Category Archives: Rambles

Bits and pieces provoked by moving through space, history, and the calendar.

The Gift of Humility

Posted on 29 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts In the spirit of surprises, it turns out that the Hippocratic Oath does not include these words: First, do no harm. Maybe the reason so many think it … Continue reading →

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The Gift of Surprise

Posted on 28 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts When I was born, I was so surprised I didn’t talk for a year and a half. Gracie Allen The older we get, the less surprise there is … Continue reading →

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The Gift of Familiarity

Posted on 27 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts In the kitchen, reach for the paring knife without thinking or looking. In the shower, reach for the face cloth in its accustomed spot without having to open … Continue reading →

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The Gift of Doubt

Posted on 26 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts Doubt is not an agreeable condition, but certainty is a deplorable one. Voltaire Balancing the gift of faith is the gift of doubt. Questioning what we read, see, … Continue reading →

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The Gift of Faith

Posted on 25 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

Celebrating the 12 days of Christmas with short reflections on 12 gifts Whether we are Christian or not, this 1st day of Christmas is an ideal day to rejoice in the gift of faith: faith in a god, in a … Continue reading →

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You Say it Best…

Posted on 24 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

You say it best, when you say nothing at all. Tomorrow marks the start of short reflections on 12 gifts, one for each of the 12 days of Christmas. Tonight, following the advice of Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz in … Continue reading →

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The Perfect Moment

Posted on 12 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

Marking the conclusion of a 12-year project to send letters on palindromic dates that won’t be seen again in this century.   I am standing outside the Astoria OR post office, 11 years, 11 months and 11 days since the … Continue reading →

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The Full Meal Deal

Posted on 05 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

 One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. Haggis? It’s a clear question, as she hesitantly pokes at a dark puck of mystery something-or-other on her plate, not even entirely sure that it’s meat. Haggis. It’s … Continue reading →

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Those Pesky Victorians

Posted on 02 December 2012 by Isabel Gibson

Elizabethans? No that won’t work: already taken. Georgians? No, that won’t work, even though some say that Prince Charles will choose to become George VII, if and when: it disregards 60-plus years of intervening history from Bertie to Charlie, and … Continue reading →

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