Reader's Comments

Following are responses to recent posts. Except when the authors posted on public platform (Facebook, Wade's Wire, or the Wades' Weekly website) or asked me to identify them, the comments are anonymous.

Re: Escaping Xmas

"Santa Claus does not belong in Bethlehem." Wade, Wade, Wade. What does that mean? This note my daughter sent me today, as to how I explained Santa Claus to her and my son, also explains why I would take the stress of Christmas with my loved ones vs. spending it in a gambling joint, uh, hotel.

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"Mom and Dad,

The attached letter reminds me of how you responded to the "Santa" question all those years ago. Not exactly the same, but similar sentiment.

Love you both,..."

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But to each his own Wade. Life is about choices I guess.

Merry Christmas,

NOTE: The attached letter referred to above beautifully explained who actually put the gifts under their tree and affirmed certain nonmaterial values. In my reply, I commented on how I have no children, grandchildren, or any real community -- and how Xmas has taken Christ out of Christmas.

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hey Wade - that all sounds great. You sound renewed, revitalized, yes?
As for Santa, I never really cared so much for Christmas or Santa, but I'm feeling it a little different at the moment. Went to a talk at the Fellowship last week (your friend will be presenting there in January on MLK) and a great symbologist/mythologist talked about how the themes of Christmas are so Universal. there is something about this time of year... That there may be a universal human experience makes it more compelling to me. She had many relevant pieces of art including one that was very provocative -- Santa Claus holding the baby Jesus - something about pagan Santa coming together with more traditional religious stuff -- who knows...I always liked Jerry as Santa...Thinking about the difference between archetypes, deities, and saints.

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/origin-of-santa/

interesting political times - so many people thought the mid terms were another catastrophe but instead Obama seems freed (in some ways - not all), i.e., Cuba is cool. The demonstrations across the country seem significant - very grass roots - I heard that when Jackson and Sharpton went to St Louis the people turned their backs on them..

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Liked your post Wade!
--Sara Colm

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The more I know about "living in the Now" the more I understand its practical application. There are profound spiritual implications that I get fleetingly and yet settling in to be satisfied with what is is a recently new one for me. As fast as we've grabbed life and lived consciously, I had the illusion that it would always be so. Guess I actually never made any serious plans for getting older and although I've had health challenges off and on all my life, I've lived through them and adapted each time to whatever needed adapting. None of us anticipated the economic downtown 2008, so I was feeling pretty proud of myself with my savings, good health, and eagerness to continue to work. Didn't happen. Won't happen now in any of the forms I had imagined... so now, I'm taking it a day at a time and pondering about the REALITY of truly "letting go" and TRUSTING that Spirit/God/the Divine is active in my life to the degree that I am not overwhelmed. Glad you wrote about how
you are
dealing with one of those "quick turns" that you've now encountered. And, yes, you ARE a writer... Blessings of Grace and Comfort this season, Wade.

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We stayed at the Nugget this past summer and have done so before, too. We also enjoyed the big, round hot tub. In Reno, we enjoy walking along the river.

In terms of eating, our fav place there is the small, funky, veg Pneumatic Diner, though we also really enjoyed the hip, mixed Laughing Planet.

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Sounds like a nice plan. Have a Merry Happy Holiday!

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I‘m glad you’ve figured out a way to survive in the face of the Uber horror, Wade. I was worried about you.

And I’m glad you’re thriving despite the holidays, an annual challenge.

For good things in the New Year,

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Re: Evolutionary Revolution

I wholeheartedly agree with this, Wade. A lot of talk about "revolution" is usually just empty rhetoric. Plus, from an organizing point of view, if people don't see concrete results, the activists will just drift away.

Didn't Saul Alinsky say something similar to what you wrote here? That in order to build a movement, people have to see some successes?