One More On Words [& Stories] (the “missing” Wednesday 12/17 post, w/EXCERPTS) December 20, 2025

“Happy Chanukah!” to all who are celebrating. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Advent, observing the Nativity Fast / St. Philip’s Fast; and/or letting their light shine with kindness, friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, gratitude, and wisdom.

May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy / May you be healthy and strong! May you be nourished!

This “missing” compilation post, for Wednesday, December 17^th, is an expanded and revised version of a 2024 post. You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra      (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

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“Composition is a discipline; it forces us to think. If you want to ‘get in touch with your feelings,’ fine—talk to yourself; we all do. But, if you want to communicate with another thinking human being, get in touch with your thoughts. Put them in order; give them a purpose; use them to persuade, to instruct, to discover, to seduce. The secret way to do this is to write it down and then cut out the confusing parts.”

— William Safire

Words are powerful. They can spread or travel like a living, breathing thing. They can bring us together; they can tear us apart; and they can change the world. For that matter, they can build the world and determine how we see the world.

Words (even when they are in visual form) are they way we tell our healing stories.

Since William Safire was born December 17, 1929, in New York City, this is a day when I like to focus on words and the power of words. Mr. Safire was a journalist, author, columnist, and political speechwriter. When he was working as a public relations agent for a model homes builder (in Moscow in 1959), he set up a “Kitchen Debate” between the then United States Vice President Richard Nixon and then Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev. William Safire went on to work on Richard Nixon’s presidential campaigns and to serve as a speechwriter for both Nixon and his (original) vice president, Spiro Agnew.

In July 1969, William Safire wrote the “Safire Memo”( also known as “In Event of Moon Disaster”), which was the never-delivered speech then President Nixon would have delivered if the Apollo II astronauts had been stranded on the moon. The memo included protocol and the order of things, including: “PRIOR TO THE PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT: The President should telephone each of the widows-to-be.” In 2013, Joshua Keating included the memo in his Foreign Policy (magazine) article, “The Greatest Doomsday Speeches Never Made”.

“In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.

Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.

For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.”

— quoted from “In Event of Moon Disaster / The Safire Memo” (addressed to H. R. Haldeman, dated July 18, 1969.) by William Safire 

I grew up reading William Safire’s The New York Times Magazine syndicated column “On Language”. Starting in 1979, I looked forward to the weekly opportunity to learn a new word; the etymology of an old word; how words crisscrossed cultures; and/or how old words gained new meanings. William Safire is one of the reasons I learned the power of words; how a single word can tell a whole story; how the right quote can add depth and power; and how the words — and even the letters¹ — we use to tell our stories matter (as much as, maybe more than, the story).

For instance, when I tell the story of Chanukah (which this year overlapped the anniversary of William Safire’s birth), there are certain words I use no matter how I tell the story. First, there are words and phrases that are most commonly associated with the story of Chanukah, even by people who do not celebrate it: “light”, “8 days and 8 nights”, “Chanukah/dedication”, “miracle(s)”, “faith”, “G-d”, “community”.

Then, there are words that give the story more depth: “darkness”, “wilderness”, “underdogs”, “renegades”, “mighty”, “hammer”, “shamash/helper/attendant”, “25”.

Finally, there are phrases that create a rhythm: “a band of brothers… a father and his sons”. This year, I also added the word “fanatics” (for reasons).

Take a moment to notice how almost all of the words and phrases — given the English translations in the case of the Hebrew words — pop up in the music and in all the stories I tell this time of year. Take a moment to notice how the words make you feel.

“What makes a word like zap of particular interest is that it imitates an imaginary noise—the sound of a paralyzing-ray gun. Thus we can see another way that the human mind creates new words: imitating what can be heard only in the mind’s ear. The coinage filled a need for an unheard sound and—pow!— slammed the vocabulary right in the kisser. Steadily, surely, under the watchful eye of great lexicographers and with the encouragement of columnists and writers who ache for color in verbs, the creation of Buck Rogers’s creator has blasted its way into the dictionaries. The verb will live long after superpowers agree to ban ray guns; no sound thunders or crackles like an imaginary sound turned into a new word.”

— quoted from The New York Times Magazine, February 12, 1984, article “On Language: Zapmanship” by William Safire

CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLES BELOW FOR MORE.

Tempo por vi Brili, en 2025! “Time for you to Shine, in 2025!” & FTWMI: Gravas kiel ni diras, aŭ ne diras, kio estas en niaj koroj! “How we say, or don’t say, what is in our hearts is important!” (the “missing” Monday 12/15 post)

Sweet Stories About Light (the “missing” Tuesday 12/16 post, w/extra links)

Remember, “It’s Much More Than Just a Candlelight”* (the “missing” Saturday post w/excerpts)

“Took me a while to get to the point today, but that is because I did not know what the point was when I started.”

— quoted from The New York Times Magazine, February 12, 1984, article “On Language: Zapmanship” by William Safire

Also, around this time every year, the major (English) dictionaries reveal the words that have made up our zeitgeist. Back in 2022, I was going to write a sentence featuring the words of the year, but the results were so disturbing that I just listed the words.

This year (and last year), I am continuing the listing precedent. However, you can comment below if you come up with a Spelling Bee worthy sentence that’s not disturbing for this year, last year, and/or using the words from 2022.

“slop” “rage bait” “parasocial” “67”

— 2025 Word of the Year from Merriam-Webster, Oxford, Cambridge, and dictionary.com, respectively

Click on the excerpt title below for a post that references the power of words (and one of the 2022 words).

Having A Say & FTWMI: The Power of Being Seen & Heard (the “missing” Tuesday post)

“Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague….”

— quoted from Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage by William Safire 

Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Chanukah (Day 3 – 4) & Shabda 2025”]

MUSIC NOTE: The YouTube playlist includes some videos, the musical version of at least one which is not available on Spotify. My apologies for not posting the music before the 4:30 practice.

If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.

White Flag is an app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

I will offering in-person classes during January 2026. Click here for more details and to reserve your spots now. Let’s start the 2026 together!

NOTE:¹Ida (née Panish) and Oliver Craus Safir (who was Jewish with Romanian ancestry), had three (2) sons: Leonard, Matthew, and William. Mr. Safire is the only one who added the “e” to his last name (so the general public would know how to pronounce it).

### USE YOUR WORDS ###