Daily Journal 12/15/25

As we do around this time every year, Mary and I celebrated Christmas with my parents, my sister and her husband, and my two sons yesterday. On actual Christmas Day both my sons are with both their moms, and my folks are with my grandma, and Mary and I are with her family and my step-daughter, so the Keene side celebrates beforehand).

Mary and my brother-in-law wanted to see childhood pics, so out came Mom’s photo albums, and thus, here is me in 1976, taken on July 4th — America’s Bicentennial (thus the hat).

And here is me in 1987, taken — I think — in Rota, Spain?

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One of the things Mary and I got my oldest son for Christmas was some new bookshelves, so before we all met up at my parents house, we stopped by his place to drop the shelves off. Before I could do much, my youngest was hauling shelves out of the truck and across the yard by himself and my oldest was hauling them across the living room and bedroom by himself. I didn’t ask them to do this. They just jumped in and did it, because I guess I am now to that part of life’s journey where grown children say to each other “We shouldn’t let Dad lift and move these things.”

I am a long way from that kid at the Bicentennial.

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Newsletter went out yesterday. You can read it here.

Thanks to everyone who watched Saturday night’s LIVING THE SCREAM benefit for the ACLU, or donated to the cause. Here is the link to watch the livestream. Here is the link to donate to the campaign. And we have merch available here. All proceeds will be donated to the ACLU.