Happy New Year dear reader! I hope you had a good holiday and are ready for this year of the unexpected. However, we should take heart from the fact that a promising truce has settled over Syria after six years of combat, killing and hardship. The unexpected starts right here, as ‘the west’ watched from the sidelines in this truce creation process, receiving spars attention in our western press. A bit immature, if not childish I‘d say. I predict we will see more of this in the years to come.

Happy New Year dear reader! I hope you had a good holiday and are ready for this year of the unexpected.

Yesterday I attended the Sunday service in the ‘Peace Lutheran’ church, where Roy and Shirley are very active members. John drove me from Heritage to the church near the Fish Creek LRT station. I enjoyed the service with its singing opening and the sincere, caring and inspiring presentation by pastor Anthony!

Also the warm welcome that greeted me was a pleasant experience. However, the held values and teachings remind me of my youth. And, though I still honour these, I have grown away from them and acquired an appreciation for other teachings and perspectives.

I received calls from both my sisters for New Year’s as well as a message from my son Metta - formerly Derrick. For the rest, I read some, watched the local yearend shows and did make some entries in my new brown ’Clairfontaine’ French made cahier. I am using this cahier for my talk notes of this year as well as for an intended essay on the subject of a world narrative.

I am slowly gathering my decorations for the season, which I intend to clear away after the 6th, since this is the old Julian Calendar Christmas date, still practiced by the Eastern Orthodox and Middle Eastern Churches, who never abided by the rules of old Rome and its Latin Church!
<9:57am and closed at 7:05pm~