Grief & Jubilation

I have Mohammed Reza Shajarian & Kayhan Kalhor, Night Silence Desert playing at the moment. Stunning. It's helping me process some grief. And jubilation. The combination of grief and jubilation is holy madness.

My last grandparent passed out of the form on May 1. Less than two months later his son my uncle came down with a raging brain tumor. It was removed but it came back with an inoperable vengeance. Now it looks like he only has a few weeks left (BrainHospice.com).

I'm not even going to mention the destructive weather.

Otherwise, for a Christmas season, it's been strangely wonderful. I love Jesus as much as any muslim. I definitely consider myself Christian in some odd way (and not Muslim if I must say so again), but I can't stand the Christmas schlock. This year, by very strictly moderating my exposure to Christmas, I truly enjoyed what small parts did manifest in my life. Even singing carols at the library with my daughter. It was awesome, the young librarian leading us was getting down.

Now we can take down the Christmas tree and turn it into mulch for next year's garlic crop. Permaculture multifunctionality!

Did you know Christmas trees are specifically forbidden in the Book of Jeremiah? Yep, you're not supposed to go cut down a tree, bring it inside, and decorate it. That's something pagans do.