The two biggest things that happened this year are that I now have a Master's degree, having earned it in May, and I am also a 2nd-degree Knight of Columbus, which I achieved in June. God has also really blessed in regard to provision as well - unlike previous years, I have actually had a steady paycheck for the bulk of 2018, which is a major thing. I want to start out with that, because although the provision of income was a blessing, there are some dramatic contrasts as to how that happened.
For the first three months of the year, I managed to earn a nice - albeit modest - income typing and revising papers for a nice guy in nearby Rockville who happens to be a CUA graduate by the name of Pete Collins. The majority of my work for Pete revolved around a series of projects focusing on St. Edith Stein, the theologian/philosopher/Carmelite nun of Jewish heritage who was martyred during WWII in a Nazi concentration camp. In addition to the pecuniary blessing of being able to do this for some needed income, it was also intellectually enriching as it helped me to learn a lot about this spiritual giant of our Church. I started doing work for Pete actually back in December of last year, and had to unfortunately bring it to a halt due to other commitments, but I still keep in touch with him as he is a fantastic person. In addition to working with Pete, in April of this year I also was able to work for a short time at a company called Merkle Response Management here in Hagerstown, and this is where the contrast happened. I had originally interviewed with Merkle for another job back in October of last year, but even then I didn't quite feel totally comfortable with the possibility of working for this company, but I reapplied anyway in March of this year because frankly I needed income. Now, Merkle is only located about 5 minutes from our house, so location was convenient. However, upon starting work there in April, several things became apparent. First, they were overly strict in policies, almost ridiculously so. If you don't know much about Merkle, it is a company that handles donations and such for a variety of non-profit organizations, and in doing so naturally a lot of sensitive information is handled. What that means is that you cannot have personal items in the workplace, nor can you do a lot of other things. Also, people have been fired from there for ridiculous reasons - one lady was fired because she had a heart attack and couldn't come back to work right away. Also, the pay was horrible - it was perhaps the lowest salary I have made since starting administrative work over 20 years ago. The office itself was also aesthetically lacking - it was essentially a cross between a prison and a warehouse, and just plain ugly. Despite strict protocol however, I noticed some inconsistencies in policies, and it compelled me to contact one of their clients directly, which was a big no-no. That got me essentially terminated on-spot in mid-July. Despite a firing and a loss of income, it was actually a huge relief to be free of the place. But, thankfully God was faithful again, and my old standby Michael Tigue at Web4U, whom I have worked with continuously since 2016, had a project that generated some much-needed income for the month of August, during which I got a call from an agency called Aerotek, and they landed me a long-term assignment in Frederick with a company called Music and Arts which, as of this writing, I am about to complete within one week. Again, another dramatic contrast, in that as bad as Merkle was to work for, Music and Arts has been a great experience - good company, good people, and a beautiful office. And, it provided a lot of necessities for us over these past few months, including some I will get into later. All in all, it's been a good year financially to this point.
Physically, things have been challenging this year, as all three of us in the household have had our share of medical issues. In early May, I was the first, when one Sunday I got a sudden heavy nosebleed that required a trip to the emergency room, and essentially the doctor had to cauterize some abrasions inside my nose (I do NOT recommend that, by the way, because it is unpleasant!). In June, it was Mom's turn, as she had a cardiac-related episode that necessitated an ambulance to transport her. July was then Barb's moment - one Saturday afternoon as we were doing some projects, Barb just sort of blacked out and pitched forward in her chair to the floor. She ended up having a four-day stay in the hospital over that one. In addition, Barbara has had a nagging, persistent cough for months, and only in the past week has it gotten better. My prayer is that God will help our health to be better in the coming year.
The big event of the year was my graduation from Franciscan University of Steubenville, which occurred on May 12th. I had wanted for years to do my graduate education, and this was indeed a great accomplishment. However, the road to that was not an easy one - in order to graduate, you have to pass a comprehensive exam of four questions that cover four core courses in the program, and I was able to take those in January and I passed them. With the Master's now achieved, I started almost immediately preparing for my future PhD program, which I will be starting at CUA in Washington, DC, in September 2019. Part of that entails taking a GRE test, which I am scheduled as of this writing to do next Sunday (December 2nd). The GRE is the graduate equivalent of the SAT, and it is much more intense - it has two parts, one being verbal and the other math. The verbal part doesn't particularly worry me, as I have a good command of that, but the math part is a bit intimidating - math has never been a strong subject for me, although over the years I have gotten somewhat more adept with it. I am praying God's abundant graces upon me as I take that exam, as the exam is what determines my funding for the PhD program.
Barbara and I at my MACE graduation in Steubenville in May
Onto other developments this year, we added a new addition to our household. On Facebook, there is a marketplace page that offers things for sale or free in the area where you happen to live, and one day I came across a listing for a widow lady in Martinsburg who had two adorable bunny rabbits she needed to give up due to inability to care for them. One was a white Lionhead we named Bella, and the other was a slightly larger Mini-Rex we named Trixie. Bella was adorable, but she proved to be a handful so we had to give her up to someone else, but as of today we still have Trixie, and she is one of the sweetest little creatures - she has a personality all her own. We hope to get a lot of joy from her for years to come.
Our new bunny Trixie
Additionally, we were also able to get a new car in September, which proved to be a blessing. Ever since our accident happened in December 2016 on Dry Fork Mountain, in which our Ford Ranger truck was totaled, we have been relying on Mom's rickety old Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was manufactured in 2003 and was running on the providence of God. Her car was old, stinky, and growing less reliable by the day, and we knew it was time to upgrade and so we did. Around the second week in September, we went to Massey Hyundai about five minutes from the house, and after several hours of negotiation, wheeling, and dealing, we drove off the lot with a 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, and it was nice! Not a week and a half after getting that, Mom's old jalopy finally dies too. Talk about timing!
Our new car
In addition, we now almost have our house completely furnished, and so many other things have come together this year. I am currently in my second year of being the catechist for the 6th-graders at St. Joseph Church, our home parish in Hagerstown, and this will also be my last year teaching the kids as I want to work with the RCIA program at the parish for a couple of years next up. With my upcoming doctoral work, it is also best I scale back some things so I can devote time to studies, but I don't want (nor do I need) to cut out church work entirely. We'll see where that all goes later as well.
It has been an interesting year politically too, in particular for my own involvement. I have taken a renewed interest in the Armenian Genocide cause, as I am passionate about this tragedy being recognized and the many innocent Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian martyrs being honored and remembered. That issue has become a pivotal one in my own political outlook, and it will continue to be so. Of course, I have also become more identified with my monarchist sentiments this year as well, including more direct involvement with Catholic groups such as Tradition, Family, Property and the Counter-Revolution, a fine organization which interesting enough was founded by a group of young guys who are committed to a traditionalist/monarchist position, led by their Marshall, a young convert named Braden Plyler. Being in those circles has also opened me up to the writings of the late Plinio Correa de Oliviera (1908-1995), an influential Brazilian Catholic traditionalist thinker whose seminal work, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, has a wealth of information. In the coming year on my other blogs, you will be seeing more of this sort of thing as it will also be shaping my writing, which is what I want to get into now briefly.
The past year was focused primarily on weighty theological/philosophical/political issues, as I have tackled such things as this whole "transgender" mess and other such things, as well as doing an in-depth analysis of Anglican Thomist E.L. Mascall's book, The Secularization of Christianity. The importance of such work cannot be underestimated, and in the coming year I want to focus on much of the same. The idea in writing in this fashion is to accomplish a couple of things. First, it is to present a Catholic worldview, informed by the collective wisdom of the Church over the centuries. Second, it is to inform Catholics in particular and Christians in general about certain things out there that many are woefully ignorant and ill-equipped to address. My SPT blog in particular is going to be tackling a lot of these issues more in-depth this coming year, as I want to especially present a sound Catholic apologetic. There are issues for instance that Catholics are ignorant on for the most part regarding other movements within Christendom, movements that I have either been involved with in years past or that have caught a particular interest. One thing I have been researching that I want to publish on in the coming year is a Catholic evaluation of the "word of faith" movement as embodied by the likes of Kenneth Hagin and Joel Osteen (among many others). This has compelled a fresh read of Hank Hanegraaff's essential text Christianity in Crisis, and in reading it again after 20 years I am realizing the need for a Catholic response to this "Blab-and-Grab" theology, which is heretical on so many levels - one particularly disturbing aspect of it is how they mock the key petition in the Our Father, "Thy will be done," and now being more informed myself by reading and teaching Romano Guardini's seminal work on the Lord's Prayer, I feel the time has come for a Catholic apologetic regarding it that specifically addresses these "faith teachers," many of whom have sizeable Catholic followings (you would not believe how many Catholics actually think Joel Osteen is the proverbial "bee's knees," and that in itself is scary!). I also want to do a study for Catholics on Independent Baptists, a subject that has fascinated me for years and that I wanted to take on - for many uninformed lay Catholics, all Fundamentalists are the same, and this can be an embarrassing situation for the Catholic who talks to one who comes from a particular denominational tradition. That being said, I want to address something briefly in this year-end retrospective as it relates to what I want to do as a catechist and theologian, and why.
Over the past year, Barbara and I have participated in an excellent program through our parish called ChristLife, and it is an excellent program that gets Catholics on fire about evangelization. In many respects, ChristLife is very similar to the old Cursillo program, as a lot of its structure is similar, and therefore it is something I was quite enthusiastic about getting into. The program is divided into three 7-week parts - the first is "Discovering Christ," which we initially missed but will catch next time it's offered, the second is "Encountering Christ," which challenges people to deepen their own Christian faith, and the third which we just completed ourselves last month is "Sharing Christ," which is essentially a primer in engaging others for evangelization. The program itself is actually one of the best I have participated in, and you get a lot from it, but I have a few observations about it based on others I have observed who participated in it. In this past session for instance, I noted that many people who attend these things are doing so just to have something to do, and they are either unwilling or scared to commit to the principles it is trying to teach them. One woman in particular a few weeks back, for instance, comes to mind. This particular lady is one of those who wants to volunteer and be involved in everything the parish does, and although I cannot judge her motives, I think she may be doing it to increase her own profile as she is also a realtor by trade. One of the aspects of ChristLife is that we are organized by tables into groups, being led by a facilitator. This particular person was part of our group this year, and as we sat there discussing the questions, she made a comment along the lines of how great it is the "Church changes with the times," and such, and usually when someone talks like that, it means that you are about to get an earful of liberalism that is often uninformed. This woman, for instance, thought that "gay lifestyles" were OK, and she spat almost in disgust at the thought of a more traditional Mass - some disparaging things were also uttered by her and another lady about the former Pope, Benedict XVI, whom they apparently didn't like too much (I thought he was fantastic, and wished his Pontificate could have been longer as he is what the Church needs right now). When I informed her that the Magisterial teaching of the Church is unchanging, she looked at me as if I had just gotten off a saucer from Mars or something. I mention this in regard to what my focus is going to be in the coming year, because this lady was a symptom of a greater problem in our Church, and I also see it amongst the sixth-graders I teach on Sundays - many of them, by this time, should have at least a basic knowledge of fundamental Catholic prayers such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary, but many of them don't. And, when it comes to Scripture, they are worse - many cannot even locate Genesis in the Bible. This crisis in catechesis is one reason why I am where I am, and it puts me in mind of what Fr. Josef Jungmann was up against back in 1936. And, it is one major purpose of why I have the Sacramental Present Truths blog. I only hope I can be effective in reaching many fellow Catholics and getting them back in love with the Church as well as its Head, Jesus Christ. Only then can we have a renewal of faith in our Church. Therefore, I urge you to stay tuned in coming months for what I anticipate sharing with you on SPT.
Another major thing about this year is the continuation of my own re-discovery - much of that has taken place in a physical sense too with Barbara, as being back on home territory now I am able to show her the legacy of my own past, both the positives and negatives. For the first time in well over thirty years for instance, I was able to visit Kirby, WV, the place where I spent a lot of my childhood. In September as well, it was also good to visit Kingwood and attend the Buckwheat Festival, which I hadn't been to since I was in high school band back over 30 years as well. It was good to see some old stomping-grounds again, which also included a cruise past Grandad's old apartment on 109 Schwartz Street in Martinsburg, where I lived when I was 9 years old. The summer in particular entailed a virtual tour across the Eastern Panhandle of my home state of West Virginia, and that brought back many good memories. Also, being able as well to enrich my music collection with a number of old LP's I once had which a guy in Arizona was able to reissue on CD recordings, brought back fond memories too. This has life at sort of a crossroads for us now, which I want to reflect on briefly at this point.
Just about 3 weeks ago, I turned 49 years old - it is hard to believe that I have almost lived a half-century! The older I get, the more I find myself browsing weekly obituaries, as well as attempting to reconstruct some aspects of my life that I had either ignored or forgotten until recently. But, there are many new things to celebrate as well - this past year I achieved my Master's degree, and as of now I am pretty much on-point to start my doctoral studies this coming year. That too made me realize some things - I will have my doctor's degree (Lord willing!) by the time I turn 54, and what that means is this - at that time, I will have been in school for over 50 years off and on. That in itself has been a major challenge for me, as I have essentially had to do it all myself with no real support system (save Barbara and God, but that's it really). I have faced opposition from relatives, ridicule from others, and circumstances have delayed me over the years from completing all of this when I wanted to or planned, which tends to frustrate a little at times. You would not believe, as a matter of fact, the condemnation I have received from my own family, as well as my in-laws, for trying to work toward this goal; the snide comments about being "a career student," and also the pseudo-Christian jargon about "education being an idol," have been things I have put up with ad nauseum since I was pursuing a Bachelor's in my 20's. I have also been attacked for specifically what I have studied, and one thing that many of these "critics" get hung up on is my student loan investments. Both my in-laws and some of my blood relatives have serious hangups about this, despite the fact it really is none of their concern and they need to just mind their own damned business, and I have been emboldened lately to tell them to do just that. No one said this road was going to be easy, and that it wouldn't cost, but that is my decision to choose to do what I feel I am called to do, and everything will be just fine. I find it both amusing and annoying that often those who don't contribute anything, have no interest in what you're doing, or honestly don't take you serious enough to care anyway just have to have this inclination to run their mouths. In the coming years, as I get older, many of them will be in for a rude surprise, because they will be put in their place. "But, that attitude is not Christian," some may say; really??? Those who say things like that are often the ones who are most guilty of gossip, slander, and lies themselves, and they project their guilt on you when you tell them rightly to "bug off." At the risk of sounding somewhat crass, let me say this - it is time for Christians to start growing some cojones and not get concerned about whose toes they will step on if they stand up for themselves; a few toes could use a good stomping honestly, and I am about to "step up" a little myself on some of them as I get older. I have come way too far and accomplished too much to have some meddling, gossipy relatives flap their gums, and it will be dealt with wearing an iron fist on that, as enough is enough. If you are in a similar situation, here is my encouragement to you today - God did not create you to be a piece of paper for someone to wipe their butts on you with, and you do have a fundamental obligation to stand up for yourself if the occasion warrants it. To do so is not sin, and it doesn't in any way mean you are any "less Christian" either; when these buzzards attack you, they are also insulting God as well who gave you the talents and gifts, as well as the desire, you have to move forward. Therefore, maybe it is they who need to repent of sin and watch their attitudes, not you. More will be said on that in the coming year as well, so buckle those seatbelts!
Picking up on that, let's now turn to events of the year that have had some impact. The first is the radicalization of the Left in the political spectrum. Socialism is now being touted as a "good" thing by both clueless Millenials as well as ex-hippie Boomers who seem to be having acid-trip relapses, which is what led to the recent election of one Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress. This Ocasio-Cortez girl, who self-identifies as a "Democratic Socialist," is in reality a dingaling with a pretty face. She has no clue as to the state of things in the world, and her off-base statements on things are now the stuff of jokes. Add to that the perpetual crazy-eyes expression she has in her photos, and it is a disaster waiting to happen. The old-line radicals in the House - people like Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters - were bad enough, but this takes the proverbial cake. And, just like her mentors Castro, Chavez, and Mao, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez refuses to debate and tries to shut down those who challenge or question her. That is the true face of socialism. Also, as D. James Kennedy once stated, socialism is a violation of the Ten Commandments in that it constitutes government-sanctioned stealing. It is a system that we as Monarchists in particular must oppose with every fiber of our being honestly. In addition this year, the President Trump/Jim Acosta feud got Acosta thrown out of the White House on his keister, which he rightly deserved. Now, what characterizes the double-standard of the Left is that they think it is perfectly fine for Ocasio-Cortez to accuse noted conservative commentator Ben Shapiro of "catcalling" for challenging her to a debate, but the same people throw tantrums at our President for tossing Acosta out for being a jackass. Of course, Ocasio-Cortez's avoidance of a debate with Shapiro may have been a divine grace in disguise, as God has mercy on the stupid - Shapiro would have shredded her anyway. In reflection on these political issues, I have become more resolute in my own Monarchist leanings, and may even go as far as to calling myself a proto-Carlist, after the supporters of the monarchy in Spain. Also, thanks in part to my good friend Charles Coulombe, who is America's most noted Monarchist, I have become more informed as well. Charles would be another one who could shred Ocasio-Cortez to bits too, as Charles knows his history and he also knows (as well as openly states) that socialism is a failed system; if it didn't work in the former USSR, Cuba, or Venezuela, what makes people think it will work here? Of course, Ocasio-Cortez is a symptom of a bigger problem in this country, a problem that is being played out by a more violent expression known as Antifa. Antifa, for those who don't know, is an informal network of violent anarchists who have as an objective to shut down anyone they disagree with, and often that involves beating the crap out of their opponents. Ironically, among their number and leadership are academic elites, notably Mike Isaacson, a professor of Economics at John Jay College until he sent these "tweets" advocating killing cops which got his butt placed on administrative leave. Isaacson is a hell of a looking individual anyway - he's tall, with a gawky long neck and also is in obvious need of a decent haircut, but he is also the equivalent of the homosexual bully-boy of Hitler's SA, Ernst Rohm, and also guilty of many of the same vices. Characters like this Isaacson clown should not be teaching at colleges honestly, as they are not true academics but are merely activists seeking to advance their own agendas, while the unsuspecting parents of these kids in those classes have to foot the bill. The secular college campus has, for all intents, become a violent battleground of bully-enforced groupthink, and for those who hold a more traditional worldview, it's best to stay away unless you are well-armed yourself. And, in a final twist of irony in this political discourse and reflection, Bill Clinton still runs free this year while another Bill (Cosby) was sentenced to jail - although a bit unpopular with even fellow Christians right now, my position is that Cosby was not as guilty of as much as he was accused, and a lot of his sentence was unjustified. Yet, Bill Clinton continues his philandering and is hailed as a hero by the same ones who practically lynched Cosby - "White Privilege" anyone? Where was Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and the rest of the race-baiters in all that? From their corner we heard crickets chirping, and loudly. Anyway, that is my take on some issues that have happened over the past year.
Faithwise, it is about the same, as of course the biggest religious news this year has been the "Uncle Teddy" McCarrick story. The need for reform in the mainstream Catholic Church is great, and it is perhaps time we get back to letting the truly called be priests instead of padding seminaries with overly-ambitious gay guys who are trying to subvert the Church's teaching. There are a lot of good priests out there too thankfully, but they now have targets on them because of the bad ones, and I fear an anti-Catholic backlash will result from the scandals. However, I will remain a faithful Catholic, as I have been for 19 years now, and when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, I will always be on the side of theological and liturgical, as well as moral, orthodoxy. My Catholic faith has been long in developing, and I am not about to give it up. Hopefully, 2019 will bring positive news for the Church too.
There are many lessons that the past year has either reaffirmed or are new for me this year. For one, it is first important that people remember to be themselves, and that is the basis for the second thing to mention. Secondly, in being one's self, it is important to develop an attitude of not caring what the naysayers flap their gums about. Over the years, I have understood the extent of damage that gossip, misunderstanding, and depersonalization can do, as I have been an object of all of those myself. It can make you resentful, bitter, and you struggle to extend forgiveness to those who direct this crap at you. However, that leads to two other lessons. One is this - while you don't have to shout over the rooftops to your offenders "I forgive you!!" it is important to cultivate an attitude of forgiveness. As I have taught a lot over the years, the gift of forgiveness must be received as well as offered, and if the person to whom you want to offer forgiveness is unable to accept it for whatever reason (many of them think their offense against you was not technically an offense in their minds, so they may not see the issue, even if you explain it) then it won't do much good to actively offer it. In that case, what you do is this - pray for them, and also pray for yourself to cultivate an attitude of forgiveness. Although I have some very serious differences with "progressive" Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, I do think she makes a valid point on one of her YouTube video talks entitled (and forgive the language, as this is her title I am quoting!) "Forgive Assholes." In it, she makes the point that sometimes it is necessary as a part of the forgiveness process to cut loose of the offending person, and I see where she is coming from - an offensive person will continue to be offensive, no matter how many times they are forgiven in many cases, and therefore for your own benefit it may be necessary to just stay away from them. Pray for them, and if you find yourself involuntarily crossing paths with such a person, be respectful, but leave it there. In other words, work on yourself and don't worry as much about trying to rehabilitate your offenders. If you do what you are supposed to do, in other words, God can work in the situation better because you are not trying to control it. And, that leads to the second sub-lesson about struggling to extend forgiveness - offense and unforgiveness are not the same thing, and you can understandably be repulsed by the actions of an offending person; it's called being human. And, due to the fact you also are accorded the same dignity of personhood as anyone else, you do not have to put up with offensive behavior being directed with you either. Supernatural grace, in its duty of elevating, perfecting, and healing our nature, tempers us, but "turning the other cheek" doesn't mean laying with your posterior cheeks on the ground to be used as a doormat either. Don't be afraid of being assertive when it comes to defending the dignity God gave you personally, as it is a gift from Him and it is your duty to be a proper steward of that gift. At the same time, don't let anger fester into hatred either, and it is where you rely on God's guidance to help you. With what is often an altruistic (and at times dare I say masochistic) reading of the Gospels, we feel we have to subject ourselves to abuse to prove our fidelity to our faith in Christ, but we get that wrong. "Tough love" is still an expression of the virtue of charity, and at times being assertive may also benefit the offending person as well, as it may bring them to realize they are being a complete jackass and then they will come to you to make it right. This is somewhat radical I know, but it is also liberating as well. Other lessons learned include the idea that you need to know your own legacy - yes, despite how insignificant you think you are, you do have a legacy, and that too is a gift of God. Keep a detailed journal, as well as taking time to reflect on things, and as you do so you will begin to draw out some things that will help you to know and appreciate yourself better, as well as engendering a gratitude for who you are as a person with God too. As I am writing this even now, I struggle with some things I have talked about, and even this helps me. Never underestimate self-reflection, and also never forget who you are and where you come from - it will prove your best asset later.
Many other life lessons have been gleaned by me this past year as well, and even in 2017. One of those is one that came via Barbara, my wife, and essentially it is this - sometimes you have to rip off the bandaid. If you happen to find yourself in a bit of a negative situation - a crappy job, an awkward church situation, etc. - what I have learned is that it does neither yourself nor those associated with the situation on the periphery any good if you continue to languish. Sometimes it may be therefore necessary to just make a clean break ("rip off the bandaid" if you will) and get out of the situation before causing yourself harm. It is amazing to me at times at how much crap we put on ourselves, and of course there are legitimate reasons underlying this - you need that crappy job, for instance, to meet monthly bills, or you may have an exaggerated (and masochistic) altruism about it (this is a weakness my wife has) in that you may feel you are "letting everybody down" if you back out. Honestly, although you may not realize it, you are actually displaying an altruistic arrogance - it sounds like a contradiction in terms, such as "being proud of your humility," but it is real, believe me. Why do I say that? I cannot tell you the numerous times I myself have been guilty of such things honestly, and what I learned was a couple of lessons. First, whatever the situation, the workplace for instance goes on with you in it, as it did before you became part of it. And that leads to an important lesson in economics. Since the Industrial Revolution (which in many ways did more harm than good) an enigmatic entity called "Corporate America" has arisen, and what drives the entity that is Corporate America is one thing - profits. Your value, as an employee of any facet of Corporate America, is to contribute to the acquisition of profit for your masters, and if you can't you are deemed expendable and can be easily replaced. And, it extends beyond the blue-collar "stiffs" in the assembly line or the smartly-dressed girls in secretarial pools - even the highest executives are not immune to this. Dignity of personhood is a foreign concept for Corporate America, as the average laborer to them is a number and a means toward their end, a mere part in their bigger whole. This of course is contrary to the Judeo-Christian idea of dignity of personhood, and thus it is even somewhat demonic honestly when taken to extremes. Corporate America is a fact of life however, and many of us (including Yours Truly) are compelled by necessity to work within her infrastructure as we have to eat and pay bills. The good news about that though is that not all corporate working environments are bad - at the time I am writing this at the end of November, I have been contracting with a fine company called Music and Arts here in Frederick, and overall it has been a great company to work with, and I have no complaints about them as they have actually treated those of us who are contracting quite well. But, if you happen to find yourself in a less-than-ideal corporate environment, here is what your options are - pull out if it is unbearable, and use the expendability that Corporate America treats its employees with to your advantage. Usually, there is another company out there willing to snatch you up because they see you as an asset, and you are probably replacing someone who was deemed expendable - you are still expendable also, but at least at this point said company is looking at you positively. It is the nature of the proverbial beast when it comes to Corporate America, and the way to cope is to know and anticipate their actions as well. That way, you don't have to denigrate yourself altruistically, and Corporate America will be happy too. That is Lesson #1. Lesson #2 is equally important - make the best of the situation, both good and bad, while you are there. I often find that lunches and breaks are good times to enrich myself by reading and studying, and I use that to advantage, especially since my wife and I have to travel together and I have spent many days arriving either an hour and a half earlier than my shift or waiting late for her to get to me. Instead of standing around, occupy yourself, and it makes things go smoother. Also, while at work, get yourself an MP-3 player and load it up with programs - music is good too, and intersperse those with your favorite music - that you can listen to while you work. I listen while I work to people such as D. James Kennedy, my good friend Charles Coulombe, etc. You can draw inspiration from that too, especially if the job you are doing is somewhat tedious. I want to talk now about tedious tasks, as they too can be a blessing in disguise.
Most people I know hate the mundane and tedious, but over the years I have learned to be in my element doing such jobs. Of course, there are pitfalls - you can drift off to sleep easily, and if you fail to get up and stretch then what you are doing tends to run together. Nonetheless, the tedious tasks are a blessing in their own way as you can have time to think, and also it's a good way to absorb information - if you want to listen to talks on tape, MP3, or other media, that is a way to do it. So, if you get stuck in a tedious task, use it to your advantage, as knowledge is power! Often too, you can listen to the same thing several times as well, which comes in handy especially if you are taking college coursework. Remember too, that these tedious tasks are meeting a need, and they are not an end unto themselves, so you have the opportunity to use those times to enrich yourself, something a customer service or other job doesn't afford as a luxury. The lesson here is not to dread the tedious, but seek the best from it. My work this year has inspired me to share that today with you.
On this note, I think I have imparted enough wisdom to you for the year, and now in retrospect I just want to say that my own year of 2018 has been good overall - not necessarily easy, but not bad at all. After moving back to the area a couple of years back, we were finally able to get ourselves established in the new home in 2018, and indeed we've come far. I am only hoping 2019 is a continuation of that as we get ready to close out 2018 for good in about a month or so. For the rest of you, I wish you a blessed holiday season - for my fellow Catholics, Advent is upon us and may it be a time for us to prepare ourselves, and for my Jewish cousins and friends I pray a blessed Chanukah season for you. Also, as winter is arriving fast, please stay safe out there, especially for those of us who get a significant amount of snow in the winter months. Take care, blessings to all, and will see you back in 2019 with a lot of good stuff for the coming year.
It has been an interesting year politically too, in particular for my own involvement. I have taken a renewed interest in the Armenian Genocide cause, as I am passionate about this tragedy being recognized and the many innocent Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian martyrs being honored and remembered. That issue has become a pivotal one in my own political outlook, and it will continue to be so. Of course, I have also become more identified with my monarchist sentiments this year as well, including more direct involvement with Catholic groups such as Tradition, Family, Property and the Counter-Revolution, a fine organization which interesting enough was founded by a group of young guys who are committed to a traditionalist/monarchist position, led by their Marshall, a young convert named Braden Plyler. Being in those circles has also opened me up to the writings of the late Plinio Correa de Oliviera (1908-1995), an influential Brazilian Catholic traditionalist thinker whose seminal work, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, has a wealth of information. In the coming year on my other blogs, you will be seeing more of this sort of thing as it will also be shaping my writing, which is what I want to get into now briefly.
The past year was focused primarily on weighty theological/philosophical/political issues, as I have tackled such things as this whole "transgender" mess and other such things, as well as doing an in-depth analysis of Anglican Thomist E.L. Mascall's book, The Secularization of Christianity. The importance of such work cannot be underestimated, and in the coming year I want to focus on much of the same. The idea in writing in this fashion is to accomplish a couple of things. First, it is to present a Catholic worldview, informed by the collective wisdom of the Church over the centuries. Second, it is to inform Catholics in particular and Christians in general about certain things out there that many are woefully ignorant and ill-equipped to address. My SPT blog in particular is going to be tackling a lot of these issues more in-depth this coming year, as I want to especially present a sound Catholic apologetic. There are issues for instance that Catholics are ignorant on for the most part regarding other movements within Christendom, movements that I have either been involved with in years past or that have caught a particular interest. One thing I have been researching that I want to publish on in the coming year is a Catholic evaluation of the "word of faith" movement as embodied by the likes of Kenneth Hagin and Joel Osteen (among many others). This has compelled a fresh read of Hank Hanegraaff's essential text Christianity in Crisis, and in reading it again after 20 years I am realizing the need for a Catholic response to this "Blab-and-Grab" theology, which is heretical on so many levels - one particularly disturbing aspect of it is how they mock the key petition in the Our Father, "Thy will be done," and now being more informed myself by reading and teaching Romano Guardini's seminal work on the Lord's Prayer, I feel the time has come for a Catholic apologetic regarding it that specifically addresses these "faith teachers," many of whom have sizeable Catholic followings (you would not believe how many Catholics actually think Joel Osteen is the proverbial "bee's knees," and that in itself is scary!). I also want to do a study for Catholics on Independent Baptists, a subject that has fascinated me for years and that I wanted to take on - for many uninformed lay Catholics, all Fundamentalists are the same, and this can be an embarrassing situation for the Catholic who talks to one who comes from a particular denominational tradition. That being said, I want to address something briefly in this year-end retrospective as it relates to what I want to do as a catechist and theologian, and why.
Over the past year, Barbara and I have participated in an excellent program through our parish called ChristLife, and it is an excellent program that gets Catholics on fire about evangelization. In many respects, ChristLife is very similar to the old Cursillo program, as a lot of its structure is similar, and therefore it is something I was quite enthusiastic about getting into. The program is divided into three 7-week parts - the first is "Discovering Christ," which we initially missed but will catch next time it's offered, the second is "Encountering Christ," which challenges people to deepen their own Christian faith, and the third which we just completed ourselves last month is "Sharing Christ," which is essentially a primer in engaging others for evangelization. The program itself is actually one of the best I have participated in, and you get a lot from it, but I have a few observations about it based on others I have observed who participated in it. In this past session for instance, I noted that many people who attend these things are doing so just to have something to do, and they are either unwilling or scared to commit to the principles it is trying to teach them. One woman in particular a few weeks back, for instance, comes to mind. This particular lady is one of those who wants to volunteer and be involved in everything the parish does, and although I cannot judge her motives, I think she may be doing it to increase her own profile as she is also a realtor by trade. One of the aspects of ChristLife is that we are organized by tables into groups, being led by a facilitator. This particular person was part of our group this year, and as we sat there discussing the questions, she made a comment along the lines of how great it is the "Church changes with the times," and such, and usually when someone talks like that, it means that you are about to get an earful of liberalism that is often uninformed. This woman, for instance, thought that "gay lifestyles" were OK, and she spat almost in disgust at the thought of a more traditional Mass - some disparaging things were also uttered by her and another lady about the former Pope, Benedict XVI, whom they apparently didn't like too much (I thought he was fantastic, and wished his Pontificate could have been longer as he is what the Church needs right now). When I informed her that the Magisterial teaching of the Church is unchanging, she looked at me as if I had just gotten off a saucer from Mars or something. I mention this in regard to what my focus is going to be in the coming year, because this lady was a symptom of a greater problem in our Church, and I also see it amongst the sixth-graders I teach on Sundays - many of them, by this time, should have at least a basic knowledge of fundamental Catholic prayers such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary, but many of them don't. And, when it comes to Scripture, they are worse - many cannot even locate Genesis in the Bible. This crisis in catechesis is one reason why I am where I am, and it puts me in mind of what Fr. Josef Jungmann was up against back in 1936. And, it is one major purpose of why I have the Sacramental Present Truths blog. I only hope I can be effective in reaching many fellow Catholics and getting them back in love with the Church as well as its Head, Jesus Christ. Only then can we have a renewal of faith in our Church. Therefore, I urge you to stay tuned in coming months for what I anticipate sharing with you on SPT.
Another major thing about this year is the continuation of my own re-discovery - much of that has taken place in a physical sense too with Barbara, as being back on home territory now I am able to show her the legacy of my own past, both the positives and negatives. For the first time in well over thirty years for instance, I was able to visit Kirby, WV, the place where I spent a lot of my childhood. In September as well, it was also good to visit Kingwood and attend the Buckwheat Festival, which I hadn't been to since I was in high school band back over 30 years as well. It was good to see some old stomping-grounds again, which also included a cruise past Grandad's old apartment on 109 Schwartz Street in Martinsburg, where I lived when I was 9 years old. The summer in particular entailed a virtual tour across the Eastern Panhandle of my home state of West Virginia, and that brought back many good memories. Also, being able as well to enrich my music collection with a number of old LP's I once had which a guy in Arizona was able to reissue on CD recordings, brought back fond memories too. This has life at sort of a crossroads for us now, which I want to reflect on briefly at this point.
Just about 3 weeks ago, I turned 49 years old - it is hard to believe that I have almost lived a half-century! The older I get, the more I find myself browsing weekly obituaries, as well as attempting to reconstruct some aspects of my life that I had either ignored or forgotten until recently. But, there are many new things to celebrate as well - this past year I achieved my Master's degree, and as of now I am pretty much on-point to start my doctoral studies this coming year. That too made me realize some things - I will have my doctor's degree (Lord willing!) by the time I turn 54, and what that means is this - at that time, I will have been in school for over 50 years off and on. That in itself has been a major challenge for me, as I have essentially had to do it all myself with no real support system (save Barbara and God, but that's it really). I have faced opposition from relatives, ridicule from others, and circumstances have delayed me over the years from completing all of this when I wanted to or planned, which tends to frustrate a little at times. You would not believe, as a matter of fact, the condemnation I have received from my own family, as well as my in-laws, for trying to work toward this goal; the snide comments about being "a career student," and also the pseudo-Christian jargon about "education being an idol," have been things I have put up with ad nauseum since I was pursuing a Bachelor's in my 20's. I have also been attacked for specifically what I have studied, and one thing that many of these "critics" get hung up on is my student loan investments. Both my in-laws and some of my blood relatives have serious hangups about this, despite the fact it really is none of their concern and they need to just mind their own damned business, and I have been emboldened lately to tell them to do just that. No one said this road was going to be easy, and that it wouldn't cost, but that is my decision to choose to do what I feel I am called to do, and everything will be just fine. I find it both amusing and annoying that often those who don't contribute anything, have no interest in what you're doing, or honestly don't take you serious enough to care anyway just have to have this inclination to run their mouths. In the coming years, as I get older, many of them will be in for a rude surprise, because they will be put in their place. "But, that attitude is not Christian," some may say; really??? Those who say things like that are often the ones who are most guilty of gossip, slander, and lies themselves, and they project their guilt on you when you tell them rightly to "bug off." At the risk of sounding somewhat crass, let me say this - it is time for Christians to start growing some cojones and not get concerned about whose toes they will step on if they stand up for themselves; a few toes could use a good stomping honestly, and I am about to "step up" a little myself on some of them as I get older. I have come way too far and accomplished too much to have some meddling, gossipy relatives flap their gums, and it will be dealt with wearing an iron fist on that, as enough is enough. If you are in a similar situation, here is my encouragement to you today - God did not create you to be a piece of paper for someone to wipe their butts on you with, and you do have a fundamental obligation to stand up for yourself if the occasion warrants it. To do so is not sin, and it doesn't in any way mean you are any "less Christian" either; when these buzzards attack you, they are also insulting God as well who gave you the talents and gifts, as well as the desire, you have to move forward. Therefore, maybe it is they who need to repent of sin and watch their attitudes, not you. More will be said on that in the coming year as well, so buckle those seatbelts!
Picking up on that, let's now turn to events of the year that have had some impact. The first is the radicalization of the Left in the political spectrum. Socialism is now being touted as a "good" thing by both clueless Millenials as well as ex-hippie Boomers who seem to be having acid-trip relapses, which is what led to the recent election of one Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Congress. This Ocasio-Cortez girl, who self-identifies as a "Democratic Socialist," is in reality a dingaling with a pretty face. She has no clue as to the state of things in the world, and her off-base statements on things are now the stuff of jokes. Add to that the perpetual crazy-eyes expression she has in her photos, and it is a disaster waiting to happen. The old-line radicals in the House - people like Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters - were bad enough, but this takes the proverbial cake. And, just like her mentors Castro, Chavez, and Mao, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez refuses to debate and tries to shut down those who challenge or question her. That is the true face of socialism. Also, as D. James Kennedy once stated, socialism is a violation of the Ten Commandments in that it constitutes government-sanctioned stealing. It is a system that we as Monarchists in particular must oppose with every fiber of our being honestly. In addition this year, the President Trump/Jim Acosta feud got Acosta thrown out of the White House on his keister, which he rightly deserved. Now, what characterizes the double-standard of the Left is that they think it is perfectly fine for Ocasio-Cortez to accuse noted conservative commentator Ben Shapiro of "catcalling" for challenging her to a debate, but the same people throw tantrums at our President for tossing Acosta out for being a jackass. Of course, Ocasio-Cortez's avoidance of a debate with Shapiro may have been a divine grace in disguise, as God has mercy on the stupid - Shapiro would have shredded her anyway. In reflection on these political issues, I have become more resolute in my own Monarchist leanings, and may even go as far as to calling myself a proto-Carlist, after the supporters of the monarchy in Spain. Also, thanks in part to my good friend Charles Coulombe, who is America's most noted Monarchist, I have become more informed as well. Charles would be another one who could shred Ocasio-Cortez to bits too, as Charles knows his history and he also knows (as well as openly states) that socialism is a failed system; if it didn't work in the former USSR, Cuba, or Venezuela, what makes people think it will work here? Of course, Ocasio-Cortez is a symptom of a bigger problem in this country, a problem that is being played out by a more violent expression known as Antifa. Antifa, for those who don't know, is an informal network of violent anarchists who have as an objective to shut down anyone they disagree with, and often that involves beating the crap out of their opponents. Ironically, among their number and leadership are academic elites, notably Mike Isaacson, a professor of Economics at John Jay College until he sent these "tweets" advocating killing cops which got his butt placed on administrative leave. Isaacson is a hell of a looking individual anyway - he's tall, with a gawky long neck and also is in obvious need of a decent haircut, but he is also the equivalent of the homosexual bully-boy of Hitler's SA, Ernst Rohm, and also guilty of many of the same vices. Characters like this Isaacson clown should not be teaching at colleges honestly, as they are not true academics but are merely activists seeking to advance their own agendas, while the unsuspecting parents of these kids in those classes have to foot the bill. The secular college campus has, for all intents, become a violent battleground of bully-enforced groupthink, and for those who hold a more traditional worldview, it's best to stay away unless you are well-armed yourself. And, in a final twist of irony in this political discourse and reflection, Bill Clinton still runs free this year while another Bill (Cosby) was sentenced to jail - although a bit unpopular with even fellow Christians right now, my position is that Cosby was not as guilty of as much as he was accused, and a lot of his sentence was unjustified. Yet, Bill Clinton continues his philandering and is hailed as a hero by the same ones who practically lynched Cosby - "White Privilege" anyone? Where was Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and the rest of the race-baiters in all that? From their corner we heard crickets chirping, and loudly. Anyway, that is my take on some issues that have happened over the past year.
Faithwise, it is about the same, as of course the biggest religious news this year has been the "Uncle Teddy" McCarrick story. The need for reform in the mainstream Catholic Church is great, and it is perhaps time we get back to letting the truly called be priests instead of padding seminaries with overly-ambitious gay guys who are trying to subvert the Church's teaching. There are a lot of good priests out there too thankfully, but they now have targets on them because of the bad ones, and I fear an anti-Catholic backlash will result from the scandals. However, I will remain a faithful Catholic, as I have been for 19 years now, and when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, I will always be on the side of theological and liturgical, as well as moral, orthodoxy. My Catholic faith has been long in developing, and I am not about to give it up. Hopefully, 2019 will bring positive news for the Church too.
There are many lessons that the past year has either reaffirmed or are new for me this year. For one, it is first important that people remember to be themselves, and that is the basis for the second thing to mention. Secondly, in being one's self, it is important to develop an attitude of not caring what the naysayers flap their gums about. Over the years, I have understood the extent of damage that gossip, misunderstanding, and depersonalization can do, as I have been an object of all of those myself. It can make you resentful, bitter, and you struggle to extend forgiveness to those who direct this crap at you. However, that leads to two other lessons. One is this - while you don't have to shout over the rooftops to your offenders "I forgive you!!" it is important to cultivate an attitude of forgiveness. As I have taught a lot over the years, the gift of forgiveness must be received as well as offered, and if the person to whom you want to offer forgiveness is unable to accept it for whatever reason (many of them think their offense against you was not technically an offense in their minds, so they may not see the issue, even if you explain it) then it won't do much good to actively offer it. In that case, what you do is this - pray for them, and also pray for yourself to cultivate an attitude of forgiveness. Although I have some very serious differences with "progressive" Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, I do think she makes a valid point on one of her YouTube video talks entitled (and forgive the language, as this is her title I am quoting!) "Forgive Assholes." In it, she makes the point that sometimes it is necessary as a part of the forgiveness process to cut loose of the offending person, and I see where she is coming from - an offensive person will continue to be offensive, no matter how many times they are forgiven in many cases, and therefore for your own benefit it may be necessary to just stay away from them. Pray for them, and if you find yourself involuntarily crossing paths with such a person, be respectful, but leave it there. In other words, work on yourself and don't worry as much about trying to rehabilitate your offenders. If you do what you are supposed to do, in other words, God can work in the situation better because you are not trying to control it. And, that leads to the second sub-lesson about struggling to extend forgiveness - offense and unforgiveness are not the same thing, and you can understandably be repulsed by the actions of an offending person; it's called being human. And, due to the fact you also are accorded the same dignity of personhood as anyone else, you do not have to put up with offensive behavior being directed with you either. Supernatural grace, in its duty of elevating, perfecting, and healing our nature, tempers us, but "turning the other cheek" doesn't mean laying with your posterior cheeks on the ground to be used as a doormat either. Don't be afraid of being assertive when it comes to defending the dignity God gave you personally, as it is a gift from Him and it is your duty to be a proper steward of that gift. At the same time, don't let anger fester into hatred either, and it is where you rely on God's guidance to help you. With what is often an altruistic (and at times dare I say masochistic) reading of the Gospels, we feel we have to subject ourselves to abuse to prove our fidelity to our faith in Christ, but we get that wrong. "Tough love" is still an expression of the virtue of charity, and at times being assertive may also benefit the offending person as well, as it may bring them to realize they are being a complete jackass and then they will come to you to make it right. This is somewhat radical I know, but it is also liberating as well. Other lessons learned include the idea that you need to know your own legacy - yes, despite how insignificant you think you are, you do have a legacy, and that too is a gift of God. Keep a detailed journal, as well as taking time to reflect on things, and as you do so you will begin to draw out some things that will help you to know and appreciate yourself better, as well as engendering a gratitude for who you are as a person with God too. As I am writing this even now, I struggle with some things I have talked about, and even this helps me. Never underestimate self-reflection, and also never forget who you are and where you come from - it will prove your best asset later.
Many other life lessons have been gleaned by me this past year as well, and even in 2017. One of those is one that came via Barbara, my wife, and essentially it is this - sometimes you have to rip off the bandaid. If you happen to find yourself in a bit of a negative situation - a crappy job, an awkward church situation, etc. - what I have learned is that it does neither yourself nor those associated with the situation on the periphery any good if you continue to languish. Sometimes it may be therefore necessary to just make a clean break ("rip off the bandaid" if you will) and get out of the situation before causing yourself harm. It is amazing to me at times at how much crap we put on ourselves, and of course there are legitimate reasons underlying this - you need that crappy job, for instance, to meet monthly bills, or you may have an exaggerated (and masochistic) altruism about it (this is a weakness my wife has) in that you may feel you are "letting everybody down" if you back out. Honestly, although you may not realize it, you are actually displaying an altruistic arrogance - it sounds like a contradiction in terms, such as "being proud of your humility," but it is real, believe me. Why do I say that? I cannot tell you the numerous times I myself have been guilty of such things honestly, and what I learned was a couple of lessons. First, whatever the situation, the workplace for instance goes on with you in it, as it did before you became part of it. And that leads to an important lesson in economics. Since the Industrial Revolution (which in many ways did more harm than good) an enigmatic entity called "Corporate America" has arisen, and what drives the entity that is Corporate America is one thing - profits. Your value, as an employee of any facet of Corporate America, is to contribute to the acquisition of profit for your masters, and if you can't you are deemed expendable and can be easily replaced. And, it extends beyond the blue-collar "stiffs" in the assembly line or the smartly-dressed girls in secretarial pools - even the highest executives are not immune to this. Dignity of personhood is a foreign concept for Corporate America, as the average laborer to them is a number and a means toward their end, a mere part in their bigger whole. This of course is contrary to the Judeo-Christian idea of dignity of personhood, and thus it is even somewhat demonic honestly when taken to extremes. Corporate America is a fact of life however, and many of us (including Yours Truly) are compelled by necessity to work within her infrastructure as we have to eat and pay bills. The good news about that though is that not all corporate working environments are bad - at the time I am writing this at the end of November, I have been contracting with a fine company called Music and Arts here in Frederick, and overall it has been a great company to work with, and I have no complaints about them as they have actually treated those of us who are contracting quite well. But, if you happen to find yourself in a less-than-ideal corporate environment, here is what your options are - pull out if it is unbearable, and use the expendability that Corporate America treats its employees with to your advantage. Usually, there is another company out there willing to snatch you up because they see you as an asset, and you are probably replacing someone who was deemed expendable - you are still expendable also, but at least at this point said company is looking at you positively. It is the nature of the proverbial beast when it comes to Corporate America, and the way to cope is to know and anticipate their actions as well. That way, you don't have to denigrate yourself altruistically, and Corporate America will be happy too. That is Lesson #1. Lesson #2 is equally important - make the best of the situation, both good and bad, while you are there. I often find that lunches and breaks are good times to enrich myself by reading and studying, and I use that to advantage, especially since my wife and I have to travel together and I have spent many days arriving either an hour and a half earlier than my shift or waiting late for her to get to me. Instead of standing around, occupy yourself, and it makes things go smoother. Also, while at work, get yourself an MP-3 player and load it up with programs - music is good too, and intersperse those with your favorite music - that you can listen to while you work. I listen while I work to people such as D. James Kennedy, my good friend Charles Coulombe, etc. You can draw inspiration from that too, especially if the job you are doing is somewhat tedious. I want to talk now about tedious tasks, as they too can be a blessing in disguise.
Most people I know hate the mundane and tedious, but over the years I have learned to be in my element doing such jobs. Of course, there are pitfalls - you can drift off to sleep easily, and if you fail to get up and stretch then what you are doing tends to run together. Nonetheless, the tedious tasks are a blessing in their own way as you can have time to think, and also it's a good way to absorb information - if you want to listen to talks on tape, MP3, or other media, that is a way to do it. So, if you get stuck in a tedious task, use it to your advantage, as knowledge is power! Often too, you can listen to the same thing several times as well, which comes in handy especially if you are taking college coursework. Remember too, that these tedious tasks are meeting a need, and they are not an end unto themselves, so you have the opportunity to use those times to enrich yourself, something a customer service or other job doesn't afford as a luxury. The lesson here is not to dread the tedious, but seek the best from it. My work this year has inspired me to share that today with you.
On this note, I think I have imparted enough wisdom to you for the year, and now in retrospect I just want to say that my own year of 2018 has been good overall - not necessarily easy, but not bad at all. After moving back to the area a couple of years back, we were finally able to get ourselves established in the new home in 2018, and indeed we've come far. I am only hoping 2019 is a continuation of that as we get ready to close out 2018 for good in about a month or so. For the rest of you, I wish you a blessed holiday season - for my fellow Catholics, Advent is upon us and may it be a time for us to prepare ourselves, and for my Jewish cousins and friends I pray a blessed Chanukah season for you. Also, as winter is arriving fast, please stay safe out there, especially for those of us who get a significant amount of snow in the winter months. Take care, blessings to all, and will see you back in 2019 with a lot of good stuff for the coming year.
