Christmas Thoughts

One, I HAVE INTERNET! Amen, praise Him. What this means is that I will hopefully have some high quality posts during this Christmas season. What an amazing time of the year, yea? For how much I love Ohio in December and miss it, I really do enjoy Rome at this time of year. It seems like every side street has lights draped over the street, courtesy of local shop owners. A million fake stars in this polluted city where you can hardly see the real stars is really quite a lovely thing. The air is crisp and cold (rare I am told for Rome at this time) and there are Christmas markets set up in just about every piazza, including my home turf of Piazza Bologna. Besides Christmas shopping for other there, I have bought myself sour peach candies and a crepe with Nutella that reminded me of Palacinki (anyone who has been to Macedonia, can I get an Amen!). I was going to try to write something profound here for Christmas but instead decided that can wait a little while. Instead, I want to share with you what someone else wrote about Christmas.... Linford from Over the Rhine wrote this and I thought this part was brilliant. For the entire essay, check out http://www.overtherhine.com/music/recordings/cd05/cd05b.html . But for the part that I love, here 'tis.

"And what brings me back are a few simple truth's that rings me like a bell still. While the Buddha suggests that we empty ourselves from all love, thereby freeing ourself from all that can cause pain, subsequently finding rest, this baby in the barn grows up and argues that we should love everybody, including ourselves, our neighbors and yes, even our enemies, and the ensuing pain will work on us in the same manner as a sculptors chisel on marble. And perhaps, ultimately, the answer to every moral and ethical question can be found in the simple mysterious words of the baby in the barn who grew to be a man: Love the creator of the universe with everything you can muster, and your neighbor as yourself. "

I would love to copy the entire essay for you because it is absolutely brilliant writing but just check it out on his website... thanks. More to come later. Merry Christmas.