Jolts of Silk

I'm feeling a little silky with bliss today because of three things:


1. The poetry blog site Bolts of Silk features what I think is among my best poems ever. You can see "How the Egret Saved Me" here.


2. I have a year and nine months sobriety today. I no longer mourn that I drank again after 15 years. The experience has given me a new life and a renewed compassion for the alcoholic who still suffers. I mourn nothing that has happened in my life. It has given me richness beyond what I ever hoped for.

3. Tomorrow my family will gather at our house for the annual Christmas Eve supper, and then we'll go to our separate churches for that beautiful Christmas Eve service. I'm grateful for my family and the precious freedoms we have that I too often take for granted.

And saying that, I suddenly envision the Bill of Rights, that amazing document that spells out our freedoms. Then there's the simple statement in the Declaration of Independence that we have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, merely because we live in the United States, a free country....that is awesome, when I think about it. The signers of the Declaration, "appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world," sought justice and freedom, pledging their Lives, their Fortunes, and their sacred Honor to uphold such a declaration.

In spite of the many things that have sullied the independence and freedom envisioned for us, we have that Bill of Rights, and the justice of this land is bound to abide by them. I'm grateful to live in this free country, where I can publish what I like, have the opinions I wish to have, worship the way I want to, and make of my life whatever I'm willing to work for.

Christmas may come and go, but I won't stop praying for peace on earth and good will toward humanity everywhere.