'I would only write a letter of complain..."

My friend recently asked me why did I write a letter to the Forum? I was a bit taken aback by that comment. I asked, 'Do you disagree with it? Was it very poorly written?' 'No,' she said, she had not read it yet, just wondering why would anyone bother with writing something unless one had been very upset about it.

My favourite kinds of writing are not letters of complaints, but letters of praise.

So often, when I write, especially when something suddenly makes sense to me, like a few separate things I've read and pondered about suddenly come together to create something new, I get a sense of goosebumps on my back and a shaking of my spirit.

It sounds crazy, but that's a very sacred moment for me. When I get it, I come here, I blog, or I just stop a moment and thank God.

It's almost transcendental. It's a feeling that starts from the brain and goes all the way down the spine. And it fills me with feelings of gratitude.

Just now, I got it. I was reading up about the ritual act of raising the flag. It is something so integral to the understanding of patriotism, but so easily dismissed and overlooked by many people. What's the big deal with the flag and symbols and rituals. We have so underestimated their significance and power, and that feeling of love and pride and sense of awe and greatness that is captured in them when they are periodically used for purposes that lift our spirits to a level beyond the common and day-to-day.

Suddenly, I feel so grateful, so grateful I am studying the topic that I am studying.