12. seasonal thoughts

You have an inch of snow this evening. At dusk, you turned on the tree lights in your front bedroom window and also your small tree light post with a flickering post light on top, and tonight you left the ceiling porch lights off for a softer appearance with the outside garage lights and lights directed to the front of the house on. With the snow, it looks much more like a Christmas scene. – Ms. Havisham 

2216. I really don't feel like I am enjoying the Christmas scenery all that much. Carol decided to put some interior, seasonal items out, which is okay, she likes doing that, but I am not that religiously oriented. 2218

No, you are not at all, as a matter of fact, but your spiritual self is satisfied with what efforts you have put into the season so far. These efforts are more heart oriented that soul. – Ms. H. 

2221. I cannot imagine my soul having any part of this cultural scenery. I don't mind the season, and I like seeing the lights, etc., on most of our small neighborhood homes. If I remember right, we have forty-four, all small Craftsman-style houses, and yards of early last century. We have no street lighting, but each house has a similar yard pole light that lights automatically and is on until dawn. We like the simple, straightforward effect. Soft scene, but it is not heavy on the Hallmark Christmas card. I think of my soul being more interested in walking through the woods, night or day (when I could walk more steadily). I like solstice both Winter and Summer. One of my favorite times in all my life is when I had a morning paper route in Minerva Park. I first carried the Ohio State Journal, then when they folded, I carried the Citizen Journal. Few would be up. The papers were dropped off on our driveway about five o'clock or so every morning. I walked my route most of the time. No matter what the weather, I enjoyed the quiet walk. I was following the natural order, in sync with the stars and/or early morning light. It was nothing like the First Presbyterian Church, much more informal and natural, a being one with Nature and its own rules of time, setting, and place. 2242.

You have written the way you remember it, being one with the greater nature of the world and universe, but you forget that a greater part of the Christmas scene to you was the birth of Jesus, who is to you, an example of the better angels of human nature. – Ms. H. 

2244. Those are my thoughts, true; though I don't think on them so much – perhaps I do think on them – in terms of my hope that our species lives up to its better angels. 2246. 

Good thoughts, Mr. Orndorff. All for tonight. – Ms. H. 

2248. We didn't even have much of a discussion; I'm rather surprised. 

None of this is new to you, Mr. Orndorff; you just don't often give it much outward consideration. – Ms. H. 

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