Baby Insomniac

I am failing to understand what is SOOOOOOOO exciting about the wee hours that fascinates this baby girl so much. Now, don't get me wrong, as a new father, I fully expect to have 3 am feedings and diaper changes. I have been enormously lucky in that ALL of my children have started sleeping through the night at an early age (the latest was 10 weeks). I have been fully prepared to have my luck run out before everything was said and done and have one who continued to wake nightly. This is all, in my mind, part of being the parent of an infant.

Having said that, I will say, that between the hours of 2 and 4 AM, there is NOTHING earth shattering and exciting going on. Hell, there is not even anything good on TV. That is, however, what Sofia wants to do. . .watch TV. I know this, because when the TV is turned off, she fusses and cries. Keep in mind, this is after a bottle, after a fresh diaper change, after an hour of snuggling, playing, rocking, burping, etc. This is a child who wants to have the TV on. Last night, we watched a Harry Potter movie for the millionth time. Night before, we saw an A & E Biography on Cat Stevens/Yusef Islam. Before that, it was the edited for TV version of "Die Hard with a Vengance" (edited for TV it was about 7 minutes long) This child is a three week old insomniac couch potatoe.

I shall surely punch her. God forbid Nick at Nite starts showing reruns of Happy Days. At least with all 300 channels on cable, i am NOT doomed to watching "Elimidate" or "The Jerry Springer Show". If that were the case, I would have to bribe the pediatrician for the infant equivalent of Lunesta.

I say all of this, not to complain. . .I LOVE my baby girl, even at 4:15 AM. I say this to let you know that if i seem a bit incoherent at times, you understand that it is a combination of sleep depravation and Cosby rerun overdose.

Christmas. . .A universal Truth?

I write this post with no disrespect to my Christian friends. . .I certainly have no desire to diminish the faith and conviction behind the belief that Jesus is "The Reason for the Season". And I am DEEPLY moved by the story of the nativity and it's significance regarding rebirth, renewal, and redemption. Christmas is, as it stands now, a Christian holiday. . .of that there is no doubt.

I think, however, that it should behoove us to be honest about the historical background to the celebration that we know now as Christmas.

Long before the Roman Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity and made it the state religion. . .long before The Bible was Canonized and Christianity crawled out of the Catacombs, Pagans of many cultures celebrated the Solstices and Equinoxes as their primary religious festivals. In fact, some historians argue that it was the "wise men" who first came to understand, and thus were able to predict, the cycles of the seasons. These men, who could "predict" the cycles of the sun, moon, and stars, were deemed "prophets" and "Magi".

These ancient peoples, led by these religious leaders, came to cepebrate these crucial times in the solar calendar. The Winter Solstice was deemed the Renewal time and the "Rebirth of the Sun" Represented by Horus by the Egyptians, and Apollo by the Greeks. The Germanic peoples called this Solstice Celebration "Yule" and this term is still used to describe the Holiday season, as are many of the Celtic and Germanic trappings such as Holly, Mistletoe, the Christmas Tree, The Yule Log, etc. Even our Dear old Santa Claus bears a REMARKABLE resemblance to the Celtic God Silvanus and the Mysterious Chracter that appears in much Celtic Architecture known as "The Green Man".

I say all of this, not to diminish the significance of christmas to the Believers in Christ, but to emphasize that we, as humans, have many common threads that tie us together--one of these are our ancient, almost INSTINCTIVE need for the Christmas season. The Christmas Spirit appears to be written in our blood and bones. . .etched in our spirit in ways that transcend religion and culture.

May the Joys of the holiday Season, as old as time itself, bring peace, joy, love, happiness, and renewal that will sustain you all throughout the year.

Knowledge, Faith, and Truth

I had a conversation with a friend on IM last night regarding life and philosophy (who me?). This person is in the process of leaving hte religious group that we had both formerly been affiliated with, and is at a point of trying to redifine what she believes. She remains very grounded in the Bible and the Judeo-Christian concept of "God". Out of respect for her. . .being where she is at. . .I refrained from asking my more skeptical questions about hte Bible and about Chirsitianity. Rather, I tried to stay within the framework that she was functioning in.

It was interesting to find out that those boots still fit. Even though I left the Church 5 and a half years ago. . .so many of the stories and concepts of the Bible are fresh and readily accessable. . .there is no doubt that the indoctrination that I expereinced took hold. I say "indoctrination" but what I really think i mean is "knowledge". I know alot about the Bible and about religion. I understand alot of why the religious groups teach what they. All of that data is still there, in a folder on the desktop, ready to be accessed with just a little review.

In thinking about that dialogue, I am impressed also with the difference between "Knowledge" and "Faith". By and large, the group that we came out of focussed on "Knowledge"--in "Having all the answers". You were expected to study to "defend the faith" and to "evangelize". . .there seemed to be a real de-emphasis on faith. . .and on believing that God was really active in one's life. It is also impressive to me that although I have rejected most of the doctrines and teachings of Christianity (or rather than rejected, let's say I remain "unconvinced"), i am more faithful in God's power and activity in my life than I EVER was when I was a "Christian".

I think that may be the rots of faith. . .not in knowledge, but in TRUTH. I think there ARE universal truths that permeate all of our lives and many teachings of diverse groups. In talking to my friend last night, I think I was able to access some of those truths that appear in the Bible and in the precepts of Christianity. Of course those are the ones that are the most accessable to me, because they are the ones of which I have the most knowledge. I admit, however, that I am finding just as many of those truths as I learn more about the teachings of Islam, Buddhism, etc.

I thik, my New Years Resolution needs to be to learn more about how people have come to understand the divine outside the definitions of Christianty. . .how have OTHER cultures and OTHER faiths come to understand the nature of God?

Happy Birthday Kimberly!!!!!!

Everyone give it up to the most wonderful, beautiful, articulate, interesting woman i have EVER known . . .I am a better man to know her and have her in my life!

Today I celebrate her birth and her life. Please join me in wishing well to her on her happy day!!!

I love you!!!

Back Home Again!!!!

Just a quick post to let everyone know that we are back home and well. . .we got home yesterday afternoon and got thru the night without incident. Sofia makes it easy, as she is SOOOOOOOO laid back and easy going (the most relaxed of the bunch). Possum, Olivia, and Drew are eating up the older siblings gig. . .and we are hopefully going to be able to get on a schedule early!!

Thanks to one and al for all of your well wishes and good thoughts. . .I will get back to my usual pretentious ramblings once I get rested up and back on schedule.

Tons of Love to one and all!

Thomas J.

Sofia Rhiannon Wilson

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you so much in welcoming our beautiful new angel, Sofia Rhiannon Wilson to our home and family. She joined us today, via C-Section at 2:11 pm. She weighed 8 pounds, 9.2 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Mother and baby are both fine.

Thanks for all of your love, prayers, and good thoughts.

Thomas J.

Idiots should not blog without supervision.

Ok, so, this morning, I wrote this delightfully funny and insightful post about returning to the work world. Apparently there was something faulty with the computer, or the internet, or the server or something, because I SURE did lose it. And of course it didn't have ANYTHING to do with ME)

Now. . .the old addage goes, garbage in=garbage out. . .does that mean that since i did all of that work, and got nothing to show for it, that I was essentially saying nothing worth reading anyway?

If that is true, should I assume that my other posts ARE worth reading, as they have been successfully published?

OR, does it have anything to do with my inability to find the damn anykey.

Now, in all seriousness, it makes me think about two totally different subjects:

1) Isn't it funny that computers are manufactured with an 18 month lifespan (cars as well) what is it about the rampant consumerism in out country that makes us buy items that we fully expect to break down and become obsolete at approximately the same time they are paid off? Is anyone happy about this? (besides Bill Gates, of course)

2) blogging is a wonderful thing. . .why is it, however, that so many humans are posting on blogs, yet it seems like so few people are having meaningful conversations with each other? Is it actually the inherent fear that we will be rejected if we do not have something to say that our audience deems as valuable? If so, is blogging then the "safe way" to say the things that we deem valuable and worth saying without having to worry about someone ignoring us?

IF the above is true, does that make a person who speaks his mind and could care less what anybody else thinks about it in the REAL world, the same as a real world blogger? If so, does this make me an admirable articulate person, or a general, know it all nuisance?