she wanted to portray. When constituents speak to the Mask, they are met with prescribed responses—a bit like talking with AI. Masks are not flexible.

Carl Jung advised of the danger of getting lost in your persona. Remember the Twilight Zone episode where greedy adults were awaiting the death of their father in order to receive his inheritance? Their father gave them each a mask with the grotesque visage of their real self. When they removed the Masks, their faces had molded to the Masks.

Many follow their favorites Persona or Mask. Entertainment has bled into politics and both have morphed into religion. We follow the Rock And Roll Show until it becomes our reality. Once we buy into the Show we are hooked.

The temperature is getting ready to drop. Black Friday will be a cold shopping day in our neck of the woods. Home and hearth beckon. Time to roast the chestnuts. It is apple cider time. Bailey’s coffee for all. Laughter and love. Hope and dreams. Christmas is a month away.

MJ read a book some years ago entitled Irregular People. We are all a bit irregular. One size does not fit all. The holidays remind us of this fact. In a line up we look different. When discussing politics or religion we have widely different views. Yet we love each other.

The first Thanksgiving was a time to break bread with very different people. That is what we celebrate. Our nation is founded on the proposition that all men are created equal. Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Happiness is not guaranteed but we are free to pursue it. The pursuit can be arduous. We may be created equal but our life circumstances are not equal. Some of us have all we need while others beg for a bread crust. Many of us will stuff ourselves on stuffed turkey and settle for an afternoon of football while others will seek shelter from the cold of late November.

Many will seek sanctuary where we are not called panhandlers.

Dickens told us of the brutal life of England in his day. Debtors Prison and poor Bob Cratchit working for a pittance and not enough coal for the fire. Tiny Tim was sick and getting sicker with no money for the doctors he required. The joy of a glass of Christmas Punch and a small helping of Plum Pudding. The prayerful grateful poor who feasted on meager fare.

Life is not all about our narcissistic reality. We are brothers and sisters. Our elected leaders have sunken to the lowest of lows. Truth is fake news and right is wrong. Who can get rich the quickest and the constituents be damned.

The true Christians can be spotted by their Jaguars and McMansions. The poor Christians are doing something wrong…

If anything Thanksgiving is a time of reflection. Who can I help…even a little…

‘Thank you Neva J for inviting me to Thanksgiving Dinner, ‘Rosie said. ‘I spent last year alone in my two-room house,’ Rosie continued. ‘I thought no one cared if I lived or died,’ Rosie said with tears in her eyes.

‘You are family, and you are always welcome in my home,’ Neva J said. ‘You are my sister and I love you,’ Neva J continued. ‘Kiddo…you are the best,’ Neva J proclaimed!

Thanksgiving week is here. The suggestion for when to take your turkey out of the freezer is now. Candy for the Advent Calendar is purchased. Jonathon is a Wiseman in the church pagent. Black Friday now includes a trip through the Paducah Park to see the lights. This is the Holiday Season.

Other Voices intrigues me. We desperately need to hear them. Many of us sit silent as others who enjoy speaking fulfill their passion. The good ideas that are never heard are many. Leaders once in office assume the rest of us are the obedient flock. We should listen and follow without question.

During my over 32-year career at Southern Illinois University, I learned that the same people seem to make the decisions that govern us. Never has there been a time when introverts needed voices.

‘All will be well,’ We say. ‘Surely our leaders have already had our unusual ideas and found them wanting,’ We proclaim. ‘Who will listen,’ We ask?

‘We have the best answers for you,’ the Leader says. Be quiet and obey. ‘Do what we mandate and do it with humility,’ the Leader commands.

‘I am hungry and cold,’ Little Girl says softly. ‘No one sees me they pass me on the street,’ Little Girl observes. ‘My father is dead and my mother is ill…it is my job to earn bread for my family,’ Little Girl whispers.

‘How will you be blessed at Christmas if you do not work,’ Leader proclaims. ‘Your skin is the problem… your race is dragging you down,’ Leader says. ‘You poor folks must avail yourselves of opportunity,’ Leader smiles a toothy grin.

‘America for Americans,’ Throng cries out. ‘The poor among us are dragging down our economy,’ Throng observes. ‘Tax cuts for the rich is the answer…the benefits will trickle down,’ Throng assures.

Why are your clothes wet,’ Little Boy asks Little Girl? ‘Has the Trickel Down not reached you as yet,’ Little Boy asks? ‘I have searched but the good paying jobs Leader promises are not available to me,’ Little Boy says with tears in his eyes.

‘I slept in the rain,’ Little Girl says. ‘I was by the front door of the restaurant but the rain blew in on me all night…I suppose that is the Trickle Down Leader is speaking of,’ Little Girl said softly…

It’s another cold, crisp day in Little Egypt. Our present is the future we thought about yesterday. Thanksgiving is next week. Christmas comes next. Happy New Year! MJ and I were talking about the changes in Carbondale. Hangar 9 closes on January 1st. It has been a local Club for many years. Our Mall was once the place to be, especially during the Holidays. Now almost empty, it is sad to pass it. Businesses that have been part of our lives disappear. Things change.

So we know change is certain. I have thought of when so often. When I retire, get older, or take another cruise, now is the time for when.

Planning is good I hear…it can be overdone. Committees gather to ensure that nothing changes in their church. They meet in the middle of a maelstrom of change. The Democrats were counting on their reliable constituents to give them the win. Reliable Constituents had changed enough to result in the loss.

There is a time for everything. Employment opportunities present themselves when the time is right. Relationships come together under the right stars. Age has nothing to do with opportunities. Many develop the height of their skills in their golden years.

We travel on a spinning Earth. About 1 thousand miles per hour at the equator. We do not feel the movement because we are all traveling at the same speed. Such is life. ‘In the year 2025 if man is still alive, if woman can survive, they may find…’

‘Whoa…stop the world and let me off,’ Neva J said with a dizzy look. ‘I fell onto the couch and it is not nap time,’ Neva J continued. ‘It is time to begin the Christmas cleaning and food preparation. ‘When I lost my balance it seemed like the 57′ Chevy when I take it out of the drive and put it in reverse,’ she observed.

‘We have experienced a Space Directional Reverse,’ Chet dryly observed. ‘We are no longer going forward we are backing up, Chet said. ‘The result of this unprecedented reversal is our moving back through time,’ Chet clinically observed.

‘Chet, are you saying that we are going to experience life the second time around,’ Billy B asked? ‘How fast will this unusual event happen,’ asked Billy B?

‘Follow me to the University Mall…it is popping with excitement,’ Jane laughed! ‘It is like a walk backward in time,’ Jane giggled…

Today there is a taste of winter in the air. Nothing grand but tomorrow it will be 10 degrees colder. It does not seem possible autumn will soon be 2 months old. December in Southern Illinois is a winter month. Five PM seems late. It is dark. Nine PM is bedtime. Farmers customarily, in days of yore, went to bed in the dark and rose in daylight or before if they had cows to milk. Perhaps I should get a cow. For most of my life, I worked at night. When we took a Holiday we left at night. The night is quite peaceful and good.

Jennifer told us that being raised in Alabama they have warm clothes for winter and wear them for a day or two. Winter has shortened its grasp on SI. I remember snow at Halloween and many snow-covered Thanksgiving. Black Friday was a cold day to shop till you drop. We put up our outside Christmas decorations early knowing the weather was going to get bad. Now each day is a choice do I need a sweater or light jacket or will short sleeves do the trick.

Ice is naughty, not nice. I fell on ice a few years ago and broke 3 ribs. They hurt to this day. MJ tells me they will get better. I suppose I will not notice them 30 years from now. I walk like an old man in the snow. I am old but do not dwell on the condition. Jonathon got me a walking stick for the Woods. This may be the winter I start using it. I had a stick that looked a bit like Moses Staff in the Ten Commandments Charlton Heston Movie. I walked with it in Eldorado as a youngster. Moses had nothing on me.

Steve and I traveled to Eldorado in his Vintage Chrysler. We played Christmas In The Country on the radio. Cars used to have humongous steering wheels. You needed the large wheel to steer without the aid of power steering. On the way, we would stop and enjoy an Italian Beef sandwich at Mr. Snacks in Christopher. In the backseat, I had a lovely outdoor painting for Neva J that I had paid off $5 a week at Downs Furniture store.

When we arrived, Neva J had her Christmas Tree erected. It was a foot tall and festooned with little bells. There was Christmas Coffee Cake to enjoy. The antique coal stove was cherry red with heat. Once you entered the home, you were warm all over unless you left the kitchen.

Control is a bad thing. When we seek to control others we neglect our own lack of it. Purposeful peace comes from acceptance. Some of us are satisfied that we know what is best for our neighbors. Our assurance comes from our blinder-obstructed vision of reality. If something is good for us it must be good for everyone. Control Freaks are especially dangerous in leadership positions. Leaders are often so out of touch with the lives of those they lead that their policies are anathema.

We understand the big things are important. But the trivialities should be left to discretion. Look we do for faith and acceptance of who we are. Not who someone wants us to be. Woods provides a great example of live and let live. Trees grow in their own way. Some bend to follow the Sun. Others seek the comfort of a nearby stream. Leaves change color in a kaleidoscope of beauty. They fall peacefully to the ground where they are still resplendent. Wild Turkeys graze and Deer forage with no thought of controlling the other.

The Woodpecker joyously pecks. The melodious sound of his given work fills the Forest. The Wind In The Willows provides a wonderful example of different animals living harmoniously. Badger Mole Ratty and Mr. Toad have merry adventures.

‘There is nothing…absolutely nothing…half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats,’ Ratty said to Mole. The Wind In The Willows Friends illustrates how wonderful it is to have diverse friends.

I did it my way is our refrain. We seek people like us with our bag of bias slung over our shoulders. Our friendships are dictated by our political/religious views. Isolated we feel. Lonely afraid anxious, and paranoid we suffer. How did our world change while we were watching it with open eyes? We did what the Great Leader said. We hated all the right people. We exalted ignorance and diminished wisdom. They told us where to sit and stand and speak. Bad was good right was wrong, and facts were meaningless. We sought god who would avenge the wrongdoers. Of course that did not include the Chosen.

An experiment United States. An experiment…life. It is short. Do we think it was God’s plan to give us joy for the morning and let us die before sunset? A Biosphere if you please. Angels study our movement. Reports are written. Is killing and bloodshed death destruction…enemies all acceptance the Chosen Few the Thesis…

Onward we go to the next thing. Life is a series of challenges. From the chill of change when we left our mother’s warm womb until the light at the end of the tunnel. We do not know what is coming next. A bit exciting I think. There is always something to get out of bed for. Amid the change, we are surrounded by unparalleled beauty.

A smile from a stranger. The warm hand of a friend. The fact we are Temporary on this planet. The hope for eternity.

Where could we go for a more exciting ride? Life is a roller coaster. Daily, we are called on to react to what is next. Some days are quiet, and others are full of excitement. I was remembering our lovely Maine Holiday last month. What fun to be with dear friends. I have visited Maine so often that I feel like a Mainer.

We are off to Paducah, Kentucky for Black Friday. A new restaurant and a new experience for the day after Thanksgiving. The Kentucky Oaks Mall is still vibrant. Paducah residents love their Mall. MJ and I visited Elizabeth many years ago at a Candle store in the Mall. She got us hooked on the artist Tom Clark’s Gnome sculptures. When Elizabeth explained the story of each piece they came alive and spoke to us. It is fun being friends with a Gnome. They are delightful and inquisitive. They do not eat much. Gnomes bring the hidden side of Earth alive.

The Art Colony is in Lowertown Paducah. We have spent many hours enjoying fine art in its confines. The Fine Art that Lowertown has to offer is as good as any we have seen. The coffee at the coffee shop is to die for.

Santa Claus has many elves who help him with Christmas. He relies on them heavily. At this writing they are busily crafting toys for good girls and boys…and all are good in Santa’s Book.

‘Bring me some more cherry wood please,’ Horatio said. ‘I am making a rocking chair of Susie and she like Cherry,’ Horatio informed all listening. ‘Susie lost her mother this year who often rocked her in a big Cherry Rocking Chair…Susie would like to have a Rocker just like it only her size,’ Horatio smiled.

‘Jose has asked for warm clothes and a new pair of shoes,’ Liz said. ‘His Mom has been sick she worries about Jose having no coat and holes in his shoes,’ Liz continued. ‘Jose’s Dad was killed in El Salvador before they immigrated to the United States,’ Liz explained with a tear.

‘Billy B wants a Bozo The Clown punching bag some Rock-Em-Sock-Em-Robots and a Big Swinger Camera,’ Mabel noted. ‘His Mom and Dad divorced and money is tight,’ they eat commodity cheese and drink powdered milk,’ Mable continued.

‘Hit the deck, rubberneck; it’s Christmas,’ Neva J proclaimed with a wide grin. It looks like Santa has come. Would you like a glass of real milk?’ Neva J asked with joy.

Birthdays bring magic. They are a time for reflection and renewal. Last night, Iron Mike Tyson did not have the youth to defeat his 30-year-old challenger, but then again, who would? With birthdays comes wisdom. Perhaps it is wise not to get into the ring with a challenger 30 years younger than you are.

We want to cheat time, and we are certain we can be the ones to beat it. Birthdays are transitions: appreciation of the past and a clear eye for the future.

Aaron has a birthday today. I am so proud of him. He is a man of many talents. He chauffeured us to Maine and made my Holiday infinitely more enjoyable.

Aaron is a great judge of character. A dedicated and hard worker. A leader.

As I carried him into our little house on 7th Street in Elkville I knew my life had changed. All for the better.

I saw Aaron with his little blue hat. He cried lustily. I fed him his first bottle. When he was little I asked him if he could keep a secret from Mommy. He replied that he could. I told him Mommy was going to receive real flowers the next day and that he must not tell her so that she would be surprised. He assured me with a big grin that he would keep the secret. MJ said that Aaron asked her that night if she liked flowers… not artificial ones like she had but real ones. She replied that she did. Aaron told her that some were coming for her tomorrow.