I can't get a skull from the unclaimed bodies at the morgue so, I bought myself an urn. I look at it every morning to remind myself that the cold box cannot hug my children. It cannot say to them, "How proud you made me feel." The box cannot put clothes in the washer to give my wife a hand or give her a little slap at the fanny to let her know how sexy she is to me. The box cannot wash the poop from my toddler and tell her to use the potty nor can it protect the kids while they build a leaf pile at the front yard. That box cannot push my seven year old girl at the swing or talk about the greatness of serving God in the priesthood or religious life. That box cannot have a drink with a friend whose wife is divorcing him nor can it blog about the deceptions in Obamacare. That box cannot go to a 7 am Mass and thank God for all His graces nor can it fast for past sins. At death, life continues for it is changed and not ended. But for me, I shall still grieve because I can no longer love the way I can while I had a body.
Oh yes, the title. The saints used to say, "Think of death and you will never sin." I say, "Think of death and you will live fully."
There are 2 problems. First, the system got corrupted that it needs to boot using the backup disks and to have a file recopied from there. Second, the CD drive is stuck.
Some CD drives have a hole where you can stick a paper clip tip to push the drive open. You can go to Youtube and see videos about that approach. I had one that did not have a hole. So after a short prayer, I attached an external CD drive, booted (started) and recovered from there. (You won't find that at YouTube; I got that with a little prayer and insight. So, you saw it first here.)
Moral:
Since this is a religious blog, let me use this to talk about Christian life. The corrupted files are our human frailties that have been overrun and controlled by sin. It can manifest itself in destructive behaviors e.g. addictions or habitual sins. The backup disk with the original files is God's grace that contains our chance to be made fixed i.e. freed from addictions and bad habits. The locked CD ROM drive can be our attitudes e.g. It's too late for me. I can never be forgiven. It won't work. I'll fall back into sin. It can be denial i.e. "Problem? I don't have a problem." or false pride. So, it comes down to one's choice to wallow in sin or to rise up and walk. Just like the joke, how many priests does it take to change a light bulb. One but, the light bulb must really want to change.
The external drive are others who help us through their prayers and counsel. Somehow, some people wake up one day and say, "I tired of this life; I'm going to change." That did not come out of the blue but from some grandmother praying the Rosary every night or some nun behind the cloister wall - just like St. Therese of the Child Jesus who prayed for the murderer who was about to be executed. The man repented at the last minute - just in time to receive God's forgiveness before he died.
My 10 year old son went to a canoeing event with his troop this past weekend. Here is the report of an incident that happened then.
"All seven adults and fourteen scouts on the campout came back safely and I believe had a pretty good time even though our canoeing was more limited than we were hoping for. I am writing to let you know about a more serious incident that occurred on Saturday evening. At about 6PM two of our scouts ... notified their patrol leaders where they were going and then went to the store near the campsite. As they were walking away from the store together a black truck with a canoe on top blocked their path and the occupants, two mature adult males, suggested that the boys come ride in the truck. There was more conversation exchanged but in the end result was the boys said no and left but the truck followed them for some distance in a manner that alarmed the boys so they ran away from the road and back to the campsite. 911 was called and state police sent out the park police who took the boys statements and left to look for the truck. The SPL gathered the boys and the troop discussed the incident with the boys and re-stressed how important the buddy system is. After some time the Park Police came back to let us know that they spoke to the store keeper and had visited all the campsites that were nearby but that they believed the truck had left the area. The boys tents were moved into the middle of the campsite with the adult tents on the outside and all the boys who wanted more tentmates got them. In the morning, the leaders adopted a new safety rule and instructed the boys that in addition to the buddy system, when we are near more public areas the scouts will always insure both the scout leaders and the adult leaders know where they are going and when they will return. Also, the buddy system and any known cautions that would help the boys keep themselves safe will be discussed before every trip/campout as a reminder."
The good thing about scouts is that the boys themselves are taught to be careful and to recognize abusive behavior - sexual & otherwise. I had to read a chapter about this from their manual and was required to explain it to my son. This incident can confirm all those warnings and make sink deeper. In a way, it has that salutary value i.e. the bogey man is real.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. What I fight for is faith and freedom that this great country has provided so far. I seek it for my children and their children - and for all God loving people everywhere who yearn to be free. For only in freedom, can one truly love and serve God. Coercion that comes from other religions makes fearful slaves, not loving children of God.
Best Ad: Glenn Wilson vs. The Dons • Glenn Wilson is an Independent candidate for Congress in Michigan's 1st district. In this ad, Republican and Democratic mafia bosses hold a meeting to determine what to do about Independent candidate Glenn Wilson, whose candidacy threatens their political monopoly. They decide not to "whack the voters" just yet, but instead call for a media blackout of coverage on the Independent candidate.
• Travis Irvine is a Libertarian candidate for Congress in Ohio's 12th district. His campaign has been releasing entertaining and provocative videos on a weekly basis for the last two months. Most recently, Irvine has lambasted the GOP with a scathing parody of the party's "Pledge to America," entitled "Apology to America," and he has blasted his Democratic rival Paula Brooks as a carpet bagger in a video entitled "Paula Brokes' Carpet Bagging Outlet." In the video below, Irvine take aim at the Democratic-Republican warfare/welfare state with the help of television personality Matthew Lesko.
• With a former Republican governor in prison, and a former Democratic governor following closely in his footsteps, an unofficial web-ad for Green Party gubernatorial candidate in Illinois, Rich Whitney, asks "What will change?" if the state's voters continue to support Republicans and Democrats.
• Jake Towne is an independent libertarian candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 15th district. The following thirty second promotional video is the only such ad I've seen from a third party or independent candidate that is completely animated:
Most Creative Use of Cultural and Political Cliches: Lincoln Chafee
• An ad for Lincoln Chafee, independent candidate for governor of Rhode Island, takes a look at his Republican rival Frank Caprio. Entitled "Caprio's Shoes," the ad begins by stating, "They say you only know a man once you've walked a mile in his shoes." It turns out that Caprio wears flip flops.
Most Aggressive Challenge to a Major Party Rival: Alex Snitker
• In this short video, Libertarian candidate for US Senate in Florida, Alex Snitker, calls out Republican Marco Rubio, asking: "Why is Marco Rubio afraid of Alex Snitker?"
• In this extremely short ad, independent candidate for governor of Massachusetts, Tim Cahill, catches his Republican rival Charlie Baker stating that he "worked on the big dig" boondoggle, and that he "never worked on the big dig" boondoggle, leaving the viewer wondering if we can trust Baker at all.
• In this dramatic 44 second ad, Libertarian candidate for Congress in Texas's 32nd district, John Jay Myers lays out the stark choice facing the people of the United States.
• Gail Giaramita is the Constitution Party candidate in Mississippi's 1st district. In this campaign video, Giaramita argues that "America is a body with cancer" and states that "the ballot box will not save us."
Most shameless self-promotion in a video roundup: Poli-Tea
• If you recall, a few months ago Poli-Tea released its first web-ad urging viewers to declare their political independence from the Democratic and Republican parties, and end the cycle of lesser evilism. To my knowledge, it is one of the few ads on the web advocating independent and third party politics as such.
