Wuhan/Foshan?

 In my Post-Op/Post-Game world I have had some time to catch up on the news. I started to wonder why the Chinese Government has launched an insane response to the Chikungunya virus outbreak in Guangdong province. This virus pops up in parts of Asia, South and Central America as well as Africa during the mosquito season. The disease is carried by the same mosquito that transmits dengue fever and the Zika virus. I have known people who have had all the above mentioned viruses. 

Mosquitos carry diseases that they are able to transmit when they give people those pesky bites during the summer months and we ought to guard against that and try to prevent that from happening. Part of my summer routines besides wearing flip-flops and linen a plenty is making sure there is no standing water on my property. I have always taken that job very seriously knowing that depriving the mosquitos from water during their breeding season is good science and goes far to prevent disease outbreaks. 

I have been on slo-mo since my gall bladder surgery so, I asked my husband to please walk around the property yesterday and to disperse any standing water that he finds. I know that we have a watering can which catches water under an air conditioning unit and we use that to water nearby summer blooms. We usually empty that frequently. However, since I have been ordered not to lift anything too heavy, I have to ask my husband to do it. Shoveling snow in the winter, and making sure there is no standing water on your property in summer is a responsibility.

I reminded my husband incessantly to inspect our property frequently as I nervously read varying accounts of the Chinese crackdown in Guangdong province concerning the recent virus outbreak. They have warned people that failure to handle standing water on property could result in steep fines or even shut-offs of a homeowner’s electrical power. Wait, that is going way too far.

I imagine that there is a Chinese lady out there who is right now trying to explain to the government official that she is recovering from gallbladder surgery and she is usually un top of that chore but, that she is currently not able to do it. Her husband has been so busy taking care of her that he is a little behind with a double load of responsibilities. Could you please put our electricity back on and rescind this fine? From all accounts the Chinese government are flying drones with A.I. intelligence assisting to find standing water. 

On the one hand, it seems like it should be a good and a quick way of identifying places where there is standing water which might be a breeding ground for mosquitos. Bravo right? On the other hand, now they are using it to spy on citizens in China and using information gathered to penalize people. The accounts from China are again reading like a dystopian novel. Shades of Wuhan/Foshan. 

Pharmacists are told to report people who purchase certain types of medicine. The government then goes on to require blood tests to check for the Chikungunya virus. Individuals who test positive for the virus are then taken to the hospital until their tests come back negative. They are placed under mosquito netting until then. Forced mosquito netting that sounds like my grandmother when I was visiting her in a tropical location. I do understand that if you have the virus and a mosquito bites you that the mosquito can then pass the virus that they got from you to the next person. However, as a moral person I would choose to take all due precautions to keep myself, my family and other people safe. Is it the governments job to hold me prisoner and take away my freedom before I do anything wrong? It’s almost as if they don’t trust their citizens. 

All over social media there is a story of a mother whose children were tested without her permission merely because she bought fever reducing medicine at a pharmacy. Imagine that, a child with a fever, let’s get the men in white coats….. not!

China has had a great deal of flooding and with that as their history shows disease breaks out in that region. Ten thousand people have gotten the virus this time. However, this disease usually does not kill anyone and while it does present a risk to those in certain categories, (we have to watch out for ourselves if we are in those categories), it usually results in an immunity and resistance the next time you get the virus. It’s like the model for today’s government and the medical community is never trust a person’s natural immunity. Why is that?

Since the Chinese introduced the world to the gain of function Wuhan virus, we see a new partnership between science and the government. Let’s be clear, it is never a good thing when medicine and government team up. It is better if medicine remains an independent entity with citizen input. Evidence the former Soviet Union’s weaponization of psychiatric medicine to punish political prisoners. Or, the Nazis sterilizing people who they deemed undesirable. What about the World Health Organization and various countries unwise measures used at combatting the corona virus? Wuhan/Foshan? 

I have read of genetically engineered elephant mosquitos being released to eat the disease carrying smaller mosquitoes. Mutant mosquitos, what could go wrong there? Or, what about obsessively spraying dangerous insecticides everywhere. I am now imagining pollinators dying, asthma increases in already polluted China and other environmentally lasting effects as the poisoned water and air complete their cycles and disperse the poison far and wide in the food chain. Coje la suave with that poison!

The tools of the modern computer era far surpass any past tyrannical model for control that has ever existed. The ability to completely and totally control every citizen’s life is now something that any government can easily implement. The information superhighway that we thought so much of is now tainted with the smear of deep fakes, algorithmic manipulation, hackers and artificial intelligence lies. The Chinese pandemic model is the new model of how world domination will occur. There is nothing good about their war on this virus. Don’t buy the hysteria or methods. Our rights come from God not from our government or the health care profession and we ought to have a say! 

P.S. pray, read your Bible, eat healthy, and exercise. In this summer of floods check for standing water and disperse it. Take precautions to avert mosquito bites at dawn and dusk. I use herbal sprays and homemade citronella candles. If need be and you live in an at risk location please use mosquito netting. Also, with vacation season still in progress it is important to check if your vacation destination has reported any recent cases. If so, it might be worth it to reschedule. God bless you all. 

Post-Op/Post-Game

 Hi Y’All. I am back. You didn’t get rid of me that easily. I made it through my gall bladder surgery. One of my centering scriptures was, Be still and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth -Psalm.46:10. In the not so distant past, I went to a German Fraktur lecture and bought several lovely examples of that calligraphy. I quickly framed them in neon green picture frames that I had bought at an Anthropologie store. One was the Psalm that I just referenced. It helped me to quiet my mind and nerves from time to time before the surgery. That verse is a life raft that we can all grab a hold of and contemplate. And as we contemplate its’ meaning, somehow everything falls right into place! God is in control folks.

After the surgery, another Fraktur calligraphy of the word “gratitude” was reflective for me. So many people reference the word “gratitude” in art work at their home or in their office. But, just who or what are we gratitude to and for? It matters. In life, there is so much gratitude that we should have of course. We should be grateful to our parents, our friends, mentors and others. However, first and foremost when I look at this lovely framed example of Fraktur I immediately know that I am thinking of God and all that he has done for me in the weeks and months before my surgery. I am grateful for the Holy Spirits’ presence now in my Post-Op/ Post-Game world too. In fact, when my surgery was over and the nurse informed me that it was all over. I remember feeling wide-awake and breaking out in a big smile. How happy I was as I exclaimed, “thank you Lord!”

It has now been one full week of recuperation and I had my Post-Op/Post-Game doctor’s appointment. They pronounced me on the mend and doing well. However, I love the way they give you the big sell on getting a surgery and then afterwards, they spring a whole bunch of life-long digestive problems that may ensue. Is it any wonder that people decry the medical profession or seek alternative medicine? While they are not a perfect institution, they are THE INSTITUTION to be beat and no one has yet. So, we have to deal with the system. On the day of the surgery, the team assembled to do my surgery treated me with dignity and respect. 

I thought that one of the downsides of moving out of Westchester County New York might be that I get worse medical care. After all, New York City area hospitals consistently rank high in industry wide comparisons. Having experienced treatment in those major facilities and coming along side others also getting treatment at these hospitals did not convince me of their often reported superiority. In fact the opposite. I felt that patients are often treated insensitively. There are language barriers when dealing with medical staff who did not score as high on language arts as they seemingly did in the medical sciences. At times it feels like calling a customer service line for some computer help and not understanding what the person on the other lines was saying. My parents were both born in other countries so English was their second language. However, communicating with excellence in whatever language we spoke was considered important. The care is spotty at best and depends on who is on duty that day. Wait times are horrific too. 

So, when I looked at the pros and cons of leaving my native state of New York, I did so with my eyes wide open. There always seems to be the sense that big city care is state of the art. But, what about quality of life and care? I began by praying to God to move to the place that he wanted me to be. I asked that he would guide and direct me to a place where I wasn’t the only Christian or conservative on my block. But, now that I had to get my first surgery I had to accept the choice that I made to move to a more remote location. What ended up happening on the day of my surgery was what I was hoping for i.e. a small town experience, my own personal Hallmark movie. Everyone looked me in the eye that day and communicated effectively about the procedure that I was about to undergo and my aftercare. I was educated and prepared for my surgery and recuperation. People treated me kindly and gently. Their techniques that morning seemed well-orchestrated. Most important to me, there were Christian scriptures on people’s desk, and on the walls. A conservative channel was playing on the television screen. Maybe I will live a couple years less here but, it is not how long we live, it is the quality of our life. I can breath here. I can be myself here. Thank you God for bringing me here, getting me through difficult things and please bless the people who cared for me that day. 

My First Time

It’s not what you think folks, it’s my first surgery and of course I have gone through a panoply of emotions. Surgery, no matter how simple can go wrong. Surgery can be simple or problems that the doctor did not anticipate can turn your life upside down. We all know instances when each possibility has occurred. It’s a good idea to be prepared for any eventually. We all know people who had a very straightforward surgery, wonderful recovery, and quality of life return immediately. 

Then, there are the people who die on the table. There are people like my friend Kerry* who went in for a simple procedure and then had a stroke. Now, what was supposed to be a quick process for Kerry has turned into months of rehab at a nursing facility. Or, there is my friend Maddie* whose husband somehow developed sepsis after his surgery. He did not have a will because he thought that it was a simple procedure and he would be fine.

My gall bladder surgery is scheduled to be a laparoscopic procedure. That is supposed to be the easiest option. The doctor anticipates sending me home that same day, unless as he says there are some unforeseen circumstances. We never know and in that lack of assurance there is that blessed assurance. Dr. Scholl* expressed confidence and told me a story about a recent patient just raring to go  one week after this surgery. This surgeon did not spend that much time with me explaining anything but he made sure to assure me that this surgery is the best thing since sliced bread.  His staff told me that gall bladder surgery is a great first surgery to have. What does that even suggest? Let’s not even think about that.

My family doctor said he thinks this is going to go well. Okay that’s good. Then there is my Pastor’s wife who told me that I might never be able to digest food properly again after the surgery. Oh Joy!Wow, my head is spinning. 

The nurse goes over every medical thing that has ever happened in my life. She talks of transfusions in an emergency and hands me power of attorney and living will forms. Gee, why do I even need that? What’s a Westchester Christian Housewife to think amid all the divergent messages? Obviously, this is what this blog is all about, God’s holy light that shines in the darkest and yet most ordinary moments that we have. If we live long enough, we will all have surgery. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

As I lean into scripture, prayer and faith it’s crazy how many things are going wrong. The cut I get while using my British sewing scissors to craft leaves a nasty cut. Thank God it is healing quickly and will be complete before my surgery. My husband got bite by some unseen bug. It was bad. Plus, my Pastor’s wife comes to visit me again with yet more stories that seem to interject fear back into my equation of coping.

I have had some ups and downs lately. But, the whole thing started out slowly. I was starting to get some general symptoms every so often. They seem to escalate just as Leo’s (last blog post) ex-girlfriend situation was growing more grave. In looking back, I can definitely say that some gall bladder symptoms may have explained why I grew so inpatient with Leo. I just couldn’t deal with the high melodrama that his situation entailed when I started feeling poorly.

Now, three days before surgery I have to begin using antiseptic cleaner on my body to ready me for the surgery. The whole medical protecols are by their very nature so clinical and dehumanizing. Yet, in another way it encapsulates the true nature of our mortality. God is the opposite. Uplifting and eternal. I resolved to dig down into scripture.

Two days before the procedure it is a fog. There are moments or joy seeing the sea of purple shaded flowers overlooking a porch. There are moments of business before the surgery. Bills, cleaning, laundry, and stocking up on groceries. There are vague feelings that I may be getting a tension headache or tensing up before I try to just breathe and pray and work my feelings through. 

There is something about touching the truth of one’s own mortality that makes one live life more richly. Knowing that you will not be with your family and friends forever should spur one on to good deeds. But, without God it could spur one onto narcissism,(see last blog post). It is for each one of us to make a decision about how we should live knowing that our time on earth could be abruptly cut short. 

As a Christian, it has lead me to make a heartfelt apology to God for all the things that I have done wrong. In my heart, I know that I will trust Jesus with my life and death. Living a godly life as much as I can do with his grace, and trusting in his divine promises for the next leg of the journey that I will take someday across the River Jordan. Life and death is a battle and we all need to decide what and who do we believe in.

Meanwhile it seems like some good comes out of even medical issues. For instance, gratitude for kindness during this time, gratitude for God’s presence and comfort too. I look forward to future plans, God willing and hopefully enjoying the rest of the summer. I also think back to childhood lessons at home about preparing for sickness and surgery. First, go to God in prayer. Next, I remember the cleaning, and my house is clean. I remember getting laundry and food prepared in advance and that is done. I am grateful for some good and practical lessons that I learned and so now I am able to go on auto-pilot. My orchids are blooming throughout my house. My lavender, Shasta daisy will be visible from my bedroom window. 

Psalm 18: 1-6 (A scripture portion that I have contemplated as I awaited surgery.)

1. I love you, Lord, my strength. 

2. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.

4. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me;  the cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

6. In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. 

Everything is done. There is nothing left but for me to go to the hospital for that first time experience of a surgery. Tomorrow is the day. See you on the other side or next weeks blog post. ❤️✝️

* Some names have been changed, including the doctors’ name. Many of them can’t take constructive criticism. He might not be pleased LOL.

Broken Relationships-Part 2

It’s been a rough year for Leo*and friends of Leo too. That includes me. Leo is an old friend. Like every friendship, we have had our ups and downs over the years. Some of our issues emanate from the fact that I am a follower of Jesus Christ and Leo just thinks he is. He posits that since his Italian parents had him baptized as a child that he is “in like Flynn with God.” So, just like a genie, he somehow has God in a magic bottle and can summon him up whenever the need arises. This can be maddening at times when he lives an utterly debauched Manhattan lifestyle but, then turns to God when he needs to figure something out or when something goes wrong and he needs God to get him out of a jam.

This past year marks a time when he has turned to God as he tried to cope with the illness and ultimate death of another man’s wife. Even though he has never lived a Christian lifestyle, he believed that if he just attended church and lite candles for Lilia* that somehow he would open up a dialogue with God and get him to save her life. It seems like his concept was more a summoning of a spirit (Divine for me by a spirit-1 Samuel 28:8) rather than a relationship with the Lord. Oh come God, great spirit, you are present amid the incense and majestic organ music, I know it…. I had my work cut out for me.

What do I mean by debauched Manhattan lifestyle? Where do I begin? Leo changes women every three years whether he needs to or not. He reminds me of a celebrity with the same name who is also known for serial monogamy. I asked him why he can’t stay in relationship for more than three years and he seemingly has no idea. He acts like it has nothing to do with him at all. I guess, “where ignorance is bliss tis folly to be wise.” As a Christian I can’t go along with that.

Although he has been in a series of live-in relationships without the benefit of marriage he thinks that this is okay with God because he thinks that he conducted the relationships like a marriage. Just where in the Bible is that? Also, he puts a high value on having never cheated on any of the women that he was with as if that made everything okay. He believes his approach to relationships somehow sanitizes the situation and cleans it up. Only Jesus can clean it up Leo. Boy did he ever have huge justifications for his whole lifestyle but in the back of his mind I know that he knew it was not right with God. A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh-Genesis 2:24. 

One of the women that he was with over the years was Lilia. Lilia was brought to the United States by one of those Christian groups that sponsors foreign nationals who are seeking citizenship in the United States. While she did accept the free gift of sponsorship from the church, she did not accept the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ that the church discussed that was also available to her. Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved-Romans 10:9.

Lilia had received a Ph.D in nuclear physics in the Republic of Georgia. It was then that she decided to seek relocation to the United States of America in order to advance her career plan. Lilia faced some hurtles on the road to citizenship which she decided could be fixed if she met and married an American citizen, but who? That is when she met and seduced Leo. Leo liked the sex but, not enough to marry her. Why buy the cow when the milk’s free? Although he enjoyed having a woman who was intellectually his equal he described her from the early days as a difficult woman. I remember at the time thinking this was not a good sign. Generally, when you first date someone you have that new love excitement but, no not Leo. He immediately told me all about her perfectionism, her control issues and her egotism. This did not sound like an auspicious beginning but, Leo just let it ride. There was a turning point for them when they went on a vacation together. Leo sustained an injury and was even unconscious for a minute and all Lilia could say was, “you ruined my vacation.” Ding ding ding ding red flag deal changer, don’t you think? 

Something did change for Leo after that vacation. He was shocked by the way that she had treated him and he began to doubt her feelings for him. He began to think of breaking up. She tried to apologize and make things better but, things were not the same. Lilia was living with Leo at this point. She had insisted that he buy a huge antique bed that was way out of proportion in his small Manhattan apartment but Lilia just had to have it and now it was a constant reminder to Leo of what a schmuck he was. 

Lilia sensed all this but, was still trying to work him over. Finally, she told him that if he didn’t marry her that she would have to go back to Georgia. Even though he knew he didn’t want to marry her, he felt terribly guilty about possibly being responsible for that turn of events. Still, he had a deep sense that she wasn’t the right woman for him and they finally broke up. (Note-By following the Christian lifestyle and biblical wisdom and only sealing the deal in a Christian Marriage before you have sex could have saved Leo a whole lot of trouble.) He had a great deal of guilt about this even until the present time which I never understood. She has used this guilt to get him to do what she has wanted him to do over the years. 

However, despite Lilia’s dire prediction she was somehow able to remain in the United States. She eventually married a fellow Georgian,Vlad.* Vlad was a rather bohemian musician, almost a polar opposite to Lilia. They had one son together, Kiril.* Throughout the years, Lilia and Leo maintained a friendship. Leo loved to do that. He thought it the highest good to maintain good relations with as many of his ex’s as he could. He loved to have beautiful women on his arm to parade around the town. I always thought of these women as his harem and it was repugnant to me. But because of the temptation to sexual immortality each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband-1 Cor 7:2.

Can you ever really just be friends with an ex-lover? I think not. There is always that intimacy due to sexual encounter that you took without the benefit of marriage. There is an intimacy that remains always. One can still get an ego boost from that knowledge or you can even fall back into each other’s arms if conditions are right.

Leo was guilty of having a lot of emotional affairs all over the isle of Manhattan, uptown, downtown and midtown. He never seemed to get how these attachments “to all the girls that he loved before”-(Julio Iglesias & Willy Nelson) kept him from moving forward into a healthier relationship in the present. I was always uneasy about Leo’s relationship with Lilia. She always seemed to keep him captivated though and even though she was married, had a professorship and a child, she always seemed to have time for restaurant dates with Leo. He always paid of course. She went to him for advice and he to her. It did not seem right but, he did not ask for my approval and I did not give it.

About a year ago, I received an anguished call from Leo telling my of a very serious diagnosis that Lilia had received. The type and level of cancer he described told me that it did not look good. I immediately thought it was a terminal case but, Leo was like a crazed animal unable to accept this.

During the past year, Leo has been in terrible agony over this. He even placed his life on hold in order to take Lilia back and forth to Memorial Sloan Kettering appointments like a husband should. Only Leo wasn’t her husband, Vlad was. Leo researched Lilia’s condition and pushed the doctors into every intervention possible. He was crediting his own diagnostic skills rather than the doctors for keeping her alive. I am sure that the highly vaunted doctors of the prestigious hospital would be miffed at that notion! However, it seemed that Leo made sure that Lilia got all the state of the art treatment that the hospital had to offer. Poor Vlad was in the background being minimized by Leo. Vlad’s lack of fluency in the English language did not help him be able to come to the forefront of his wife’s treatment plan and Leo relished his role.

It was during this time that Leo wanted to be back on with God and he called me into the situation to make it happen. My husband and I are the only Christian people that he knows. Not knowing a single Christian  is not uncommon in New York City. That place is mission territory. The call I received told me that he was looking for a Christian take on the whole situation, sorta of a Christian consultation I suppose.

He began asking me questions about life and death, love and marriage and what the meaning of salvation was. We talked the Bible, the meaning of covenant marriage and God’s plan for eternal life. This past year I saw Leo really delve into the word of God. He agreed to listen to my Pastor’s Sunday sermons throughout the year. Although I no longer live in New York State my Pastor’s Sunday Sermons are available online. It was going very well too. He was getting some foundational Christian messages. We had long wonderful talks about my Pastor’s sermons and I was praying for both he and Lilia to be able to come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 

In moments of lucidity Lilia talked of going to Venice. Knowing that was not going to be possible, I suggested to Leo that he get in the car and take Lilia on a little vacation to my country home. My offer was to host them and cook healthy food, spend time in the Bible amid a lovely country setting.To my surprise, neither Leo nor Lilia were adverse to the message of the gospel. Instead, I found two people with advanced degrees in science who were functionally illiterate in Christian foundationals. 

My husband and I prayed for them every day. More than anything I prayed for them to come to know who God is and what he has done. I understood that knowing God would straighten out their crazy lives. That’s who God is, he is a waymaker. He makes everything clear such as right versus wrong. He has a definition of love which puts the second rate worldly sense of love to shame. He brings clarity and comfort amid the turmoil that we face. All the things that I hoped and wished for Leo, Lilia and even Vlad and Kiril to have.

As I expected, Lilia’s health went from bad to worse. At times such as this, people crack or maybe they just show you who they really are in a dramatic fashion. That is what happened with both Leo and Lilia. People often act out their philosophy of life at the last minutes of life. Lilia realized her days were numbered and she even wanted to hasten her demise by getting off of her breathing tube. She told Leo that she didn’t give a darn and f**k Vlad. 

Near the end of her life, Lilia’s husband Vlad dropped one on Leo too. He told Leo that Lilia had been having an affair with a married colleague at the university for fifteen years. Leo was shocked that he never knew this and resented having Vlad, Robert* and himself sitting at her hospital bedside at the end. Can you imagine the nerve of this bum after the way that he treated Vlad resenting Robert’s presence? It sort of served him right. It was then that I realized that he was part of Lilia’s harem. He wanted to be the one that she truly loved and he resented sharing the spotlight with any of these other dudes. 

Lilia really went out with a bang. A few weeks before her death, she told Leo that she was leaving him  her upper East Side condominium. Her husband would get her other financial assets and a second condominium that she owned which was located in New Jersey. She always craved attention and she got it. This was a shocking arrangement. When Leo told me about it, I was stunned. Leo tried to soften the news by letting me know that he never expected anything from Lilia’s estate. He also wanted me to know that acquiring this U.E.S. pad could help get him out of a difficult situation. Furthermore, he even tried to convince me that Vlad didn’t care if Leo got Vlad’s apartment. I found that very, very hard to believe. Vlad didn’t mind if he was going to have to move out of his apartment? Vlad didn’t have any feelings about his primary residence, a piece of prime Manhattan real estate, that he had been living in with his wife was about to be gifted by his wife to a former lover?

Leo should have gotten a clue that Vlad really did have feelings about everything going on but, those thoughts were not convenient for him. Leo asked me why I thought that Vlad would tell him about Lilia’s affair?

While Leo took Lilia to every doctor’s appointment and was professing her love to him, she was living with her husband and even had a boyfriend. At the end, she told Leo how good they would have been together. She further tortured him by saying that he should have married her when she asked him. Whey wasn’t I buying any of this? I want to know what she told Vlad and Robert during their private moments. Another old friend of Leo’s even suggested that there may have been other men too. Lilia had dated his best friend and broken his heart by cheating.This man was quite credible and said that he had kept this and some other facts from Leo so as to not hurt him. Lilia may have been cheating on everyone she was ever with! What made Leo think that she loved him? It was all so tragic and sinful.

It all came back to the many conversations that we had about the deep biblical definition of love. The type of love that uplifts, that is faithful and that serves. It entails a forever covenant not just a convenient union forged for immigration purposes. Leo has so many great qualities but when push comes to shove, he is unable to understand a deeper meaning for love. At the very least he has a deeply flawed definition of what love means. His definition of love is the kind of  love that movies and television promote. The type of love that people settle for. Leo has been settling his entire life. Could he want more or would he settle for this cheap imitation of love? Also, would the possibility of a huge financial asset such as an Upper East Side Apartment make him forget everything he has begun to learn in the Bible concerning love of money as the root of all evil? This is a huge temptation for Leo. He had been screwed in his own families’ wills a few times and it had left him with a lot of anger. Leo had a very complicated situation arise with his father’s Italian will when he passed away. The case was so complicated that it has lasted for years and Leo has yet to get one dime from his father’s estate. Why? The chilling answer is there was some goomahs who approached the court seeking money from the estate. For those not familiar with the New York Italian slang, a goomah refers to a mistress. 

The parallels with Lilia’s many men and complications in her will has a strong similarity to what Leo’s father’s estate looked like. I pointed this out to him but he just couldn’t see it. Leo has a bunch of huge temptations in his way blocking his path to God. Will he move forward? All I know is that as soon as money came into the picture, suddenly Leo went from studying the Bible to seeking my approval for his actions. When he pushed me, I cautioned him to take some time to think about the right and wrong of the situation from God’s point of view before moving forward. I have not heard from him since then. 

Lessons from the Bible: But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.-Ephesians 5:3.

* The names were changed for privacy. A few events may be out of chronological order because Leo just doesn’t make sense some times!

Broken Relationships-Part 1

As of late, I have been thinking about the confluence of relationships and Christianity. What is the role of a Christian as a friend, spouse, or neighbor when we have to deal with less than ideal friendships, difficult family members or situations? Do we work with what we have and try to serve in the situation? When do we plant godly seeds of wisdom and tell them about Jesus? What is our signal to back off? Do we leave an abusive situation, decide that someone is a lost cause, and do we continue to pray for them? Does the Bible help us understand how to navigate these perilous situations? It has been my experience that these topics are sure to spark intense debate in Christian circles. In fact, my own intense debates on this topic with friends and family have inspired this post series. 

It would appear that Cammie* is the perfect Pastor’s wife  unless you look a little bit closer. Then, you will find an onion with layers upon layers, in this case, of trauma. I have no idea what lies beneath but I can guess. Cammie is not unlike Brooklyn,* a deceased relative of my husband’s who shared some disturbing stories a while ago. Both women decided to share deeply traumatic childhood memories with me at a point when they hardly knew me. 

As a Christian, I always strive to treat a situation such as childhood abuse with godliness and love. In Cammie’s case, when we were speaking of a completely unrelated topic she suddenly changed the course of the very tepid conversation to boiling when she told me she was a childhood victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her father and the cult that he belonged to. This revelation literally took the air right out of my lungs and suddenly everything seemed to move forward in slow-motion.

Looking her in the eye, I told her that I was very sorry that this had happened to her. She went into some details including that it was all a repressed memory until she gave birth to her first child Chloe.* Apparently, she suffered some sort of breakdown at that point. When confronting her mother about these memories she indicated to me that her mother did not believe her. At this point, her mother was already divorced from her father and she had remarried another man. She informed her mother that the abuse occurred in some sort of loft in her mother’s home. Cammie would not speak to her mother for five years because she did not like her mother’s response to her allegations of abuse. She eventually reconciled with her mother but still sleeps in the loft space that she was abused in whenever she visits her mother.

I was flabbergasted by this story. I asked her where she was in the healing and forgiveness journey after all that had happened? To my surprise, Cammie could not say a word. I told her that I don’t think that I would want to sleep in that loft if that had happened to me and wondered if there was at least a sofa or pullout bed on the premises that she could sleep on instead? Or, better yet a local motel to stay at? Again, no response. “What gives?”,  I thought. 

Then there was Brooklyn. When I was first married, she was one of my husbands older family members that I really connected with. She seemed friendly and helpful. However, I quickly noted that she had a dislike of her own very elderly mother. I was doing a number of visits to get to know my husbands family and meet some of them for the first time. It was the day before I was supposed to meet Brooklyn’s mother in an assisted living facility when Brooklyn came to me with some disturbing news.

Apparently after Brooklyn’s dad abandoned the family, her mother hooked up with a number of men. She even ended some unwanted pregnancies herself. According to Brooklyn who was a child at the time, her mother insisted that she assist in the disposal process. The imagery and story revolted me. I again shared my sorrow that such a thing had happened to her. How could a mother do such a thing to a young girl?

Just as before, I asked her where she was in the healing process and how her relationship with her mother was today? Had she told her mother how she felt? The answer was “no, I have not discussed this with her.” Since she was already an old woman I realized that Brooklyn had lived her entire life with this truth hanging over her head and had not worked through any of these issues. She succeeded in poisoning my relationship with her mother from ever going forward too. I could barely say a word to her when I met her the next day. I was in shock. It seemed she was purposefully putting the kabosh on my relationship with her mother Lily.*  Or, was she?

 In the privacy of my online diary where the names are changed for privacy, I think that I can safely ask some questions. First question is: did these things actually happen? Are these people telling me the truth? Some things are so outrageous that they are very hard to believe. That does not mean they are not true. However, haven’t there been some well publicized cases of outrageous stories that turned out to be a lie? 

Also, I understand the human mind has coping mechanisms to protect us from unpleasant things but still, are repressed memories even real? I know that I am not the first person to ask that question. Is it possibly a delusion? I wondered this about both cases. It appeared that both women had struggles with mental health but, which came first the chicken or the egg?

On the other hand, we watched absolute evil play out in the P. Diddy trial in New York City. The depravity depicted by witnesses seems to know no bounds. Did Cammie and Brooklyn fall prey to terrible abuse at the hands of their parents? Sin is an equal opportunity evil which plays out everywhere. Did the abuse leave these women so torn up inside that even their relationship with Christ was fractured? These were some of my first thoughts.

Next, I wondered how a follower of Jesus ought to approach their interactions with an abuse victim? Had I said the right thing to begin with? Hearing stories such as I have heard from Cammie and Brooklyn is not unlike going to a funeral in that you know something deeply traumatic has unfolded and we all wish to say the right thing. 

As a Christian, I have no doubt that protecting and nurturing children is our mission and abuse in any form is a sin. Jesus makes that very clear when he says in Luke 17:2, “it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and be cast into the sea, then that he should offend one of these little ones.” That is a very strong statement indeed. However, our society has started to challenge this and many similar ideas. There are those who would think it okay to have sex with a child, that movement seeks to place the idea in our heads that children are sexual creatures and should be allowed to pursue it.That shocking idea has gained traction unfortunately. There is no better example of harmful behavior towards children than this whole mutilation cult which is part of the transgender movement. All of this is opposite to the Christian faith and we must proclaim that!

Jesus interrupted cultural norms of dismissing children and showed us how precious children are to him, he said to let the little children come to him and not to hinder them for such is the kingdom of heaven. This particular verse shows that the innocence and purity of children is heavenly and further put a fine point on protecting them. 

Another element of Christian life that subtly informs this topic concerns the concept of responsibility that we all are given and must justly exercise. This is a thread throughout the Bible. No authority is given except by God and we must be good stewards of children under our care whether we be family, neighbor, babysitters, workers at schools or daycare. We will be judged by God for how we exercise our responsibility in this department. 

And, I can see why as I got to know Cammie and Brooklyn better. They are broken in a thousand pieces because of something that happened to them. I see this in many areas. I believe that spilling out inappropriate life stories to someone you just meet is a symptom of broken boundaries with people that may have begun with adults taking inappropriate actions with them. I am happy to assist them if I can but some other people hearing this indiscriminately might not be so helpful.

Interactions with these ladies lead me to feel that whatever did or didn’t happen, these ladies’ lives revolved around this story. Although I have learned both these ladies have had therapy, it never seemed to help and this wound is always opened and has never healed over. That is not God’s design. God has created us to physically and spiritually heal unless things are radically wrong. A relationship with Christ, which both women claim, grows and changes us to overcome, forgive and move on in positive ways from abuse. 

It is so easy to get into circular thinking, caught up in a sort of centripetal motion of behavior surrounding something traumatic. This state has come to be called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD for short. The start of healing is honest prayer to God, Sharing in a healthy way can happen but it must be done with righteous and safe confidantes, not just anyone (Guard your heart folks from unnessary pain). Forgiveness needs to begin. Forgiveness does not mean you call what the person does right. After all, God forgives our sins but never calls our sins right.Forgiveness does not mean we don’t put up proper boundaries with people or ever put ourselves in harms way. 

My relationships with both these ladies have not been easy. They have both had many struggles with their relationships throughout the years. Will I ever know what really happened? I doubt it but, I continue to pray, quote the Bible and serve as best that I can. 

* the names are changed to protect privacy. 

Next Week: Broken Relationships-Part 2

Super Donald Part 2-Staying the Course

Events are moving so fast that I felt a Super Donald Part 2 was in order. I qualify it with Staying the Course. As believers we should understand the meaning of staying the course but, sometimes we have just intellectualized the meaning and are not equipped to handle the reality of what it actually means. Maybe our lives have been blessed with ease and comfort and we are not war-ready. Sometimes we are busy staying financially afloat or our family life leaves us little time for civic contributions.

It’s not as if the Bible doesn't give us ample advice on the topic. The United States is changing for the better and in very short order President Trump has begun doing what the majority of voters asked him to do, i.e. to right the degenerate course that the nation had taken. 

Now Super Donald is cleaning up a huge mess that the democrats have made of our social order, religious freedoms, criminal justice system, economic engine, national and world systems. We are going to need to muster up all the courage that we have to stand behind President Trump because the group that weaponized the DA’s Office, the FBI, the CIA and used media and universities to push their agenda will fight a dirty fight against the duly elected President, his supporters and godly principles.That is pretty much where we are after Super Donald has begun his second term.

My head has been spinning all week, there is so much going on. Let’s start with the Israeli hostages being released. How could the world have stood by and allowed Iran and its’ proxies to do such unspeakable things? President Trump is like the child in the Hans Christian Anderson story entitled, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Just as in the story, Trump dares to tell the truth while those around him continue to ignore it. He has sent the Middle East into paroxysms with this truth. He suggested that the Palestinians should be resettled to other countries on a voluntary basis. 

When I first heard this, I thought it was the most original solution that had been floated in quite some time. Nothing has worked in the past to settle disputes between Israel and the so-called Palestinians. We should remember that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. I say so-called Palestinians because as far as I can tell, most of the people calling themselves Palestinians have their ancestry in Egypt, Syria or the Arabian peninsula. Israel is the Jewish homeland and that homeland from ancient times has been called Israel. The term “Palestine” was the derisive name assigned Israel by the Roman Empire to break their spirit. These are the same Romans who have the Arch of Titus in Rome commemorating the looting of Jerusalem. (Note: whatever happened to that menorah that is pictured on the Arch?)

It is time to acknowledge the fact that every deal offered to try and bring about a two-state solution was rejected by the so-called Palestinians and sadly they have never missed a chance to attack a Jewish children’s school, synagogue or bus stop where innocent civilians are located. They have used the huge foreign aid given to them to build tunnels, buy weapons because all they want to do is destroy the Jewish state and finish the work that Hitler began and annihilate the Jews. They had more than enough capital to have financed good health care, stellar educational institutions, or to establish better trade and business practices. Instead, they used all their financial and human resources to mount a sick and twisted attack on concert goers, families, the elderly and children crouching in safe rooms. They burned, mutilated, and gang-raped women, and men. They kidnapped civilians and tortured them for over a year. The medical care given was on par with Doctor Mengele’s protocols in Germany. The so-called Palestinians voted for this, supported it and cheered each Jewish kill like it was a point in a football match. Great job so-called Palestinians your civilization will be judged by all this.

If we think we are such a great world, you know the type of world that should join together with no borders and form one health system and have one government, then how could our brothers in Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis not be singing Kumbaya with us? Are we ready to join in climate agendas  and health decisions with totalitarian leaders? No, I don’t think so either. Maybe, we should re-think that. That is exactly what a lot of people were thinking who joined together in a massive effort to fight the insanity in the United States and we won.

Now is the hard work. The trade wars, the re-negotiations, the ridicule, and the protests by anti-democratic forces and crazy trans sex cult members. Can we handle it? Can we handle the fire China will rain down? Can we handle the terrorist attacks? Not without God we can’t. We will quickly lose heart without God. 

P.S. Could Trump be working on an Easter agreement between Russia and Ukraine? Please keep praying for a deal to be made as we celebrate the season of Resurrection. What a wonderful Easter gift that would be. 

Super Donald!

The day that Donald Trump was inaugurated, all my friends were focused on was their pipes not freezing and his inauguration. The weather in much of the United States was in an Arctic freeze. A few weeks before the inauguration, I had gotten a text from a local politician whom I have gotten to know asking me if I would be interested in two tickets to the inauguration. I was ecstatic. These two tickets would enable me a closer view of the proceedings and an expedited security process. 

What a sweet moment this was. Having moved from Westchester County, New York a little over 3 years ago led me to a new vicinity not too far from New York but, in many ways worlds apart. I had to reestablish my life here and build a whole new network of friends. Yet, I had asked God’s guidance in this all important decision. I asked him to show me the place that I should be from the first moment that I even considered moving from my birthplace. 

It was a very difficult decision to make and I could not imagine being able to even do it without the strength that only God can give us. God has confirmed his blessing of my new home at every step of this journey including this moment when a conservative Christian politician full of integrity and faith opened a door to the inaugural proceedings. 

When I was in Westchester County I volunteered to help a number of godly candidates in their campaigns for political office. It was frustration after frustration for me when I saw honest, smart people with great ideas have every type of political dirty trick and smear leveled against them. When I look back, I can say that in microcosm I was seeing the democratic machine of dirty tricks that I would later on see in macrocosm against Trump and his politcal allies. 

Donald Trump became a symbol of hope for many observing their communities, nation and world going stark raving mad. Would anyone have the strength to stand up to the LGBTQ mafia, to transgender madness or child sex change surgeries? DEI? When many Americans wanted gas stoves and gasoline powered automobiles, we had an administration who gave unfair market place advantage to force other choices down our throats. 

This is not capitalism and it will never foster great inventions, innovation or a better future. Further, these technologies are neither proven or wanted by the vast majority of people. When the market place is open, the consumer scrutinizes the product and in that process people have choice and the best technology wins. This was not fair market practice and everyone knows that it made a lot of democratic donors rich. 

Fresh refrains of  “it’s the economy stupid,” also began to resurface in the voters minds as they saw dumb democratic decisions one after the other fell the economy where it hurts for the average American the most. America was hurting and yet there was the sense that Joe and Kamala had a “let them eat cake” philosophy about the whole thing.

Could anyone in U.S. politics stand up for Israel and defy the collegiate mobs of deluded Jew-haters? It would take a lot of moxy that’s for sure. Who has that kind of Chutzpah, not your average Judas kissing politician. The thing that surprised me the most about how the democrats felt about Israel came to light when I did not see one drop of empathy or sympathy for the dead Jewish people on October 7th. 

I kept on waiting for that show of support to be seen when we considered the fate of the hostages so cruelly taken away on that infamous day. I kept waiting and waiting and, like a car wreck on the highway, I just keep watching while people are honking at me to drive a little faster! I was mesmerized or perhaps in a state of shock when I saw nothing, nada, rien. Do we not know right from wrong anymore? The answer is no, a lot of us don’t. I guess it is hard for me to look evil in the eye and accept it. But, that is what Israel has had to do. They have had to act in their own defense in a world hell-bent on their destruction. The United Nations? Useless.

The groundswell of remnant Christian believers who saw the Israeli situation as one of the pivotal issues of our time, brought Donald Trump unto the finish line. There has been a growing number of Christians over the years who actually gave their bible a good read and finally saw the biblical truth of the Israeli situation. It only took us 2000 years or so but who’s counting. The hostages never should have been in captivity that long. It is beyond the pall that in this so-called modern era mankind could conscience that.

Some Christians who came to the forefront to vote Donald Trump into Office had previously been on the sidelines of the political process. A great number uncomfortable with the concept of looking to a politician for hope. Unfortunately many had learned the hard way that staying out of the political process had brought them to a place where their nation had gone in the completely wrong direction. After all, the enemies of God were still voting. They were also free to mess around at polling places with the vote. Some Christians might even be uncomfortable with this blog post talking about the hope in Trump. 

I would say to them, The Lord is my Savior and the rest of us are merely fallen humans. However, does that mean I have no hope in an outcome when I choose a place of employment, a spouse, or a political candidate? We should know that God is perfect and we are not and adjust our expectations. Hence, vigilance, and work towards goals at the job, in the home and in our community.

Another issue that has been going on for far too long is the Russian and Ukrainian war. How could the world be so cold to the suffering of the Ukrainian population.? I am incredulous. Bombings of apartment blocks, on purpose. Energy shut off so civilians have no heat in winter, on purpose. Systematic rape and torture that goes to the very heart of the nature of evil, on purpose. Well, in video games it’s not real so……wrong. People just woke up and realized that the administration in charge was the reason that this was all happening and they had another reason to go out to vote.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Super Donald! He may be rough, he may be abrasive but, that is exactly what is called for in a day when smooth and slimy politicians just slither into office and run their cold-blooded operation. We needed to get rid of the nest of vipers masquerading as our public servants. This is a dirty job and someone had to do it. It won’t be easy and he is fighting a nest of vipers so there are no guarantees. Don’t forget that the prayer of the righteous availeth much so, pray everyday that some wrongs can be righted. Pray for the strength of those who are fighting this political war, most of all stay engaged in the political process if you can. So many things are happening that will change our world forever and you don’t want to feel that you did not try to help in what ever small way that you can advance the godly agenda in our day to day lives. 

I never did get to go to the inauguration. It is just one more decision that I prayed to God to guide me through. Should I accept the offer and celebrate this moment of history? The answer came in a rather brutal way. My husband tripped and broke a rib. I felt that this was God’s answer and I accepted it. We had already researched hotels and driving directions when the X-ray felled those plans. Life goes on and because I did not attend the inauguration in person, I was able to take advantage of a local painters schedule and have him come to work on a much needed project. Furthermore, maybe God just took me down a notch which I needed too. 

The Ghost & Mrs. McConnell

I met Mrs. McConnell, Maddie* on the soccer field of life. I met a lot of people when I was driving my daughter to and from practice and watching the game. Maddie was warm and funny and we struck up a friendship right away. She was a divorced, gutsy, working class Irish woman from Long Island. She had previously worked laying heavy cable. She was probably the first woman in our area actually doing that job at the time. She took pride in doing the job with no modifications. 

In some ways she was a fish out of water in her new home in Westchester County, New York. She had been married to her Irish sweetheart who ended up to be a drinker and a drugger. When she divorced him, she ended up raising her son Connor* all by herself. 

She was always more shanty Irish than lace curtain Irish and that showed when she took up with a local contractor from Eastern Europe. He was married at the time to a wonderful woman and they had two children. His wife Lana,* also Irish, was heartbroken. This is an Irish story.

Anyway, I was going through some of my own marital problems at the time and trying to stay close to God, when I first struck up a friendship with this lady. At first, it was one of those relationships that you form when your children are involved in extra-curriculums but, it soon grew into something more. Maddie and I were the most unlikely of friends. I always contended that I would have been afraid of her if we met in elementary school. I am pretty sure she would not have liked me and would definitely have given me a hard time. She was and is a bit of a “bad girl.’ I was always the “goody-goody.” Like many Long Island Irish families that I knew, she had relatives who were both New York’s finest (police) and New York’s bravest (firefighters). Her brother was a retired detective of note. She and he always bickered as children because he was a goody-goody child too! 

When she took up with Andrei* she became pregnant with their daughter Joy* which quickly ended his marriage. Maddie and Andrei soon moved in together and began to raise their daughter. Joy, like her father, was an amazing soccer player and it was not a little bit due to her father’s coaching. 

Maddie’s parents, whom she revered, were staunchly Catholic. Although she never set foot in church in her adulthood, she felt it an obligation to pay homage to the religion that her Irish ancestors suffered to practice. In fact, she had a lot of Catholic guilt when she divorced her husband so much so, that she made a decision that she would never marry Andrei while Connor Senior was still alive because it would be a sin. I won’t get into why she did not notice some of the other sins that she seemed to ignore at the time (like sleeping with a married man) because that is another blog post.

This is where Maddie was when I met her. On my side, I had just left the Catholic Church and was now attending a spirit-filled bible centered church. I had always felt something was missing when I was in the Catholic Church. I always had this gnawing feeling that there was more than what I had and I continually prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill my heart. Finally, I got what I had always desired, that blessed assurance in salvation when I left the Catholic Church.

On the way out, I tried to plant seeds of the truth with the ladies of C.C.D (Catholic children’s education) of which I had been a part of. I even went toe to toe with the Parish priest Father Tom* as I hoped that I could point to some biblical truths that I thought our Church was missing. I had a heart for Catholics who were biblically illiterate since a good read of the Bible is what lead me to the truth along with God’s grace.

Maddie and Andrei knew so much about soccer, and they endeavored to teach me more than the rudimentary knowledge that I had of the sport. I always encouraged Andrei to volunteer as an assistant coach with our daughter’s team but his lack of eloquence in the English language always made him feel as if he came up short. As the three of us got to know each other, we began to share other conversations rather than just about the game. 

Andrei was a very good local contractor and as such had flexible time within his day. That is how I got to know him better. However, on those days when work would not allow Andrei to attend games, Maddie and I began our friendship. We bonded over sewing and knitting projects. We gave each other recipes and household tips. Eventually, we talked about the state of the school system, local politics and oh yes, religion. 

Our first conversation about the Bible shook me from the malaise that I felt watching two well-matched soccer teams not being able to score a single point. It was a hot day when Maddie mentioned she was tired because, “the ghost made quite a ruckus last night.” Taking a big swig of water from my water bottle, I immediately looked up. “What did you say Maddie?” Maddie went on to tell me that from what she can surmise, a ghost wearing what looks like a World War 1 uniform is still in residence at her home. Oh yeah, and Joy was afraid of it but, I told her ghosts can not hurt you.” I was in a state of shock and wondered where I could begin to explain what was actually happening.

This was the first of many conversations that I would have with Maddie over the years concerning ghosts. Each and every time this topic would come up I tried to lay the biblical groundwork for some answers. I started out with the story of Lazarus. I thought she understood but a few years later the topic arose again, no pun intended. Every time she had a question I tried to answer that question by relating a verse or chapter from the Bible for her clarification. 

The topic has again resurfaced and for a very unfortunate reason, i.e. her partner Andrei just died suddenly this past September. It took us all by surprise and it rocked Maddie’s world. She is not a well woman due to back injuries that she sustained in her work at the cable company. Andrei took care of Maddie like she was a queen. He made it look easy too. She has a lot to deal with on her own now. 

Since Andrei passed away, I have been cognizant of her pain and I am trying be a supportive friend. It is so hard to say the right thing to someone who has lost a loved one. She is not physically or spiritually strong and I am worried about her. However, I have been praying that this could be the time in her life that that she would get off the fence and finally make a decision for Christ. She has been close over the years. Oh, so very close but, then she pulls back because of having to give up some long-held habit or belief, such as the occult.

But, this time she went too far. For days, she was hinting at something, It started out when she told me that her dish washer was going on by itself in the middle of the night. Next, it was her mixer. I kept cool and held any biblical advice instead telling her that she should turn her breaker on and off because it was either an electric problem or maybe her dish washer control board was shot and she needed to replace it. I was biding my time until she absolutely came out with what I was pretty sure was on her mind. 

In several days, she came out with it: “ Did I tell you, there’s been more activity around here? There’s been snoring from his chair, and it ain’t Clyde (the dog).” Horrified that somehow Andrei had been reduced to running appliances in the middle of the night or being a phantom snorer, I was taken aback. I guess on some level even if she could just have the noise of his snoring she would be happy but, that just made me incredibly sad. 

As Maddie went on and on about her belief in her dead husband’s return, I just could not keep silent any longer. (Note: did anybody doubt that I could not keep silent?) More careful than I usually was on this Irish brawler, I said, “Maddie you know that you have many friends who believe in ghosts. You also know that as a Christian I do not. You could just go to them if you want to get no push-back on these beliefs, but you came to me so, would you allow me to just have equal time to tell you what the Bible says about this?”

My conversation on the topic was a summation of all that I had shared with her over the years now put in one cozy package. The first question that needed to be addressed was the veracity of ghosts. Was this complete nonsense or is she having some sort of experience? I cut right to the chase and then doubled back to give some more details. “Yes, Maddie, you are experiencing something. Is it your husband or a World War I soldier? The answer Maddie is that there are spirits that are around you. The Bible is abundantly clear that there is a physical realm and a spiritual realm. In the spiritual realm demons and angels have their domain. Demons are angels who have rejected God and follow Satan. Angels are loyal to God and serve as messengers for Him.”

“The Bible does not support the idea that our loved one’s come back to commune with us. The bad news is that as much as you love Andrei, he is not sitting in his chair as he used to nodding off and snoring. He is not trying to give you a sign of his presence by running appliances in the middle of the night. More bad news: the angels would not lie and pretend to be a World War I soldier or your partner. The worse news of all: you have demons in your house and they have been there for a long time.”

“They are there to trick you and to ultimately mislead you.The main goal they always have is interfering with you trusting in God Almighty with your life. They will do whatever thing that can that will lead you away from Jesus. Also, you misled your daughter when you told her that these spirit beings could not harm her.” In 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 we find demons masquerading as “angels of light” and as “servants of righteousness.” So, when Maddie told me that she wasn’t afraid of this World War I soldier because he looked lost, I told her that he is only pretending that he is a sweet presence in order to hoodwink her. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”

As far as the dearly departed Andrei is concerned, the Bible says, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement”-Hebrews 9:27. Andrei is not free to do whatever he pleases. The story of Lazarus and the rich man can help to clarify some of Maddie’s misconceptions. Jesus told the story of a rich man in Hades wanting to come back after death to warn his brothers of the judgment day. He is told that he can not return to help his brothers. (Luke 16:19-31)

The time to do things for our loved ones is while we are alive. We should all keep that in mind. Andrei, just like the rich man in the story, could not come back and help Maddie overcome her grief or share time with her even if he wanted to. If the rich man could not come back, why would Andrei be able to? Verse 26-“between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.”

As comforting as it would be for Maddie or any of us to soften the blow of our loved one’s passing by believing that they are really still with us, it is a dangerous and unbiblical concept steeped in the occult. I love Maddie too much to let her find false hope. Now, will she finally seek real comfort in Jesus Christ? I hope so, but since our conversation, I have not heard from Maddie. 

* the names are changed to protect privacy but, the story is true.

Ozempic Claus

“Few people have the imagination for reality.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Elon Musk probably doesn’t know that he helped me come up with a topic for my “Confessions of a Westchester Christian Housewife” Annual New Year’s Blog Post. Ever since I began my blog, the Annual New Year’s Post always has some of the highest readership numbers. I guess we are all looking for a little inspiration as an old year ends and a new year begins. I know I am. But, this year I had writer’s block until a picture of Elon Musk dressed up as a Skinny Santa Claus was making news. What was this all about I wondered? 

It ends up, the story coincides with one of the topics I never fail to cover for the New Year, i.e.weight loss. Elon Musk threw down the gauntlet as he brings to debate the topic of just how one should approach weight loss. The concept of dieting brings up issues of spirituality, willpower, discipline, and humanity’s relevancy in the age of artificial intelligence. 

Mr. Musk wondered aloud if Ozempic and drugs like it are the solution to America’s obesity problem. This is in direct opposition to one of President-elect DonaldTrump’s nominees point of view concerning the topic. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who is slated to hold a post in Health and Human Services has a mission to inspire and assist people to make healthy food choices. He firmly believes in a healthy diet and exercise as the gold standard for better health. 

One person represents a modern pharmaceutical approach to health and the other person recommends a traditional diet and exercise regimen. My recent bout with gallstones has had me begin to eat a lower fat diet. I have already lost five pounds no small feat during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday. However, when I came face to face with the pain and the possibility of averting a surgical removal of my gall bladder, I had to take some action. But, what action would that be?

Many people think action means taking a pill or getting a surgical intervention when maybe there is another option. Some recent conversations that I have had with people highlight some thinking on the topic. Hudson* told me some good news recently about his health. Hudson had become diabetic after his marriage ended. His eating and schedule was turned upside down and I advised him to stop eating junk food. Even after his diagnosis, he still continued to make excuses for eating cherry cheesecake and high carb meals. It was like he couldn’t listen to his doctor or me. 

However, Hudson did listen when his doctor said that he would be a good candidate for Ozempic. Hudson has told me that this drug has “changed his life!” He couldn’t say enough good things about it. There was a time not that long ago that Hudson waxed poetic about all Jesus had done for him but, now he was practically worshipful of this drug. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that Hudson has now been taken off his diabetes meds but, is he a mere spectator in the drama of his life?

Then there was Tyler* a Sushi Chef who was a young guy with high cholesterol. He started the diet and was wholly successful in eliminating the problem. But, a few years later his numbers were edging up and he told me, “ I decided to take the cholesterol lowering medication because I don’t want to have to worry about every little thing that I eat.” Translation: he wants to eat whatever he wants whenever he wants it.

Is it worth it and what about the side-effects? Will* had some of those. Will used to be a lot more active but, that was before he got married and had a family, now he has a dad bod. He knew that he needed to change his diet but instead his doctor said why not try Ozempic? He quickly lost 25 pounds and was thrilled. About six months later, digestive and sexual problems began to occur. His doctor took him off the medication and Will put back all 25 pounds and then some.

Then there is Remy.* This past Sunday when I arrived at church, I ran to the church buffet table. I was running late, and I had to lay out my New Year’s smorgasbord before the service began. I sign up to bring in church refreshments abour once a month. My January treats included ham with pineapple, monkey bread, a variety of dried and fresh organic fruits and some amaretti cookies. 

Remy, whom I had not seen since Christmas came over to show me a picture of the amaryllis which I had gifted his family with for the holidays. It had grown nicely. When I looked up from my work in order to greet him, I was shocked. His appearance had changed dramatically. He was practically skeletal. 

He used to be a devoted body-builder in years past but, when he gave that up but continued to eat the same foods, then his muscles turned to fat. Remy was always the life of the Christian party, a sweet and funny man. However, now he looked drawn and lacked a certain gusto that he was known for. 

Chemicals coming together to make us feel full or to erase the effects of eating too much tempura are life-altering solutions that we ought to give some thought to.The Bible tells the story of passions, lusts, and teaches us how to handle them but, we have to take its’ advice. The Bible speaks of choosing the right path and relates stories of people who make the right choices and those who have made the wrong choices. There is forgiveness, change and growth at each stage of our life if we ask for it.  But, we are entreated to study, to take appropriate action, and deal with the consequences of our decision-making.

Yet, I have this sinking feeling that mankind is becoming irrelevant in making this happen and instead is looking for a pill or a surgery to create the change in their life. People are losing their drive and don’t want to work too hard, they don’t want to think too hard, nor are they motivated to see the spiritual meaning in their everyday decisions. Every moment, every decision is so important and yet many people are bored, or living in a virtual world disconnected from more immediate problems.

Perhaps, with the strides in artificial intelligence people are already experiencing lower intelligence. People seem to prefer relying on artificial intelligence rather than reading a book or finding a solution through experimentation. They ask Siri to answer a question or have an A.I. app write papers for them. Are we just spectators in the game of life now? 

Taking a weight lose drug such as Ozempic is all the rage right now. Hollywood actors and actresses who were already skinny look anorexic. So many people feel powerless over their own lives and are desperate to lose weight but, instead of fighting for their health, they are giving up without a fight. Remy did. He had supportive family, friends and hospital staff to help him fight diabetes the natural way but, he resisted everyone’s help and instead continued to eat foods that were killing him. His blood sugar monitor would be telling him as much but, all he did was make excuses. Now, he is letting a drug that mimics a hormone run his diet for him. He is often not hungry at all these days. That’s like throwing the baby out with the bath water. He seems like a zombie a lot. 

I mean, aren’t we suppose to enjoy our food, marital sex and other pleasurable things? When we stop enjoying these things it is because we are not well. The Bible teaches us to be moderate in all those things because our nature is to overindulge and we must develop godly character by taking control of our life and living it for the Lord. We need to have godly relationships which challenge us in all the right ways. It is God who will strengthen us for the battles that we must face. Let’s go to God and ask him strengthen us to change our lives in 2025.

All things are possible with God. I think 2025 should be the year when we stop being a spectator in our own life, our church, our community and our world. Let’s get in the game! 

* the story is true but the name is changed to protect privacy. 

St. Luigi?

Amid the celebration of all that is holy, namely Jesus Christ and the message of Christmas, I resent the constant inference that Luigi Mangione might be in the same league. The same group of people who got soundly defeated in the last election are planning to up the ante in their battle against Western Civilization. 

The Democractic Party gave up the age old formula it had followed of picking candidates to run for the Presidency who would represent politically centrist views. That is because the Democratic Party’s radical Marxist element hijacked the party a while ago so those sort of accommodations were not deemed necessary. The last United States election tested whether the American people would stand for that. They would not. What will the most radicalized members of the Democratic Party do next? I think the answer to that lies in terrible stories which keep on popping up in the news. Indicative of the standard operating procedure of the radicalized democrats is the case of Luigi Mangione.

The case unfolded on a cold December morning in New York City when a darkly dressed figure with a large backpack jumped out of the shadows and shot somebody in the back. The man killed in such a cowardly way was Brian Thompson a husband, father of two and the CEO of the United Healthcare medical insurance company. The 26 year old man who has been arrested and will stand trial for this cold-blooded murder is Luigi Mangione. He was the valedictorian of his high school class and an Ivy League graduate with two degrees. 

Liberal news sources, leftist professors’s and social media Marxists have begun a nasty smear campaign against the dead man who for obvious reasons can’t defend himself. The posts, and some commentaries suggest this man had it coming. What is the truth about the Health Insurance industry? Only a very careful study and quantitative analysis could tell us that. Opinions are not always reality and emotionalism can lead us astray of the truth. But, that hasn’t stopped some people from advancing their agenda.

Some of  those people have compared Brian, the murder victim, with Hitler and suggest that knowing what we now know about Hitler would mean that it would not be a murder if we killed him before he was able to implement his plans. Comparing Hitler to Thompson is too big of a moral stretch. In point of fact, comparing people to Hitler is a tactic used to illicit an emotional response to further a frequently weak argument. It in no way represents intelligent discourse.

The notion that murder is prohibited in the Bible is no longer central to this discussion for many. We are not talking about an accident or self-defense here. As a Christian we should know the difference between right and wrong and the way that we need to go about righting any perceived wrongs. The Marxist view that we are all either “oppressed” or the “oppressor” does not play out in the Bible the way it plays out for some in the Luigi case. 

The reality of sin touches us all. There is no innocent person on this planet. Perhaps, we could say that we have all sinned against others and they have sinned against us. We need to both be forgiven, and we must extend that forgiveness back to those who have hurt us. This of course doesn’t preclude the notion of improving our home, community and the world by fixing broken systems. But, we can’t do it with a “chip on our shoulders,” nor a bullet to the back.

Here’s what it looked like when one of the prophets called on people to repent of their sins. In the 55th Chapter of the prophet Isaiah’s Book, he did not call out companies, races or classes of people to repent, but he called upon individuals to reflect upon their own lives and seek God’s forgiveness immediately. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on you, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”  The whole season of Christmas is a season of hope and we should all take advantage of the free gift of salvation but we have to own up to our own shenanigans and quit making excuses. It’s time to get real while we have that opportunity. No St. Luigi, no, no, no! 

John the Baptist did the same thing as Isaiah did when he called for repentance. Repentance prepares our heart to welcome the Savior that was born on that Christmas Day.* This Christmas season let us commemorate the birth of Jesus by getting real and getting saved by the precious gift that God sent us, Jesus Christ. 

Isaiah 9:6- For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting father, The Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas, and a Happy Hanukkah to all my readers around the world. I always look at my statistics at the end of every year to see where my readers are from.  This year, I am making a list for you so that you can see who else is reading my blog. I listed them by number of readers and going from highest to lowest. The top three countries this year reading my blog are: Hong Kong, Singapore, and Israel. 

Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, U.S.A., China, Spain, Germany, Russia, France, Canada, Malaysia,Australia, U.K., Ireland, Poland, Indonesia, South Korea, India and the Netherlands.

* while we do not know the exact day of Jesus’ birth what we do know is that God thought it important enough to announce it to the shepherds in the field and to guide the three kings to see the newborn babe Jesus. Therefore, commemorating it is a worthwhile thing to do.