In the middle of this last week of the year my mind is swirling with all sorts of thoughts about projects which might be possible and interesting for 2014.  Perhaps I should take up again a writing project I began a long time ago and left unfinished… Growing Up on the Edge, an exploration of a phenomenon that has fascinated me for all of a long professional career working with adolescents and young adults… Why it is that much of the best work, especially in the arts and in literature, in any age has been done by individuals who were decidedly unconventional in their cultural settings.  

Or maybe I will undertake a writing project built around unconventional theological ideas that have been playing through my thoughts for several months. British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene has set my thinking on an exciting path. I’m sure Karen Armstrong’s The History of God, along with Dawkins’ theories, will push me along that road.  Dawkins coined the word “meme” from the Greek μίμημα, a word (idea, actually) which he uses to represent “an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.” Before I got to Armstrong’s book, Dawkins’ had already sent me back to Joseph Campbell’s and Bill Moyers’ discussions and writings about The Power of Myth. I'm learning not to be afraid of my own conclusions on the subject of God.

Another thing:  I’ve been following up on the situation with little Valeria in Tijuana who was born blind but can almost certainly gain eyesight through surgery.  My friend is getting information to me tomorrow about how Margaret and I can help the family.  I’ll include the information on the BLOG and on FACEBOOK tomorrow or the next day for others who may want to help.