Every year – always at the end of this month – we celebrate, so exuberantly, the passage of time. It’s the year, with its 525,600 minutes, that we elevate to such stature. And with the passing of each one, we gaze ahead, filled with hope and high expectations. We are eternity’s optimists – but perhaps . . .

Somehow the spectacle of light expressing itself in sprawling darkness conveys special meaning. The lighting of the Christmas tree, while a relatively new tradition in modern American history, heralds a very special season. We at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club are celebrating the occasion with a Light Up the Night ceremony Dec. 3. The . . .

Four legs, no arms and no clothes – except for that well-groomed coat of fur – might make it a bit more challenging to behave in a sophisticated manner: pinkies raised and all that other hoity-toity stuff. But we humans at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club intend to do just that at the Dec. . . .

The emphasis of the sentimentalist’s heart has traditionally been on discovering the true meaning of Christmas. But the holiday’s immediate predecessor, by about a month, perhaps provides us a more telling revelation of the human condition. Thanksgiving rings a considerably more profound melody in our spirits, one of passion, of yearning and of embracing the . . .