Today's word

flat-hat /FLAT-hat/ - to fly low in an airplane in a reckless manner : hedgehop

Remembered this because of a post on "calumny" on the Merriam Webster site

It's worth my time to revisit, especially today.

I am willing to love in spite of pain . . .

. . . because this is how Jesus loves me.

Last year I knew one person

This year I knew a couple dozen.

That was nice.

But it didn't begin to make up for the absence of the one.

That wouldn't have been so bad if the cutoff hadn't been so abrupt and unexplained.

Self-confirming conclusions

There are decisions we reach about people in our minds that, once formed, become the lens through which we see them. There will always be evidence to support these conclusions, so our opinion of them finds never-ending validation.

A minority MLB umpire is saying that an MLB executive decided, decades ago when they were in adversarial roles in an in-game situation, that the ump was seeking to draw attention to himself. Many years later, this observation has been part of the umpire's annual evaluation by the executive. If you believe something like this about a person, they will probably never be able to convince you that you're mistaken.

But the individual being judged can also have a blind spot about whether there is any truth in the accusation, and needs to have an honest motivation to do what they can about it, even knowing that there is likely no way they'll ever be able to convince the person judging them of what they have learned and changed about themselves.

Today's words

dithyramb /DITH-ih-ram/ - 1. a usually short poem in an inspired wild irregular strain 2. a statement or writing in an exalted or enthusiastic vein

sericeous /suh-RISH-us/ - covered with fine silky hair

A pair of new words of the day. 

Thank you, God

For Saturday, when we laid to rest a dear brother and then I was able to minister in music again with an old friend.

For a restful Sunday.

But mostly, this morning, for one true friend who cares what's on my mind.