Greetings. In paraphrase to the words of Buddha, "May all sent to eat beans know peas during this insufferable time of the year."
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If, in my current incarnation, I were cut from the cloth of an organizational religious stereotypology, I'd feel compelled to refer to this post as my "Holiday Message." Since my translation (evolution? deliverance? parole? evacuation?) from the Magic Kingdom (it's a small world. . .) and the attendant co-dependency of partnership with an enormously huge (how great thou art)--albeit totally deaf and dumb, overwhelmingly invisible, and thus completely non-corporeal--Grand Architect, Absent father, Rewarder of those who please him, Destroyer of those who dis and reject him (opps, he also screws over those who love and obey him), and hey, I'm preaching to the choir, you guys know all the divine attribute stuff as well as I do.
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Putting the little runaway train of my deficit attention back onto its little Ho scale tracks, I'll use the more widely accepted term "Blessing" as a label for my “holiday message. “ And in a show of goodwill, I'll even give a nod to the most widely held local "religion" by sticking the adjective most widely used for the day that just began with the setting of the sun--Crossmas (spelled X-m-a-s) named in honor of the man that the Apostle Paul (known as Saul prior to switching from Jewish bounty hunter to Roman entrepreneur) chose to be the poster boy for his "new" religious franchise (featuring elements and motifs from all you “old” favorite religions) known the world over these days as Crosstianity (after the manner of method used to trigger an event horizon negating the gravity of the grave and, once breakeven was reached, generating an endless gusher of gravy).
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Well, actually, the disciples in PR finally persuaded Brother Paul to switch the emphasis away from the device used to trigger the event to the living dead guy himself. After many lunches and committee meetings, and much discussion, a compromise was reached, and the guy's title (the “Christ”) won out over using the guy's actual name (otherwise, all the cards would read "Merry Yeshuamas" and the carol writer's union would never have done a tenth as well as it has with the more manageable two syllable final choice of "Christmas").
Let's face it, who in their right mind would want to attempt singing "We wish you a Merry Yeshuamas. We wish you a Merry Yeshuamas. We wish you a Merry Yeshuamas. And a Happy New Year," more than once in a lifetime?
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Having dispensed with all that business, my Xmas Blessing this year is: "Omnes beati erunt in aeternum." This, unless Google Translate was pulling my leg, is Latin for: "All shall be blessed forever." Catchy ring to it, don't you think? I especially love the word "All."
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Speaking of which, I'll see Allah you all in 2012.
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Be Well,
Charles