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“Familiar in his mouth as household words.” - Shakespeare
24 December 2024
Dear P_ and M_:
Many are beholden to various aspects of the
“A-train to Zarathustra” (i.e., A to Z).
They pined for spring and particularly summer.
Summers are the peaks of activities.
A circling glorious summer is always anticipated
and yearned in the “winter of our discontent”,
whether or not the son of York has anything to do with it.
Regardless, even the psychopathic duke, Richard III,
believes it.
Three days ago on 21 December 2024, it was winter solstice.
It marked the ο¬rst day of winter and the shortest day in
the northern hemisphere. From then on, the days or daylights
will gradually get longer. Still, it is winter.
The vicissitudes of winter weather in our valley apropos
of these Shakespearean words, “the rain and wind beat
dark December.” Surely, it is cold and wet here in the
valley but nothing like my pharmacologist friends who
reside and teach in Pullman, WA. Their winter trough
could be epitomized by the song at the end
of Love’s Labor’s Lost. Brrr…!
The winter solstice last Saturday accentuates Christmas Day.
Because of the birth of Christ, the “Sun of Righteousness.”
Thus the Lord has expressly promised the redeemed
that “night will be no more”, and He shall be their light
for ever and ever. Until He returns again, in the meanwhile
His general mercies provides for all of His creation.
So it is “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Excepting
for Christendom, however, most of the world will ignore
His mercy of “daily bread”, and seek possession of wealth
and security instead. Further, in its self-righteousness,
the Christmas season is circumscribed foremost
by pleasantry. So the greetings of “Merry Christmas”
are familiar household words for laughter of gifts,
Santa Claus, and ideates of the season. After all, it is
sine qua non. To the unbelieving, life is “…a walking
shadow…struts and frets…And then is heard no more.”
Lest we forget, God dwells “in the high and holy place, and also
with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.”
His birth is “to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive
the heart of the contrite.” He is life eternal.
By any means, I am not a haiku poet. Nevertheless, here is
my Christmas haiku for you:
This winter solstice
Accenting John Three Sixteen
His unstinting love
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you
and be gracious to you. Merry Christmas!
L’
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