@Gwendolyn2018 I bet you’re thrilled for this time off! Take care of you too. Nice hot bath, glass of wine, maybe Nora Jones on the stereo! You deserve it! A new year is coming!!

@Gwendolyn2018
I know was just sharing my experiences but thought I should let people know that I was south. Also belong is a website for the calendars
[csiro.au]

@Gwendolyn2018 Since it's about that time I think I should post this.

@Gwendolyn2018 you must get a lot of practice where you live.

@Gwendolyn2018

Just a few of the Virgin birth Deities on winter Solstice...

Alcyone (Greek)
Ameratasu (Japan)
Baldur (Norse)
Bona Dea (Roman)
Cailleach Bheur (Celtic)
Demeter (Greek)
Frau Holle (Norse)
Frigga (Norse)
Hodr (Norse)
Holly King (British/Celtic)
La Befana (Italian)
Odin (Norse)
Saturn (Roman)
Spider Woman (Hopi)

@Gwendolyn2018 You're better than me. I just say "Bah Humbug." At least the people who know me get it.

@Gwendolyn2018, @FrostyJim What is it about virgins that have created so many idiotic ideas. Remember, it was also the virgins that got offered to the gods when things got rough. Early on, the question was asked if anyone would want to have sex with a virgin. Ugh, what a bore.

@Gwendolyn2018 So basically a woman is just the means to an end (of course you know that). However, from a religious historian (John Dominic Crossan) the text originally stated a virgin would be wed and then bear a child. Words were switched around to suit supposed prophesy.

@Gwendolyn2018 I am familiar with King James and his creating a group to 'interpret' the bible to fit his needs. But he did could not change the Catholic version. Now there are several versions. One can specialize just in the history of the bible. Of course I'm not telling you something you don't already know.

@Gwendolyn2018 What do you know of the Coptic bibles?

@Gwendolyn2018 It has been years since I was interested in religious history so some things have gotten 'fuzzy' in my mind. I was thinking of the Gnostic gospels and, yes, your suggestion was exactly what I had in mind. "Gnostic Gospels" – texts once thought to have been entirely destroyed during the early Christian struggle to define "orthodoxy" – scriptures such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Philip, and the Gospel of Truth. The discovery and translation of the Nag Hammadi library, initially completed in the 1970's, has provided impetus to a major re-evaluation of early Christian history and the nature of Gnosticism. "

While at the Univ. of Md. European Division I became hooked on history and it was all around me, even in my house (built in 1686). We even spent 2 weeks in Rome studying the Popes and Papacy. Now, I don't really care that much for this genre of history.

@Gwendolyn2018 That's great, although it seems there are a lot of forerunners of 'Jesus.' How far have you gotten on the book? Have you done any other books?

One of my goals in life was to write a book (the other one was to get excommunicated - neither have been fulfilled). Although, through all the years and especially on this site I have written several books. One person and I became (past tense) pen pals and even I was surprised our correspondence went over 500 pages. I guess I just like to write (guess you've figured that out lol). When taking history courses at the University the instructor had a different style. He said a undergraduate degree in history didn't mount for much. At the beginning of all his classes we would debate what we wanted on the mid-term and final. Then he would put a couple of main questions and several smaller ones. Come test time we would come armed with pen and lots of paper. We knew the questions (we could pick one main topic and two smaller ones). The point was not so much knowledge of history but how to write. He told us in graduate school that's what we'd be doing so it's time to get practicing. The classes were 2 1/2 hrs long and we would leave with sore arms.

@Gwendolyn2018 Every year the different myths come up and Mithras is a biggie. Seems like the cave would be symbolic of the womb. Anyway, I consider myself a generalist (Jack of all trades) and a partial master of some. Some are very interesting at the time but are soon forgotten. I think we all have our passions and, for me, myths, are interesting but too many to be of concern. It's hard to separate all the different characters.

I've thought about taking some writing courses. There is a woman friend here who is British and takes these courses but, again, too many other interests. However, I love British series especially murder mysteries.

Unfortunately, I'm not a teacher. I once taught applied electronics for the military and really sucked. Whenever anyone would ask if I thought of teaching my late partner would look at me and, rightly so, laugh (she reached the top level of master instructor).

Sounds like a lot of work to keep alive. Do you not have your own SS (I know probably nomb)? Even though being mostly alone day after day is a pain I am grateful there are no money issues.

@Gwendolyn2018 Funny, I just finished watching a favorite British crimi and there was a woman speaking to an audience. She said after God created Adam he thought a while and said I will try again as I can do better. I'm sure you'd agree.

My late partner was also in a miserable marriage for 25 years. Her daughter once told her, mom I don't recognize you as you have changed. She replied No, I finally get to be my real self. Problem was she died and the miserable husband is still around.

The connection between and caves is obvious. Hope you win.

@Gwendolyn2018 So why hasn't that version become more widespread? Still, I prefer the joke version.

So you've made your christmass wish lol. Sorry to hear you had to endure such a relationship. My dad (and 12 years later my mother) died at 67. Neither took care of themselves. On my dad's side all the males had high cholesterol and died from high BP related issues (the two females did not and lived to 89). They were all in their mid-60's The high cholesterol was only partially passed down but looking back I can see a lot was lifestyle. I am the oldest (of 7 - Catholic family) and still am in great shape (and it takes a lot of work). One brother died at 71 due to tongue cancer. We all wracked our brains and decided his work in construction exposed him to toxic chemicals.

@Gwendolyn2018 Strange how things work out. This afternoon at lunch (I like to read and eat) there was a great story in the Smithsonian about Solomon's mine and the accuracy of the bible. Hope you can open it. [smithsonianmag.com]

@Gwendolyn2018 Another case of one up-womanship.

Interesting it said the 'Hebrew' bible. I didn't realize the original translation was separate from the later versions. Makes sense as every translation words get changed. We once had Syrian-Turkish neighbors in Germany. They were Orthodox Christians and said they spoke Aramaic, the language of 'the' (supposed) Christ.

One uncle was overweight and claimed to be the Calavo king (he imported California Avocados into Dallas). He loved football and had a heart attack while watching football. One uncle died on the operating table while getting a double bypass surgery. One uncle ran a liquor store in a bad part of town. He said he got tired of having a gun in his face and retired only to have a heart attack. My dad's death was odd. When he was little he fell in a lake and one lung filled with water. He was rushed to the hospital and an incision was made to drain the lung. That big scar kept him out of the military. He developed high BP and was on meds. He then developed a brain tumor which immobilized him, and was rushed to the hospital. Drugs were given to reduce the tumor. He spent the night in the hospital but refused hid BP meds and that night his lungs filled with fluids and he basically drowned. He also had lung cancer (he was a heavy smoker). My mother died from ovarian cancer. She knew something was wrong but was afraid of going to the doctor for fear it might be cancer. Normally she was a very intelligent woman but she was also a coward. Still, both parents were great.

@Gwendolyn2018 I looked at this last piece last night and decided to sleep on it. My thoughts got to be pretty long but will present my ideas only if you care to see them.

My dad smoked Chesterfields. Mom finally got him to quit and then we moved to N Calif. She joined a scuba diving club. Most of the members smoked so she took it up. Then my dad started again. She already had lung problems and didn’t seem to understand how smoking would affect her. The ovarian cancer spread to her lungs which got her to finally go see a doctor. She started a chemo program and suffered for 6 months before dying. My dad worked long hours but when home he was there and we were a big part of his extended family. My mom’s small family, not so much. My first wife had/has Bipolarism. She refused to take meds and her ‘episodes’ were not fun.

@Gwendolyn2018 I guess we got lucky in only having one out of two (the first). Still being free range doesn't mean we don't make mistakes. At least we didn't have the mental monkey on our backs. My dad worked a lot of overtime so we didn't endure the smoking too much (but enough to send a message - none of the males ever smoked). By the time both parents smoked we weren't around much.

@Gwendolyn2018 I have been hearing of more and more people (mostly women) having to go through that. It makes me sad. On the flip side, My little (21 years younger) has moved here. I am starting to hear more stories about mom we never knew (or cared to as we were clueless kids). I did know my sister and mom became sort of famous in that they were the only mother/daughter pair to enroll in the same court reporting school. It was written up in the local paper. Mom's only addiction were reading murder mysteries and playing cards with the neighbor.

@Gwendolyn2018 Sorry to hear about your regrets. I think that befalls a lot of people including me.
There's a lot of things about my parents I didn't know, I think that's normal for kids. I hope my sister can fill in some of the blanks. Do you have siblings that might help?

My first wife never bonded with our daughter. She knew this but I was the dominant parent. I knew nothing about being a parent but learned. Lots of funny stories. Still, I had her for 7 1/2 years. Luckily she had strong independent genes. Later her mother basically kidnapped her and in the end I lost touch with her for 20 years. Loong story but we finally found each other. She, told me what her family life was like and described it a the 'Cinderella' life and she's still waiting for prince charming. She is married with two kids and a great job. She seems to have overcome the rough time and I like to think it her early childhood played a big part.

I am trying to fill in the blank times with my daughter. We spend a lot of time on the phone and I've made her my executor.

@Gwendolyn2018 Thanks for sharing. Glad there are no regrets. Both my previous partners had depression issues and it can be demoralizing. An aunt had chronic depression. She became a poor driver and had her license suspended. She went into deep depression and was institutionalized. She then went on a hunger strike and died at 89.

With my daughter I had a clue. She was going with a loser guy (dropped out of school, got involved with a shooting for starters). We were going to counseling. At one point (after she ran away with the guy for a weekend) we decided to have her sign a contract or return her to her mother. She refused to sign (she later said she thought we were bluffing) so we sent her back. After we got back together I asked her what she did. She was turning 18 and still had a year of HS. Her mom and the 'step dad' were leaving for Tucson (he had leukemia and needed a drier place to live). Her mother asked her if she wanted to go with them and she said absolutely not. Her mother gave her $200 and left. My daughter, Marilyn, found a PT job with a car dealership and she and a friend found an apartment and finished HS sans parents. I asked her if she saw her BF and she said he did return after several years and had become a big time drug dealer. I was worried she married the guy (she talked about this) and was in an abusive marriage and was tunable to get out out it. 20 years but it was worth it.

@Gwendolyn2018 But it's a great fact to present to those who think Epiphany marks the arrival of three camel-riding kings.

@Gwendolyn2018 Other than it's the traditional day for the Christmas tree and decorations to come down. .... and they never question why!

@Gwendolyn2018 the Catholic countries pf Europe hold a big celebration with gifts, as marking the day the 3 kings arrived.

That sounds like an interesting book.

I listened to this book via audible, in her own voice. When my eyes are tired, I love listening to authors who think like me.