God vs Santa Claus

I post this on the day that my dear Mother-in-Law Rushie (a stanch conservative Republican) joins Geraldine Ferraro (an equally stanch liberal Democrat) on the way to the Pearly Gates.

Rushie & I often had conversations about her conservative beliefs verses my very liberal leanings during her frequent visits to our home. Some of the fun I had with her was my prankster moments of switching her TV show from FOX Noise to MSNBC (mostly to Olbermann) when she'd get distracted. When she happened to notice something amiss many minutes later, she'd quietly switch back without saying a word.

So I found this to be amusing (as I know Rushie would too) & leave it up to you to determine which party God & Santa Claus belong to.

God is an elderly or, at any rate, middle aged male, a stern fellow, patriarchal rather than paternal and a great believer in rules and regulations. He holds men accountable for their actions. He has little apparent concern for the material well being of the disadvantaged. He is politically connected, socially powerful and holds the mortgage on literally everything in the world. God is difficult. God is unsentimental. It is very hard to get into God's heavenly country club.

Santa Claus is another matter. He's cute. He's nonthreatening. He's always cheerful. And he loves animals. He may know who's been naughty and who's been nice, but he never does anything about it. He gives everyone everything they want without the thought of quid pro quo. He works hard for charities, and he's famously generous to the poor. Santa Claus is preferable to God in every way but one: There is no such thing as Santa Claus.

Fun Ball says it all

Off to where it's eternally Spring

As the full moon glows large over the Pacific NW tonight awaiting the dawn of Spring (finally); a great sadness looms over our family. My wife's Mom is very ill and likely will not last the week to enjoy what Spring traditionally offers - hope, renewal, birds chasing worms, bees pollinating new flowers, youngsters of all creatures seemingly everywhere. She's going to miss all that.

I'll miss her gentle reserved manner, our long talks, and everything she's had to offer these last dozen years - what a gracious and classy lady. We know that death is inevitable, yet we wish it never comes - and certainly never expect it when it's suddenly thrust upon us. Walk fast forward Rushie, I'll miss you terribly.

Not being a religious man I nonetheless offer up the following for I know she believes and it seems so apropos:

Each Spring, God Renews His Promise.
Long, long ago in a land far away,
There came the dawn of the first Easter Day,
And each year we see that promise reborn
That God gave the world on that Easter morn...

For in each waking flower and each singing bird,
the promise of Easter is witnessed and heard,
And Spring is God's way of speaking to men
And renewing the promise of Easter again,
For death is a season that man must pass through

And, just like the flowers, God wakens him, too...
So why should we grieve when our loved ones die,
For we'll meet then again in a "cloudless sky" -
For Easter is more than a beautiful story,
It's the promise of life and eternal glory.
~Helen Steiner Rice

Broke...

...Spoke on front wheel toward end of today's ride.

It's a 20" wheel off my clown bike and it seems true, plus there's 23 other good ones; but I am without a spare.

So the question is do I ride tomorrow without repairing it or go for a run?

Blockhead

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