I recieved this letter from my wife last week. I thought some of you might find it humerous ... or even inspiring.

The Case for Buzz Lightyear: Christmas 2004

I am writing on behalf of Riley Michael Stetler. Eventually he will be old
enough to make this type of plea on his own, but until that time comes he is
need of someone to defend him and express his wishes. It has been decided
in the Stetler home that Christmas for Riley will consist of a couple of
books, Polar Express being one of them, and an art box made by mom.
However, this does not take into account the mystery of Santa Claus, which I
believe to be a very important childhood tradition. Most middle class
American children receive hundreds of dollars worth of gifts from their
parents and then gifts from Santa on top of all of that. I believe that
adding one "fun" present from Santa still seperates us from how the rest of
America celebrates the holiday. It seems as though a certain person who
lives in this home (who will remain nameless) believes that there is
something inherently wrong with a child finding joy in a toy. Why? That
certain person finds joy in his/her own grownup toys (I could make a list
here, but I won't). Bags of toys are carried out of this house throughout
the year and given to Goodwill. It is not as though any of us have a "tight
grip" on toys. Riley plays with his toys, he enjoys them...the ones he
tires of, we give away or save for Trey. If buying presents that are fun
but not needed is wrong, then why did we buy Palmer and Amy a wedding gift.
Why do we ever buy birthday gifts or wedding gifts? I think the answer is
because we hope that the person who receives the gift will find enjoyment
from it. I'm not sure why you get so fussy when we want to buy Riley something fun (ie the
toy story figure set Jen bought him at Target) but have no problem picking
up something unneccesary for yourself the same day (ie a silly grey hat). I
don't have a problem with your grey hat, but why do you have a problem with
the toy story figures? They have provided countless hours of imaginary play
for him already. Many toys serve a purpose. They encourage creativity and
learning. Basically, what I'm saying is that the little dude really wants
Buzz Lightyear for Christmas. The look on his face in our living room on
Christmas morning will be priceless and the mystery of Santa will continue
for at least one more year. Thank you for considering this matter.

Kerri Lynn Stetler
Guardian/Mother

interesting show today -- fresh air NPR

His new book is In Search of Paul: How Jesus' Apostle Opposed Rome's Empire with God's Kingdom. Crossan looks at the life of Paul, and describes how the most important Christian value is justice. Crossan is professor emeritus of De Paul University, and is considered by some to be the foremost scholar of historical Jesus. His The Historical Jesus is an alternative and fact-based look at the life of Christ.
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currently playing:: so many dynamos

tomorrow I have the honor of standing with phil in the marriage of our friends mark and amy. coming home from 64 king tonight i was overwhelmed with the richness of love in the context of community... of my beautiful friends... of the sacredness of marriage. For mark and amy, I thought of these words by Rilke:

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,
then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.

Flare up like flame
and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Don't let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand.