I'm almost ready to start writing over here again. Within the next month or so anyway.

No more obituaries though. It's time for a new beginning.

News? Maybe. Photos? Maybe. Mobile Blogging? Probably.

On December 12th, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications called for live moments of silence during these days of Advent.

The encounter with the Lord has many facets. Being personal, it is always also of the community; it happens in solitude and silence, but also in a privileged way in liturgical celebrations and in family life. It is nourished by dialogue and community prayer, expressed in song, in catechesis and ends in action and service.

I am taking the next two weeks to contemplate, reflect, and pray. I am going to contemplate the year to come, reflect on the past year, and pray about the future to come.

That is why, on this feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I would like to invite you, precisely as men and women communicators, to enjoy once more the experience of encountering Christ. I invite you to live moments of silence during these days of Advent, to hear Jesus' voice who speaks to our heart.

I'll be back January 1. I hope to see you when I return.

From 101 Dead Armadillos:

This year, like every year before, we should be grateful for our nation's veterans. Here is my post from last year, which pays tribute the veterans in my family. Take a moment today to honor the veterans in your family, as well as all of the brave men and women who have shaped our great nation.

In 1918, on the 11th day of the 11th month at the eleventh hour, the Allies and Germany signed the armistice that brought an end to the hostilities on the Western Front and marked the end of fighting in World War I. The war officially ended on June 28, 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day to remember those who were killed during the war. People around the world took time out of their day, each November 11th, to recognize those members of their armed forces who died during the war. In 1938, Armistice Day was made an official U.S. holiday as "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'." Years later, new legislation changed the name to Veterans Day and it became a day to remember all of the men and women who have served our nation in the Armed Forces, not just those who died.

Veterans Day is a day to thank and honor all of the men and women who have served in our nation's military, during peacetime and war. It is a day to acknowledge that their contributions to our nation are appreciated and the sacrifices they made to serve their country did not go unnoticed.

Every Veterans Day I think about the men and women in my own family who served our nation proudly.

Read rest of story…

Thank you.