My Christmas Letter for 2026 (That’s Not a Typo)

There's been an update (about possible future blog topics for 2026) at the bottom of this post. Check it out.

You know the tradition of Christmas letters? Those missives where people summarize their previous year and wish the recipients well? This is mine, kind of—except it talks about what’s happening  this year, in 2026, all four weeks of it.

I haven’t been very public this year, but a lot has transpired behind the scenes (the list includes complimentary red for those with no time to read):

• I seem to have heard a strange call to write rensakus—strings of haikus connected by a common theme or context. Each of my rensakus describes that morning’s play among three elements: the light/color/sky outside the high window in our family room; the movements within my mind and heart; and God/Buddha-nature/Reality. I’m writing them in real time—as the sky changes color, as my mind slips in and out of thoughts, as God’s fire burns hotter or cooler in my deepest self—as part of my morning prayer.
• I’m working on a shift in attitude around my long COVID. Last year was difficult, to say the least. I spent much of it in despair that came from too much pondering past trends and possible futures: my long COVID’s getting worse, 2025 was the worst year I’ve had, I’m on a downhill trend. I’m trying to break that by recalling a basic Zen tenet: no one can tell the future. The past is gone. All we have is here and now.
• My wife and I are running an experiment to find out how much I can travel. We’ve always had it in mind to travel in retirement, but long COVID has made it difficult. We’re starting with day trips and overnighters, and then, if all goes well, we’ll gradually lengthen the distance from home and the time away. Our first getaway got us to the Corning Museum of Glass (definitely worth the effort) and a fantastic visit with relatives; the results, long COVID-wise, have been mixed but are still coming in.

Lastly, I’ve been pondering this blog—and I want to ask your opinion. This year, I’d like to share more about what it’s like to live with a chronic illness. I’ll continue to write about spiritual topics, everyday observations, the experience of being nonbinary in a country that’s less than safe for trans and nonbinary people. As much as I’d like to avoid the topic, a lot of this will bring me back to Trump and his administration.

So, my question to you: what would you like me to write about? Are there topics you’d like to hear my thoughts on? Let me know. Use the Get in Touch page on this site or the Comments section below.