1/1/2026
Happy New Year!
It looks like you had a fun time at your party last night. What did you think of Vanessa Horabuena's painting? Was she exuding positive vibes after cranking it out in just 10 minutes? Clearly her work is divinely inspired & it's great that you featured it at your event.
Next year you should have a numerologist do a quick exposition about the numbers 2026 & 2027. 2026 is cool because it's 2 times 1013, which happens to be a Sophie Germain prime. 2027 is PRIME! Even better it is a safe prime, making it useful in cryptographic applications. Given the MAGA world fascination with crypto, an exposition on 2027 might be a hit!
As we move into this new year, my hope for us, both, is we can live the testimonies that Quakers focus on, specifically:
Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community & Equality
The acronym SPICE can help you remember them. Some people add an S at the end for Stewardship to remind us to take care of the Earth.
The first testimony, simplicity, is the most difficult of the testimonies for me - My active imagination stimulates me to take on more projects than I should. I am prone to buying more things than I need. The stimulation around me leads my brain to scatter by attending to trivial tasks that waste my time.
While I am averse to using phrases that buzz on social media, specifically, "setting an intention" & "being mindful," both speak to the value of discipling the mind to reflect on our choices & value our time. Perhaps, in the spirit of simplicity, we can both cut back on using our devices so our brains are not polluted by white noise, & we can give our attention to important matters.
The second testimony, Peace, is the only one I am confident that we share. You made that clear when you told reporters last night that your resolution for 2026 was Peace on Earth. Given that commitment I am hoping you will stop being so aggressive toward Venezuela & keep in mind that WINTA!
Regarding the Integrity, Community & Equality testimonies, I will continue to do my best to demonstrate them & to remind you of their importance.
2025 has15 factors, making it a more complicated # than 2026. So this year is a prime time to practice simplicity!
As usual I ask that you give some attention to the situation in Burma.
BYBS,
