Four Somethings – December 2025

Can you believe it is December already? I love the end of the year – all the fun, closure, celebrations, candlelights, worship, special moments, family get-togethers, and those clear winter nights when the stars are especially twinkling bright.

A good time to pause and reflect and gather what makes life sweet. What are you savoring right now? I call these occasional sacred spaces my Four Somethings when I reflect on things I have read, seen, and experienced that enriched my life. I collect these bits of wisdom into four categories:

• Something Wise
• Something Wonderful
• Something Whispered
• Something Whimsical

Something Wise

One of my favorite Mary Oliver poems:

Don’t Hesitate
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy,
don’t hesitate. Give in to it.
There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be.
We are not wise, and not very often kind.
And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left.
Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes
something happens better than all the riches
or power in the world.
It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins.
Anyway, that’s often the case.
Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty.
Joy is not made to be a crumb.

Something Wonderful

Take the time to check out this website Old Maps Online that offers digital map collections from multiple libraries in one search interface—plus it offers a TimeMap so you can watch history unfold. We recently visited Greece, so I moved the icon to Europe and the timeline to ancient times and studied all the events, rulers and regions across time affecting that area. It gave me a better grasp on history. What a rabbit trail!

Something Whispered

Carrie Newcomer shared a new poem for Thanksgiving, but I think would also be delightful for the coming holiday season too.

A Thanksgiving Blessing – Without The Green Jello

May your travels be easy and if there are detours,
May you encounter the beautiful and brief unexpected.
May you know the grace of good friends,
And a family that deepens, softens and often widens your life.
May all your potatoes be well mashed,
All your pie crusts be flakey,
May wisdom and humor be your table companions.
May love lighten whatever has been feeling hard or heavy,
May there be little kids running around with flushed cheeks.
May there be stories. May there always be stories.
May there be happy dogs and broad minded cats.
May there be a moment of silence to frame what is wordless.
May there be persimmons and board games and hugs at the door.
May there be a walk in the woods or a stroll around the block.
May a red bird come to the feeder and the leaves be every benevolent color of brown.
May we root for the home team, may we welcome the stranger,
May we remember all the shapes of courage we’ve seen in the past year.
May we hold fast to resilience and bow our heads for the harvest
May we find comfort in knowing that more seeds have already been planted.
And finally,
May there be no green jello
Especially the kind with the mayo and little shavey things
—unless you and yours really love green jello, and especially with mayo,
—then may it be doubly green with plenty for all.

Something Whimsical

I love words, especially silly words. How about a few fun ones this month?

Have you ever heard the word “kerfuffle”? It is a delightful linguistic oddity that describes a state of mild chaos or disorder. This peculiar term originated from Scottish dialects in the late 18th century, derived from the Gaelic cur, meaning to twist or bend, combined with fuffle, suggesting disorderly movement or commotion.

“Bumfuzzle,” originated in the Southern United States in the mid-19th century with an uncertain etymology, possibly arising from a blend of “bamboozle” and “fuddle.”

“Flibbertigibbet” is a term that can be used to describe someone who is frivolous or overly talkative. Its origins can be traced back to Old English, where flibbert denoted a frivolous person and gibbet referred to an inconsistent and unstable individual. The word, as hard to pronounce as it is, serves as an apt definition for a lively yet disorganized individual. Think of someone who, when exposing his thoughts, is enthusiastic yet all over the place.

A funny word to describe a not-so-funny sensation, “collywobbles” refers to a feeling of nervousness, unease, or fluttering in the stomach. Its origins trace back to the 19th century, merging “colly,” an old English term for coal dust or darkness, with “wobbles,” implying an unsettled or wobbly sensation. Initially describing a feeling of stomach discomfort or anxiety, it evolved to signify a broader sense of nervousness or apprehension.

So don’t be bumfuzzled with any collywobbles, you flibbertigibbet or you might cause a kerfuffle! Just enjoy the end of 2025 and look forward to a wonderful blessed 2026!!