2024 Holiday’s Rumination's

In this episode, 2024 Holiday’s Rumination's . . .

Merry Christmas, and Happy Hanukkah!

Did you know that Christmas Day this year is also the first day of Hanukkah? While watching Sunday Morning, our go-to news program, they did a segment on the fact that these two holidays will occur this year, 2024, on the same day. This is due to the different calendars used to determine the dates for each holiday: the Gregorian calendar for Christmas and the Hebrew calendar for Hanukkah.

According to AI, In recent history, This has happened only four times in the last 100 years. The next time Christmas and Hanukkah overlap is in 2035 and then again in 2054. I hear you asking, so what? Over the past two years, I’ve met with Dr. Don Hanley—a former priest who left the ministry to marry. We meet biweekly for lunch, discussing topics from religion and philosophy to science, history, politics, and human nature. He was raised in the strict Catholic tradition in the 1940s, while I was raised independent of any formal religion.

However, living in Cuba and growing up in the States, we–as children– “adopted” Christmas as our December holiday, not because of the traditions of the local churches in our town: Cuba–Church of the Nazarene, the Christian Church, and the United Methodist Church, but because it was the dominant community tradition.

Christmas was everywhere, from decorations on the square with holiday lights to Santa Land at our local True Value Hardware store to Christmas trees sold at Day and Palins, our local IGA. Moreover, television promoted Christmas with children's programs like A Charlie Brown Christmas. Who can forget Linus and his classic oration on stage, delivering his rendition from the King James Version of the Bible: “And that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Also, NORAD Tracks Santa has been sharing Santa’s whereabouts with the news media since the 1970s. But did you know that the tradition started in 1955 with a hilarious misdialed call?

So, what is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is the Jewish Festival of Lights. In Hebrew, it means "dedication." It celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after the Maccabees' successful rebellion against the Seleucid Empire.

Key to the story is the miracle of the oil, where enough oil for one day lasted eight days. The main tradition is lighting the menorah, a nine-branched candelabra. Traditional foods include latkes and sufganiyot (jelly donuts), which symbolize the miracle. Common customs are playing dreidel and exchanging gifts. Hanukkah is a time of joy and reaffirming Jewish identity.

So, as you can see, there were no Catholic Churches, no Jewish Synagogues.

It wasn’t until moving to New York City in 1991 that I experienced the Catholic & Jewish traditions and their people. Since then, I’m honored to call many of my good friends Jewish and Catholic.

This raises the question: What can we learn from this year's conjunction of holidays? Consider this: the holiday spirit promotes a feeling of warmth, generosity, hope, peace, and goodwill. It can manifest in many ways, regardless of religious affiliation (I’ve listed seven).

Acts of Kindness: During the holidays, people are more likely to volunteer their time, donate to charity, and help those in need.
Family Gatherings: Many cherish spending time with loved ones, sharing meals, laughter, and cherished memories.
Community Spirit: Holiday events like parades, concerts, and tree lighting foster a sense of togetherness and shared joy within a community.
Appreciation and Gratitude: The holidays often encourage reflection on our lives' blessings, fostering a sense of gratitude and appreciation for loved ones, health, and good fortune.
Promotes Gratitude: Focusing on our blessings cultivates an attitude of gratitude, which can increase happiness and well-being.
Inspires Generosity: Sharing blessings can inspire others to be generous in their ways, creating a ripple effect of kindness and compassion.
Overcomes Division: In a world that often emphasizes our differences, reminding ourselves of the shared blessings we enjoy as human beings can help bridge divides and foster a greater sense of unity.

Friends, the holiday spirit transcends any religion or belief. It embodies our shared values of kindness, compassion, and connection.

So, “God Bless Us, everyone.” - Tiny Tim.

I’m Patrick Ball. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! Thanks for listening. I’ll see you in the next episode.

History Isn’t a Museum

✨ In this episode, History Isn't a Museum—It's a River . . . History isn't a museum—it's a river, and like it or not, we're already swimming in it. Its waters carry timeless lessons forward, flowing through each generation, waiting to be rediscovered . This profound realization struck me while reading Marcus Aurelius's Meditations . Imagine: a Roman emperor and philosopher two thousand years ago, writing notes that sound like advice from a modern mindfulness coach. When he says, "You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength," it feels like he's speaking directly to us. The water may change, but the river is the same. Examining this writing with a fresh, childlike perspective and a wealth of experience, I realize how consistent human nature remains over time. Every generation faces familiar challenges, marked by frustration, peace, courage, faith, baseball, and the search for meaning across the ages...

Lessons from 1872

In this episode, Lessons from 1872: Travel in the Age of No-WiFi . . . Imagine having 80 days to explore the world, with no smartphones, no jet planes, and no money concerns. A thrilling thought, right? That’s the fantasy Jules Verne implies in his classic adventure, Around the World in 80 Days , and it's a question I've been pondering from my easy chair in Vista, California. This week’s On the Fly , we're traveling back in time with one of the most thrilling literary adventures ever written. Early on, it’s clear this is Phileas Fogg’s story—a man of clocks and calculations, whose every move is measured. His journey isn’t about discovery, but a bet—a mathematical challenge involving money, schedules, and perfect timing. But when you think he’s the engine of the story, someone else quietly steals the show. Meet Passepartout: The Heart of the Journey. Jean Passepartout, Fogg’s new valet, is Fogg’s complete opposite. A former circus acrobat seeking a quiet life, he joins Fo...

The Silent Grid–Part Two

In this episode, The Silent Grid – Part Two Sirens split the night as Greenwood went dark. Marvin knew instantly—the blackout wasn’t an accident. It was a warning. In this quiet town, where life once unfolded at a predictable pace, a sleek, intuitive smartphone—a so-called gift from the future —has arrived. But it’s no tool for connection. It’s a silent force, erasing individuality and turning neighbors into something less than human. Marvin Gellborn, a man who values independence, sees the truth. His device isn’t helping; it’s testing him, watching him, and quietly embedding itself into the life of Greenwood. Welcome back to On the Fly . In this week’s episode of The Silent Grid , GridBot tightens its grip. After a hopeful community gathering, Marvin and his robot companion, Norman, notice a troubling absence—the very generation they hoped to reach has vanished into the neon glow of The Signal Box , a youth tech hub pulsing with digital obsession. When Greenwood’s lights vanish, Marvi...

Shadows in the Grid

In this episode, Chapter Nine – Shadows in the Grid (Previous episode) – The Disconnected Generation . The first flicker came just after midnight. Marvin sat at his kitchen table, scribbling notes about the park gathering, when the overhead light shivered, dimmed, and went out. The hum of the refrigerator ceased, leaving a silence so complete it seemed to press against his skin. Norman, standing near the door like a watchman, tilted his head. A faint glow pulsed from his chest cavity, the hydrogen core humming steady, almost reassuring. “Localized outage,” Norman said, calm to the point of detachment. “GridBot will stabilize in sixty seconds.” But sixty seconds passed. Then another. The street outside remained cloaked in darkness. No backup generators started. No emergency lights blinked alive. Greenwood lay as still as a painting. Marvin pushed back his chair, his heartbeat quickening. “This isn’t just an outage, Norman. Something’s wrong.” Norman’s optic sensors brightened, their pal...

On The Fly

Search This Blog