Preparing and beginning another journey, an adventure into solitude. Having been here before, I am welcomed and embraced by an old friend. “Hello darkness, my old friend I’ve come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain I am a son, a grandson, a brother, a husband, a father, a cousin, an uncle, a brother-in-law, son-in-law and a grandfather. I have been or I am a student, a pastor, a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a professor, an instructor, a teacher, a department head, a coach, a principal, a head of school, a trustee, What tipped me over the edge this week were the two pictures of elected officials’ families with children holding lethal weapons and the sick joke from one of the parents’ note to Santa, “Please bring ammo.” Enough already, more than enough, over the top. I can opt out of the news and social media and An early morning walk, on a path, through the trees, along a river, winding this way and that, soft steps in sandy soil underfoot, a few yellow leaves starting to fall from the cottonwood trees. Aware of a slight, cool breeze from the south until turning north, occasional warm sun coming through the treetops. Two The word advent comes from the Latin prefix ‘ad-‘ meaning ‘to’ and the root ‘venire’ meaning ‘come’. The English word is derived from the Latin ‘adventus’ meaning ‘arrival’.Advent in the Christian tradition is preparation for the arrival of Christmas and includes the 4 Sundays and weeks leading up to the celebration of the birth of Almost exactly a year ago this day, I posted this for Thanksgiving and re-reading it, thought it worth repeating. We have all had quite a year for many different reasons, Covid being among the top several. I will forego listing the others. Each of you has your own list. This Thanksgiving week is a very When you look at where you are, who you are and how you got here, it is unlikely the same kind of thinking and acting will get you to where you want to be. Marshall Goldsmith summed it up well with a book title, “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.” (Hachette Books, 2007) In a recent email, Rashmir Balasubramaniam (https://rashmir.net) wrote the following: “I’ve been profoundly aware of the joy of being in purposeful, creative flow and also the conjunction of deep peace and playfulness that wise beings seem to embody (the Dalai Lama for example). I see it also in my wisest self when it all too 
AN EXERCISE IN SOLITUDE
MANY SIDES OF ONE
TOO MUCH AND NOT ENOUGH
MOMENTS BEING IN THE ETERNAL NOW
ADVENT 2021
FULL OF GRACE
DESIGNING PERSONAL CHANGE
JOY AND GRACE
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