1) It’s the second day of Universal Letter Writing Week, so how appropriate that this morning’s devotional should include I Corinthians 16:21: “This salutation is from me, Paul, in my own handwriting.”
1a) On the sharper, more pungent side, that was followed up with #29 from Baltasar Gracián’s The Art of Worldly Wisdom: “Be righteous and firm. Side with reason and do this so steadily that neither vulgar passion nor tyrannical violence will make you stray from it. But where will we find such a Phoenix of equity? Few are devoted to righteousness. Many celebrate her, but few visit her. Some follow her until things get dangerous. In danger, the false disown her and politicians cunningly disguise her. She is not afraid to set aside friendship, power, and even her own good, and this is when people disown her. Clever people spin subtle sophistries and speak of their laudable ‘higher motives’ or ‘reasons of security,’ but the truly faithful person considers deceit a sort of treason, is prouder to be steadfast than clever, and is alway found on the side of truth. If he differs with others, it isn’t because of any fickleness of his own, but because others have abandoned the truth.”
2) This house is finally beginning to look like itself again after the holidays. The tree is still up, and the candelabra with the stubs of white tapers from New Year’s, but the towering vases of holly in half the rooms have been tossed, making those spaces look as usual, but blank.
3) Anno Domini 2024 sparkles with possibilities and plans — research for new Etiquetteer programs, a couple small events, travel ideas, books — but this morning my sparkle feels dimmed, even with two cups of coffee in me. And that’s OK.