1.) "Pray for Godless Democrats" ~and~ 2.) "C.C'.s Sacrifice"

The Kavanaugh hearings made me MAD.  The Democrats seem to think all white, Republican men are either RAPISTS or RACISTS, and that makes me livid because I am a white Republican male who is NOT, by the grace of God, one of those terrible things.

Anyway, the hearings are over and Kavanaugh's alleged guilt was NOT proven, but now the phonies want an FBI investigation (ANOTHER investigation....number 7 !!).  This week delay gives them time to send out MORE accusers like the ones who already have failed to prove Kavanaugh's guilt, so that they can continue to slander the man and damage his reputation. It's EVIL.

Before I could even blog about this, I needed to remember the words of Scripture about "be angry and sin not" and make sure I wasn't just coming here to unleash a tirade against these hypocrites who love abortion and praise Clinton (the adulterer) and Obama (the first President to approve of same-sex marriage), yet pretend to have the moral high ground. And, I believe that I now AM calmed down, though YOU may not believe it (Lol).

.................................You should have seen me an hour or so ago, Lol!!

In all seriousness, though, we need to remember what Kavanaugh said when he revealed that his daughter prayed for his accuser, and take it a whole lot FURTHER.  We need to pray for godless Democrats, and a verse I just read in my devotions may prove helpful. We need to pray that they may "come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:26.) 

AMEN.








2.) "C.C.'s Sacrifice"


Now, on to a subject that, in my opinion, shows the BEST in someone!! A few nights ago, Yankee pitcher C.C. Sabathia sacrificed $500,000 of incentive money to, in my opinion, do the right thing. Wow!!

Sabathia protected his catcher, who, while BATTING, was "thrown behind" in a blowout.  When he next took the mound, C.C. threw at the OPPOSING team's batter to send a message and was ejected in that, his last start of the year.  He was two innings shy of an incentive bonus of half a million bucks, but defended his battery mate ANYway.  He also said he wanted to do the right thing and was NOT concerned about the money!! I totally respect what he did!!

Let's just hope two things, though....1.) That his WIFE doesn't know about it and 2.) That C.C. doesn't go broke when he retires and remembers (and RUES) the day he literally threw 500 grand away, Lol!!

"Cosby / Potiphar's Wife"

Today, Bill Cosby has been sentenced to jail for his horrible crimes.  Below, I am reprinting my June 2nd blog about him, and then I have some NEW thoughts.  First, the COSBY blog. entitled


"Cos and Effect: Cosby's Joking About Sin"

  From June 2nd: First off, let me state that Bill Cosby WAS guilty of rape if even ONE of his fifty-plus accusers was telling the truth.  And as much as I used to like Cosby, I also believe the charges about him because of what I consider damning evidence from his OWN mouth.

You see, sometime in the past few years I read that one of Cosby's comedy albums had a routine where he joked about drugging women and exploiting them.  This album was released in the 1960s before Cos really, REALLY hit it big and right around the time some of his accusers say he first acted out this perverse fantasy.

Proverbs 14:9 says "Fools make a mock at sin" and Cos showed himself to be, in God's eyes, a fool by entertaining sin to the point that he JOKED about it....on a wax recording that thousands heard, no less. One wonders if his audience would have laughed at his "Spanish Fly" routine if they could see that, 50 years later, he is getting time in jail for essentially acting out what he joked about.

It's interesting that ANOTHER comedian, a few years ago, stated that Cos was a rapist in one of HIS comedy routines and this led to a new examination of that horrible, once unthinkable possibility. 

I cannot help but see the hand of God in this Providence, and the lesson seems to point back to COSBY'S joke which got him going down the path to pain for many women and shame for HIM. Was Cosby emboldened by the laughter and applause he got for that fateful routine??

As we listen to comedians, we must be careful that we don't "endorse" sins that some make light of.  We may be aiding them, and ourselves, down a path of accepting, then embracing, sin by laughing at that which should sadden us.  The Bible says our hearts are deceitful and sin is ALSO....it can start with the pleasure of "innocent" laughter and end up with a Guilty Verdict and shame beyond belief.

"Potiphar's Wife and False Accusations"

  From TODAY: Just because COSBY was found guilty today does NOT mean Supreme Court nominee BRETT KAVANAUGH is....but the abortion-loving Liberals who are trying to stop his confirmation are ALREADY trying to make that case.

It's not Biblical.  The man has NOT been tried like Cosby was, and yet he's being presumed guilty  until proven innocent....exactly backwards from how it ought to be.

In Scripture, JOSEPH was falsely accused of a sexual misdeed by Potiphar's wife and he landed, unjustly, in jail....so not every man accused of sexual misdeeds and jailed IS guilty.  (Yes, God worked Joseph's jail time for GOOD but that does not excuse the lying and slander of Potiphar's wife...and many women today DO accuse men falsely, for different reasons, sad to say.)

The Kavanaugh "trial" is set for Thursday, and, Lord Willing I'll be back AFTER that with more commentary.  But until then, we should not rush to judgment and condemn someone based on mere accusations.

Those accusations, after all, MAY turn out to be FALSE and not proven.

"The Chet Jelinski Not-So-Secret Diet Plan"

My under-the-radar attempt to lose weight has now passed the point where people say "You've lost weight, are you sick?" (Lol) to asking "You look great, how'd you do it?" (Lol)

So I thought I'd share my "Secret" in my blog today.  Yes, I've lost about 35 pounds in the past year, and I still intend on losing much MORE than that...but here's how I've lost what I've lost thus far. Expect NO new revelations or easy solutions...just methods that should work every single time.

It all began when I got seriously interested in the woman who is now my wife, in Spring 2017. Because she is ten years younger than I, my first Pastor told me "you'd better lose that belly, Chet" (Lol). And it finally sank in, even though my Doctor and Chiropractor told me the same thing previous to that.  (Pastor Martin's recent book about glorifying God in our bodies was a huge help to me, ALSO, as I began my weight loss journey.)

Basically, I knew I'd have to start eating BETTER and eating LESS of even the HEALTHY foods.

Gradually, I gave up ALMOST TOTALLY all of the cake and pie I'd been consuming. I totally dropped SODA and certain foods (upon the recommendation of the love of my life) which were no good for me. But it all comes down to self-discipline, which I've learned a lot about, here at age 63. The Scriptures which urge "Moderation" in all things and which say things like "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable" have been very, very helpful.  See, you can have a good PLAN, but if you don't have the self-discipline to Stay The Course, it won't help you!!

Some have suggested that I eat "right" 6 days a week, then have a "Cheat Day" on the seventh day so I can eat whatever I want, as MUCH as I want, on that one day. I tell myself that "Cheat" is just "Chet" who won't get an "A." Don't misunderstand me, SOME people can do it that way ("Cheat Day"), but not ME and you have to know yourself.  Find a realistic plan that works for YOU and stick with it.  By the way, every now and then on my diet I do allow myself a TREAT (a small piece of cake, Pizza, etc.) but if you allow yourself the occasional TREAT, then you don't have to CHEAT, right??

It is often said, regarding our SOULS, that if we let "Garbage in" we'll get "Garbage out."  I thought of a similar saying regarding our BODIES...."If it doesn't go IN you, it can't go ON you."  I think I made that up, Lol!! But, I digress.

Again, it all comes down to a concept SO foreign to our self-indulgent culture....self-discipline.

And believe me, it's hard for me because the woman who is now my wife is a GREAT cook and she LOVES to cook!! No one said it would be easy, but thankfully she encourages me to "Keep On Keeping OFF" and having someone who supports you like THAT in your life is very helpful, ALSO.

"Kavanaugh, Lennon and Judge"

Today, I'm running a 3-for-1 special on "Chetitorials" (Lol)!!  First off, I am mad at the way Democrats are trying to disqualify Trump's Supreme Court nominee, BRETT KAVANAUGH.  

Whether or not the accusations against the nominee are true, the Dems who oppose him have no moral high ground in things like this.  The two "heads" of their Party now are the proven sexual predator Bill Clinton (see my Sept. 13th blog "Clinton.  Ugh." which shows how they love Clinton DESPITE what he is), and Barack Obama (he who was the first President in America's history to openly approve of the sin of gay "marriage," thus sanctioning sexual perversions of the worst kind.)  Add to this the Democrats' REASON they oppose Kavanaugh, which is, let's face it, Democrats are afraid he'll help do away with their right to kill their own babies in the womb via legalized Abortion if he's confirmed!! So again, I will say: the Democrats who oppose Kavanaugh have no moral high ground in things like this. They are hypocrites to the core. In the language of Jesus, they have beams in their own eyes while trying to remove a speck in Kavanaugh's...they strain at gnats, but they swallow camels.

And, I personally do NOT think the accusations are true because everyone is innocent until proven guilty in America and that should apply to white Republican males just like it applies to EVERYONE.  Why'd Ford wait till NOW to make the accusations??  I'm also very concerned that women who make false accusations against men make it harder for other women who DO have legitimate gripes to be believed (See my Feb. 10th blog, "Women Who Cry Wolf.") Okay, enough of that. On to my NEXT item...

2.) JOHN LENNON.  Rolling Stone magazine has put out a new special edition of all the interviews they did with him over the years.  As some of you know I wrote a short book a few years back stating my opinion that God allowed Lennon to be slain at that early age because of his blasphemous public statements and song lyrics which he never repented of.  I got a LOT of heat for that, but I stand behind it....and something Lennon said to Rolling Stone confirmed, in MY mind, my absolute RIGHT to speculate as I did.

On the bottom of page 74, in an interview 3 days before his murder, Lennon shared his opinion that Hollywood tough guys John Wayne and Steve McQueen both died of cancer because they suppressed their "feminine and fearful side."  If he had the right to say THAT, (and he did, as unverifiable as the statement is), surely I have the right to speculate that God judged HIM, based on my understanding of Scriptural principles.  By the way, my book is presently out-of-print so this was NOT a plug for it, but I'm adding material from this Rolling Stone mag and will rewrite and reissue it, perhaps next year (Lord Willing.)

3.) Finally, AARON JUDGE, rightfielder for the New York Yankees (my favorite team.)

Yes, since my July 26th blog "My Hopes for the 2018 Yankees" I've been very disappointed in the Yanks, but most of that time JUDGE has been INJURED. Congrats to the Boston Red Sox for clinching the division against us last night!!  They are having a TERRIFIC season.  But my Yanks STILL have a chance for a miracle comeback...if they can win the Wild Card game against Oakland, they have a chance to bounce Boston in the very first round of the playoffs.

And I have hope because JUDGE, our team leader, should be in the lineup if we get that far!!

"The HORRORS of Alcoholism"

This may surprise some regular readers of my blog, but EDGAR ALLAN POE is my favorite secular author (note the word "secular," my favorite ALL-TIME authors are Christian!! Namely...Spurgeon, Ryle, Pastor Martin, etc.) But whereas I read excerpts of those those Christian authors daily, I only read Poe's stuff once a year, in September for some reason, and yes, I do find most of it enjoyable.

Anyway, I wrote my first poem as a teenager in 1969 inspired by Poe's "The Bells" and it was called "Poetry (Poe Try)". My new poem at the bottom of this blog is inspired by Poe's PROSE, "The Cask of Amontillado," and in fact, this entire BLOG, "The Horrors of Alcoholism," was inspired by that macabre masterpiece.

IMPORTANT:  Poe himself was apparently a heavy drinker, and it may have contributed to his early death. However, I, myself am a total teetotaler who doesn't think drinking PER SE is wrong. It's drunkenness and lack of moderation / consideration of others who might be tempted that Scripture forbids.  My dad, mom and step-father were alcoholics so I have seen first-hand  what it can do to you which is why *I* abstain totally.  I urge anyone with an alcohol problem to seek out an "A.A." near you!!  I've read their book of testimonials and many HAVE been helped greatly through that means.

As for the short story "The Cask of Amontillado," I will summarize it for you briefly below to help you understand my poem but please don't let my synopsis keep you from reading Poe's entire story one day!!  It's only 7-8 pages long and Poe tells it brilliantly.  Ready?? Here goes...



WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD....An evil man, for evil reasons, tempts a half-drunk man, "Fortunato," to check out some liquor deep in a basement area. Though the victim feels sickly as he descends, his lust for the fresh alcohol keeps him going down, and when they reach the bottom the evil man chains him to the wall then seals him in to the chamber where the alcohol was, indeed, stored.  The victim dies a slow, agonizing death behind the wall where no one can hear or help him.  Ugh!!



"The Cask of Amontillado" is the inspiration....yes, I said "inspiration".... for this blog, "The Horrors of Alcoholism."  I believe Poe's story is almost like a "parable" of how Satan destroys people through alcoholism.


And, this blog mainly consists of my new POEM.     Here it is, finally!!




"PLEAS TO A DRUNKEN MAN"


  There you go, descending
Descending
It seems there is no ending
to the depths that you descend
     Down you go, you "Fortunato"
led by Satan, down to Hell,
craving your Amontillado
Can't you see, this one who guides,
he hides his trowel very well? 
Don't you know
the plans he has
are things he'll never tell?
All he says is "go with me
to the depths where Pleasure dwells"
     but the steps
you are descending
lead you slowly into Hell.


  Still you go, descending
Descending
Through the caverns that are bending
to the booze that's at the end
     Yes, YOUR END, dumb "Fortunato"!
Satan uses it as bait
Yes, there is Amontillado
but his chains will seal your fate
...in a tomb
where he'll trap you
till you slowly suffocate
     Yet, my pleas
come back to me
while you're in your drunken state


  Should I bother still to warn you
"Flee, please flee the devil's wine,
See, please see the death before you"?
Or is this just "Pearls and Swine"?
     TURN AND LIVE, dear "Fortunato"
Leave the depths and start to climb
Leave, yes LEAVE Amontillado
Seek the LORD while there is time,
while there's time


© Poem by Chet Jelinski 2018
Illustration of "Fortunato" by Harry Clarke, 1819.           Taken from Public Domain.

"PHIL"

Last night I met my friend PHIL (in Yankee shirt) at a diner.  Phil was my first Christian friend (since early 1972*) that I still have contact with.  I do have two other "active" friends (all from Newark, NJ like me) that I've known two years LONGER than I've known Phil, but those guys aren't Christians yet, you see.

Yes, 46 years ago I met Phil at a Christian Coffee House he invited me and a mutual friend to.  We were two scraggly teenage hippies and me and the other guy actually performed a "concert" (consisting of one song I wrote called "Johnny Whiplash," Lol.)  I played "one-string guitar" and our mutual friend George "sang," trying to sound like Robert Plant, Lol!!  Anyway, THAT is where I met Phil....I wasn't even a Christian yet, only a Catholic Charismatic. (I got saved 3 years later.)

Though Phil and I hold some different doctrinal beliefs about "minor" points of theology, it has NEVER affected our friendship in the least, and for that we praise GOD because our friendship has been mutually edifying..  It's been many years since Phil and I got together face-to-face and talked, and it's amazing how, as we saw last night in the diner, it's almost as if there was never a GAP since that face-to-face occurred!! Both of us have recently become widowers....in my case it was just over a year-and-a-half ago, in Phil's case it was far more recently.   I believe I was able to encourage Phil by sharing how God has blessed me in my REmarriage, and for that I'm grateful.  Phil has ALWAYS encouraged ME as I've seen how God saved him from alcoholism and made him into a mighty man of God who knows, lives and preaches The Word (with his lips AND by his life.)

As we parted from the diner last night, I finally told Phil something I should have told him years ago (and he said the same thing to ME.) I told Phil that I love him like a brother. Who knows how long it will be till we see each other face-to-face again, as we live in two different states.....so if you have a friend like Phil, PRAISE GOD for him or her and tell them how you love them (if you haven't already!!) You won't regret saying it, but you MAY regret it someday if you don't.



*Phil, if you're reading, we actually met in early '72 and not 1971.
I looked up when Paul Simon's first solo album came out because I remember I just bought it the day of the Christian Coffee House. It was early 1972.

"Clinton. Ugh."

In case you missed the sad news, BILL HYBELS, famous pastor of a church of 25,000 members in Illinois and author of 50 Christian books, resigned recently because of sexual misconduct.  Interestingly enough, I read recently that Hybels, whose church is the 5th largest in America, was once a counselor for disgraced former President Bill CLINTON.

America now seems to have an "Unholy Trinity" of 3 sexual predators, and, oddly, they all happen to be named "Bill" (although there are, unfortunately, too many others with different names, also.)

Regarding the 3 "Bills," well, first, there's a politician, President Bill Clinton who, 20 years ago, had tons of sexual sins come to light.  He was impeached by the House (but not removed from office by the Senate) regarding issues stemming from his sins.

Then, we had an entertainer, formerly known as "America's Dad" no less.  His name, of course, is Bill COSBY and later this month, he (rightly) faces sentencing in jail for his sexual crimes.

And finally, to the politician and the entertainer we must now add Bill HYBELS...a pastor.

I thank God that ANOTHER Bill.....the late, great Billy Graham.....ran his race without one accusation of sexual misconduct ever leveled against him.  Whereas Hybels foolishly allowed himself to be alone with a grown woman in his house, GRAHAM would not even allow himself to be alone in a public ELEVATOR with a woman who wasn't his wife!  Such wise caution kept him from scandal over decades of worldwide ministry.                

But, I digress.

So Bill Hybels (justly) has to RESIGN and may face legal action, perhaps, for his sins.  And COSBY, as I said, rightly faces JAIL TIME.  So, will somebody tell me why Bill CLINTON paid no real price for what HE did??

He should have resigned, like HYBELS did...but he didn't, and 65% of the American people supported him in his stubborn refusal to do the right thing.

And he should have had the rape allegations against HIM investigated as vigorously as COSBY'S allegations were (eventually) investigated.

But not only was Clinton allowed to finish out his second term, he still gets honored and adored by many, and it troubles me deeply. There he was on TV, during Aretha Franklin's funeral recently, sitting up on the stage while glaring at the rear end of one of the singers (see photo above), and many of the folks there STILL practically worshiped him as if he dignified the event by being there.  (Either that, or they were so busy calling TRUMP a snake, they were blinded to the snake they allowed to sit among them.) Clinton should have had so much shame, that IF he sat in that church in that honored seat at all, he should have covered his face with Cicely Tyson's ridiculously oversized black hat.

Or, better yet, Ms. Tyson should have covered it FOR him.

     Bill Cosby?? Disgraced.

     Bill Hybels?? Disgraced.

But........Bill Clinton?? Still the darling of many liberal women though he's the biggest predator of all and still beloved by many black people though he's the greatest example of "White Privilege" that we've all seen in our lifetimes.

Go figure.


If I wasn't a Christian who believed that one day GOD will give everyone who doesn't repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ what they deserve, I tell you, I'd go batty looking at the injustice of it all.

So why does Bill CLINTON get away free?? Beyond the fact that God has allowed it for His own wise purposes, my answers, from the HUMAN side, are these: Because he is 100% Liberal and because he was ALWAYS phony in his profession of being a Christian.  See, Bill COSBY was saying some pretty conservative things before the accusations against got real traction in the media (things like that pastor at Aretha's funeral service was saying....the ones which have brought all that hatred down on him.)  And, Bill HYBELS?? Well he appeared to be a genuine, prominent Christian so the Liberal, mainstream media ALWAYS had it in for him. He just gave them the "gun" to "shoot" him with.

But Bill CLINTON is the kind of guy the Liberals love...he did NOT seem to live out his professed Christianity, and he obviously does NOT believe in personal responsibility for one's actions.  The mainstream media therefore backed him up by suppressing (as much as possible) the truth about him BEFORE he got elected the first time.  And they (and Liberal Democrats) keep him and Hillary "afloat," even now. I actually pity Clinton...if he doesn't repent and truly get saved, he WILL get punished in eternity for the exploitation of women that he got away with NOW.  He's only getting away free in THIS life, you see, and when it bugs me I need to read Psalm 37 and Psalm 73 again, and PRAY for the man!  

In conclusion, the last chapter is not yet written for Bill Clinton, and I pray it's a happy one.  He's not going to like the Alternate Ending, if he doesn't turn to Jesus.

"My 9-11 Poem"

This first appeared, ironically, in the Nov. 2001 issue of a magazine called "New Horizons." 

GOD'S Kingdom will always, and forever, remain "unshaken"!

"Paul Simon and Bernie Williams: A Tale Of Two Musicians"

Tonight, my wife and I will be going to see former-Yankee-great-turned-musician BERNIE WILLIAMS in concert very near us!!  And, NEXT Saturday night, I'll be going to see legendary singer-songwriter PAUL SIMON way up in Newark, the city of his (and my) birth. Those who know me well will not be surprised that the Providential proximity of these two concerts have led to a lot of thought about how Paul and Bernie are alike, and how they DIFFER....hence this blog.

First, how Bernie and Paul are ALIKE.  Well, obviously, I think enough of both of them to pay money to see them perform live.  Beyond that, both musicians have a keen affinity for Latin rhythms in their music (Bernie, however, plays his guitar almost exclusively to Instrumentals, while Paul plays and sings to brilliant lyrics that he writes.) As a poet myself, Paul's lyrics have ALWAYS intrigued me....he and Bernie Taupin are the closest thing present-day lyricists come to being true POETS.

That's where the similarities end, however.  You see, 50 years ago, Simon wrote his iconic line about a famous Yankees centerfielder "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?"....but Bernie was ACTUALLY a famous centerfielder for the New York Yankees.  And years later, Paul wrote a song "I WAS BORN IN PUERTO RICO" as a third person (as I said earlier, he was REALLY born in Newark, NJ.)         Bernie, on the other hand, was really born in Puerto Rico (San Juan).

Paul Simon has won Grammy awards for his albums, but Bernie was "only" Grammy nominated.  And Bernie, (who will be 50 in a few days, BTW), though he may have been old for a baseball player when he transitioned to music full-time about 15 years ago, is still YOUNG (like Bruce Springsteen said) as a MUSICIAN.           Paul Simon is 76, quitting music, and on his Farewell Tour.

The BIGGEST difference between Paul and Bernie is that Bernie is a fellow Christian, and that's why I paid extra so that we can Meet and Greet him after tonight's show (see tickets below.)

Bernie signs all of his autographs with the letters "SDG," standing for "Solo a Dios la Gloria" which means "ONLY TO GOD BE THE GLORY."  For that reason (AND the fact that he was my wife's all-time favorite Yankee, Lol), we are doing a Meet and Greet with Bernie but wouldn't be interested in doing that with PAUL if there even was one!!

"Loving Our Wives"

My first wife died a year-and-a-half ago today, and shortly after she went to Heaven, I went to CONFESSION.  You see, I confessed (not to a human "priest," but to God) that I had failed many times over 38 years, to be the husband He called me to be.  I also remember praying that if I ever remarried, He'd help me do better in my second chance.

I did remarry not long ago, and vowed to love my new bride as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25) though I knew I cannot, as a redeemed sinner saved by grace, love her perfectly (despite my desire to.) And just last night as we were having devotions, going though the great book Night Light by the Dobsons, I realized something!  Further on in that Ephesians 5 passage, God says that we husbands are "merely" to love our wives as our own bodies (Ephesians 5:28-29) which seems like a MUCH more attainable standard.

It's almost as if God KNEW that the perfect standard of "as Christ loved the church" might discourage a sincere husband, so he broke it down to "as you love yourself" ........yet, the passage brings it back, in verse 29, to "just as the Lord loves the church." I was thrilled!! (I mean, I knew both of those passages were in Scripture before, I just never realized God put them in such PROXIMITY before.)  Oh, the beautiful, Biblical BALANCE of it all!!

A godly hubby feels frustrated that he'll never be perfect in this life, so he can't possibly love his wife perfectly....he'll only be perfect in Heaven, where there is no marriage, you see!! But we CAN love our wives as ourselves NOW, while we still AIM at loving her with the perfect standard of Christ and the church before us.

By the way, I've heard it said many times that "nowhere does God tell wives that THEY have to love their HUSBANDS.  It's only that HUSBANDS have to love their WIVES."  Wow.

What about the passage where older women are told to teach the younger women how to love their husbands?? Does that not imply a mutual love?? And doesn't the church love Christ, even as Christ loves the church?? Yes, we love him because He first loved us, but we DO love Him...and wives clearly should love their husbands, even though no perfect standard is expected of them.

May God help us Christian husbands, as we are loving our wives, to do it for HIS GLORY and for HER GOOD.




Photo: From the internet, Public Domain

"Grandparent's Day"

Now that Labor Day is over, I just changed our church sign to acknowledge GRANDPARENT'S DAY this coming Sunday.  Usually, I am asSIGNed the deSIGN of the SIGNs, but this idea was MINE (Lol). (You see, my grandparents were more my parents than my parents were, and so I love to call attention to this little-known holiday.)

Ed and Mary Libucha were nominal Catholics, but even though they didn't teach me the way of salvation (as Timothy's grandma, in the Bible, taught HIM), my grandparents taught me basic morality, for which I'm grateful.  They did not drink or do drugs.  They stayed together despite marital difficulties.  They worked hard and did not look for handouts.  And they cared for my sisters and me monetarily (and other ways) when my real parents dropped the ball. That, and the fact that I am now "grandpa" to five beautiful grandkids of my own make me appreciate Grandparents Day more and more each year!!

If your grandparents are still alive (mine aren't), don't wait for YOUR grandkids (if you have any) to acknowledge YOU......thank YOUR grandparents for their role in your life while you can. 'Tis more blessed to give than to receive!! My grandpa died 24 years ago on Sept. 19th and my grandma ("Babcia" in Polish) passed away 19 years ago on Sept. 26th.  I wish THEY were here now, for me to thank AGAIN.



My poem / art below appears in the new, September issue of our local paper...I'm dedicating this version of it to my grandparents.  (Please excuse the pen lines I drew on the paper...it's to indicate where there were SUPPOSED to be spaces between the verses, but the newspaper goofed up.)