Merry Christmas, 2008

Dear friends:

I don’t claim to be a religious person but have to admit that the secularization of Christmas and the marginalization of Christians generally is troubling to me. Christians are oft portrayed as intolerant, closed-minded and, dare I say it, stupid. Having grown up in a Christian home and having seen first-hand how my parents and others in our church community deported themselves, compared to many in the larger community, I can say that in my experience I have found Christians to be mostly tolerant, forgiving and inclusive of those shunned by others. Whatever my personal feelings might be, I don’t want the celebration to be styled as ‘Xmas’ or any other aberration. It will always be ‘Christmas’ to me.

So . . . I am not including the tropical Santa photograph above as a sop to secularism. Nor am I excluding a religious graphic as an anti-Christian statement. I just thought the image to be an interesting juxtaposition of Santa, with his North Pole attire, against a backdrop of tropical shrubbery.

I took the photograph above in Panama City during one of my many trips to the Republic of Panama over the last several years. The setting tickled my fancy and I couldn’t resist taking the photograph to show my friends back home in Canada.

We are living in an increasingly troubling world. Our economies are broken, our governments are trampling our rights and voters are delusional about what politicians and bureaucrats can do to provide remedy. We are in for an interesting ride in the next several years. The world will be quite different from what it was when we were all growing up. With the exception of the gadgetry that we all enjoy today, most of the changes that we will experience, even here in North America, will not be positive.

I know that this Christmas missive from me might seem a bit strange with its subtext of doom and gloom, but it is not my intention to frighten anyone or to promote any sense of hopelessness. I believe that the indomitable human spirit that has seen the world and the human race through so many crises in the past will be triumphant once again, and that during troubled times we should just do the best we can and be thankful for what we have, most especially friends and families.

From me and my family, to you and your family, I would like to express my heartfelt wish for a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May good health and good sense be with you always.

Sieg Pedde
Christmas, 2008

Make a Joyful Noise!

Christmas is a time for celebration in Panama: big, noisy, joyous celebration. Last Saturday night, I roamed the streets of Boquete as thousands of celebrants gathered to watch a parade, eat delicacies from the carts of street vendors, and throw firecrackers. Yes, fireworks appear to be an integral part of Christmas in Panama. Panamanians must all have read the passage in the bible (in Psalms 98:4, I looked it up) where it says: "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."

On the day before the parade, one of the female attendants at the inn where I was staying, beckoned me over to look at something she was taking out of a small box. Several bright red and very tiny components of what I took to be a Santa's elf costume appeared, and she held them up for me to admire. I am very scientifically-minded, and in the interest of being able to report to you, dear reader, the absolute unvarnished truth about everything on which I report, with every detail just as accurate as it can possibly be, I suggested to her that she don the costume and that I photograph her in it. I was curious to see if the tiny bits of cloth would actually cover all of her interesting bits. She giggled, and informed me that the costume was actually for her daughter. Drat! Another scientific opportunity lost.

Dressing up in costumes and marching in parades is as big in Panama now as it was in the U.S. and Canada back in the 1950's and 1960's. Many of you might be far too young to have experienced life in that era, so I will tell you that it was a time of parades, marching bands and baton twirlers -- things considered archaic and uncool by many of our jaded and disconnected youth. If you miss that noise and excitement, off with you to Panama where they will hold a parade at the slightest excuse.

Things in Panama are simpler in many ways. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, we all need to uncomplicate our lives just a little.

Let's all raise a glass to the simpler things in life!

Christmas Season in Panama

It's weird. I'm sitting on a patio at the Boquete Garden Inn, typing away on my laptop. It is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit this evening, I am wearing sandals and a short-sleeved shirt. Right in front of me is a beautifully decorated Christmas Tree. At home, that usually means that I would only be sitting on the patio if I were insane. Not so here, or at least I still think I am relatively sane. In the picture above, the toucan you see is actually the wallpaper image on my laptop.

I could get used to this.

I was at the local supermarket in Boquete earlier today and they were selling Christmas trees, just as they would in colder climes. Stores have Christmas decorations and, although I haven't heard any yet, I imagine that radio stations are playing at least some Christmas music.

Everywhere I look, there are beautiful flowers in full bloom. The rainy season is over and now, with even more sunshine than usual, plants are celebrating by creating beauty for us to enjoy. Hallelujah.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all my friends in Cyberia. If you, as I probably will, go for a family drive this weekend, please be careful. With so many people on the highways, and the corresponding increased chance of mishap, I want you all to be safe.

In my trip to Panama last November, one thing I noticed as I roamed around the country in my little rented SUV, was the number of roadside markers similar to the one shown in the accompanying picture. They were everywhere, and I can only presume that wherever there was a marker like this, someone died in a traffic accident. I saw dozens of the crosses or little stone cairns on the roads I travelled. Each roadside memorial marked someone's lost son or daughter, father or mother, brother or sister. Let's not become statistics. Our families need us, and we them.

Enjoy your families and be safe.