Buzzwords for Blogging; Happy Thanksgiving

I had to force myself to type the f...i...into my browser. I was somewhat surprised Find the River still appeared as the first option. I steeled my nerves, clicked on it, and landed here. After that hitting the button for "New Post" was a breeze.

Returning after a while is difficult partly because of an embarrassment factor, knowing you've neglected something for so long for no really good reason. Not that this is of great concern to the reading public, but when I set out to do something, and enjoy doing it for some time, I want to keep with it. Remembering I haven't posted for over a month is a reminder I've let myself down. But enough hand-wringing.

Last Sunday my priest employed Teilhard de Chardin's phrase "passionate indifference" to suggest how a Christian might approach life, and especially expressing faith in life. To be passionately indifferent, in my priest's gloss, meant to be fully committed to one's beliefs and unreserved in acting upon them while remaining indifferent to the results. That fear of accomplishing nothing is, he noted, rightly I think, what holds people back from a deeper embrace and expression of faith.

I think this attitude is equally suitable for bloggers. The important thing is to keep saying what you have to say. Never mind the results.



Going to be an odd Thanksgiving at Casa Shupac.We haven't received a dinner invitation from any branches of the family, so we're on our own, this for the first time since Kristine and I have been married. Not a problem--it's been at least a year since we made a really nice dinner for the two of us. But we'll also be putting a new floor in our kitchen over the long weekend. I am not looking forward to that, but when we have it done, our kitchen-living room renovation will be nearly complete. Finally, we'll be able to live in our home without the dread of having to laboriously transform it somehow.

I hope your holiday leaves you with some experience to savor after the last turkey bone is picked.