Mario will finally be released from prison July 28, 2025.

The Demonic Assignments 

This month  has been challenging to say the least. I finally put two and two together and understand why the attacks were so frequent. Ministering the word of God is my calling; so I have been using Social Media as a means to reach the masses. The Holy Spirit has been most accommodating in guiding the words that pass through my lips. Guess who hates the work I’m doing? Satan! He and his minions are always around, they have assignments on people like me who are trying to bring light to the dark world.

The Appointments

For three weeks I have been attempting to schedule an appointment to see Mario. I’ve been doing this with ease all year long, but suddenly the system freezes and I’m unable to complete the process. Making several attempts to reset my password did not help. So in frustration I called the prison and explained the dilemma only to be told that they needed to contact Sacramento.  The response from the facility, “Try in about an hour, or maybe tomorrow.  It should be working.” It never rebooted from my end, so the only thing I could do was go as a walk in visitor.

Getting Out is another means of communication. With this app I could send text messages as well as videos to Mario. With this app you could also make appointments. Being familiar with the app I made so many attempts to make an appointment but the only response I received was in big bold, red letters: MARIO ******* BLOCKED. When I called them for assistance, I was treated like an annoying telemarketer.

The Walk-In Visit

Walk-in visits are for those who did not bother to make an appointment. In my case, it was impossible. You have two choices: show up at 4:00 p.m. on Friday for a two-hour visit.  Saturday and Sunday the walk-in visitors are allowed in at 12 noon. This also is a two-hour visit. I had a great  concern because the last time I visited Mario he was released for the visit only an hour later. I took my chances.

Spectrum Account

I wanted to leave no later than 10:30 a.m. for the visit. Mike was making changes to our Spectrum Account, but since it’s in my name, I had to make the call. We were cancelling the service because of the outrageous price increases. Well, what I thought would take 10 minutes took 45 minutes! I was upset because now I was leaving closer to eleven. In haste I entered California Rehabilitation Center on my GPS and I was on my way. Ten minutes into the drive I realized that I had forgotten the money for the visit. The turn around took another 20 minutes; by this time I was frantic. When I got back into my car the GPS showed that I would arrive at the facility at 11:55! I know how the system works, they do not make allowances for late arrivals. It was yet another attack. I prayed.

Two Choices

On our last visit Mario was concerned because he was not sure if he was cleared to be paroled to Arizona. He said, “Sometimes, it’s not until a few weeks  from our release date do we find out if can get paroled out of state.”  This delay did not take from his  excitement. After all he only had a few more months to go.

On June 26th Mario’s sister received a call and in the process he was given permission to parole with his family in Arizona.

Two weeks prior he had called me and wanted some advice. He was contacted by a faith-based Christian  organization.  This group is privately funded and helps inmates to acclimate to their new life. It’s a sober living environment that only takes referrals. Mario came highly recommended by the prison. Mario explained that he needed to take care of a DUI he got in the early 1990’s in order to get his drivers license. This organization  can help facilitate  these types of matters. The only advice I gave Mario was for him to pray and ask God for direction.

Mario’s Decision

Mario will be 50 years old in November. This program offers the inmate a six-months stay, but this organization will also help him find employment. Mario decided to take this route because after praying about what direction to take the pastor of from the organization called him. At the end of the conversation, he prayed for Mario. To Mario, the prayer was a confirmation.

The Routine 

During the visit I shared how heartbroken his family was with his decision and said, “Mario, keep this in the back of your head.  This is your last hope for freedom. You can’t mess this up.” He answered, “Tia, I have it in the front of my head.” He explained that he wants to keep to his routine: reading the Bible, serving God, completing  his AA and learning to reenter this crazy world.  Inner Vision has Bible studies on a regular basis. His main reason for this decision was because he felt he needed this time to transition before he goes out to the real world.

Buttercup, the beautiful golden retriever puppy that he is helping train as a service dog, remains at his side. Mario said that she is his best friend.

The Visit

As frazzled as I was, by the time I managed to get all of our food together I could see Mario coming down the hall. Being the last visitor with slim pickings, I asked the guard for a table in the shade.  We read from Matthew 10: 26-42, slowly stopping at every verse to go deeper into its meaning. Reading this chapter was a fluke because what I wanted to share was from Matthew 7:21-29, but I could not remember the verse.

My Prayer

Lord, You know your son Mario and all the suffering he has endured. I beg You, Lord, to bless him and continue to pave a safe passage for him when he gets out. I pray for Mario to excel in this program and that he would ease into finding employment. Lord, nothing is impossible with You. Give your son Mario special graces to get by. Amen.

This Story is about my good friend Lan.

Lan

Lan was born in Ha Noi, North Vietnam; she is now 75-years-old. When she was five years old, her family moved to South Vietnam to escape communism.

Her husband was in the army when they married. They had two daughters when North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. Her husband was captured and taken to a concentration camp but it was referred to as a re-education camp. They were told that he would remain there for eight days, but he would not be released until six years later.

The South Vietnamese soldiers were indoctrinated to sing worship songs to honor Ho Chi Minh.

There was only a scheduled time to visit so Lan’s husband would write her to  inform her when she could travel for the appointment.

The Visits

To prepare for the visit with her husband, Lan and a group of other wives  had to take a bus and travel 18 hours. Once they reached the edge of the forest they had to hire motor cyclists to transport them deeper into the jungle. From there came another group of people to help them carry the supplies they brought for the visit. Those helpers could only travel so far because they were afraid of getting caught by the communist soldiers. So the rest of the way they carried their supplies. By the time she reached her husband it was a day in and half later.

The Meeting 

The room was furnished with a long table, maybe eight feet. When her husband came out, they could only reach to touch each other’s hands. A watchful communist guard listened to their entire conversation. After 15 minutes the visit was over. As much as Lan wanted to cry she was warned against it. If any of the women cried the men would be punished by more intense labor.

Homecoming

There was no announcement of the release of her husband; but one day, after six years in the “re-education” camp, he was home. He had to report to the local police once a week.

The Exodus

To leave a communist country an underground network had to take place. In Lan’s case they used gold leafs (a form of currency) to pay for their freedom. By this time Lan and her husband had given birth to another child, a son. The asking price per person was three gold leafs. They paid the price and prayed, but they had to wait a full year before  they were notified that their passage out of Vietnam was available. Lan’s daughters were eight and six years old when they departed. They could not bring their newborn son because it was too dangerous. They could not risk him crying and getting caught. He remained with Lan’s parents.

The Boat

They took a bus and were transported to the shore. Their tiny fishing boat, loaded with 50 people, embarked on the dark waters of the China Sea.                      .

By the time they reached the ocean they realized that the compass on the boat was broken. So they used the North Star for navigation. By the fifth day the boat was sinking; the men worked feverishly all night to get the water out, but to no avail. By 7:00 a.m. the men were worn out from all the work and did not have the strength to continue bailing the water from the sinking boat.  So together the Catholics and Buddhists prayed for their souls and prepared to die.  Suddenly a young man on the boat saw a small speck in the sky. It was an airplane. They tried to start a fire but could not because everything on the boat was wet. The captain’s wife had a mirror,  so they used it to signal the plane.

The plane circled over them and dropped a large bag with some type of beacon device to locate the boat. Three hours later a huge ship appeared, the USS Bainbridge. Two soldiers reached them by dinghy to ask if they needed help. They were rescued! First the women and the children then the men.

The USS Bainbridge took them to  a refugee camp in  Singapore. After approval to reside in the U.S., they were scrutinized by a Singapore judge. Under penalty of perjury they had to swear that all the information they were claiming was true; this was a grueling process. They were interviewed by U.S. officers and were sponsored by a Catholic organization and UNHCR (United Nations High Commission of Refugees). The UNHCR organization has been in existence for over 70 years working  to protect and advocate for people forced to flee war-torn countries. Lan and her family stayed in Singapore for three months to prepare for their new life.  The next five months were spent in the Philippines, where they were taught a series of  orientations to acclimate them to their new life in the United States.

The Payback

Lan and her family signed loan documents for their airline tickets to the United States. While in the states another program was required; because they were legal refugees they received a stipend of  500 dollars a month plus food stamps. This was a government program; the assistance was for a maximum of 18 months. Lan’s family got out of that program in 13 months because her husband found employment. He also took a graveyard shift so he could send money back home to bring their son to the United States.

Though Lan had three years of law school and an accounting degree, because she could not speak English she could not find work. So she applied for a loan to become a cosmetologist. She worked at this job for three years. She felt a strong calling to social services. For twenty-three years she worked for the Social Services Agency of Orange County to give back to people in need.

Lan and her husband paid back every penny for the airline tickets. After five years she and her family became American citizens.

It took eight years for her son to get sponsored into the United States. Lan remembers crying and having nightmares because she could not be with him. He is now grown, an engineer with a family of his own. Her oldest daughter works for the government and her younger daughter is a pharmacist.

The Patriot

Despite great duress and persecution, Lan and her family entered this country legally. They never took advantage of our system.  She is a true patriot who loves her country.

I believe in free protest but burning the American flag, destroying property, looting businesses is not helping the matter. We are a free country, but if you are going to wave any flag other than U.S. flag, you do not belong here. You’ve got to be living under a rock not to understand that the protesters who are breaking the law are fueled by Antifa communist propaganda. When you mix in the peaceful protesters with them, it’s hard to make a distinction. Yes, we need immigration reform laws. This is my idea:

If you have been living here for more than 20 years, you should be vetted, and if proven law abiding then they should allow you citizenship. We should start with those who have been here the longest, and move on from there. I know plenty of illegal immigrants who are scared, who can blame them.

I am not happy with how ICE is apprehending people. But we do need to address the elephant in the room, 20 million people is too much for our country to take on. Our state, in particular is suffering, having to foot the bill of over 2 billion dollars for their healthcare? Does that sound fair? I want to help but not with my pocket book. Immigration laws need to be reformed.

One more thing, please do not sing our National Anthem in any other language than English.

Lan and I met at daily Mass, so our love for God and country rings the same, plus we both teach First Holy Communion classes. We pray for our families and for peace to reign on this hollowed ground.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for Lan and all that she had to endure to become a United States citizen. Every sacrifice was done through much prayer and her faith in You kept her focused. She wanted to live in a land free of communism, and, through much prayer, she continues to thank You, Lord, for bringing her and her family here. Amen.

This past Thursday Will graduated from high school.

The Early Birth

The invitations had been sent. We were all eagerly waiting for the birth of our first grandson. But God had other plans.

After a routine checkup with her OB-GYN, Jenny’s water broke on her way to the elevator. Will was due in early March, but on February 13, 2007, he came into the world via C-section at St. Joseph Hospital. Thank God Jenny’s sister Amy was already in town for the shower — she would become Jenny’s rock through everything that followed.

Mikos and I stood at the window watching as a nurse treated baby Will like a routine birth. But something was wrong. At four pounds eleven ounces, his tiny lungs needed more than routine. I turned to Mikos and said, “Something is not right.” As the father, his instincts were on fire — he could see his baby struggling to breathe. He knocked hard on the window to get the nurse’s attention, but she ignored him. Finally, he’d had enough and called a doctor in. We could actually hear the doctor reprimanding the nurse for her negligence. By then, Mike had arrived — and we all stood there watching little Will fight for his life.

Will was immediately transported to Children’s Hospital of Orange, where he spent two weeks in the NICU. Because Jenny had undergone a C-section and was still under anesthesia, she had no idea the trauma her son was enduring.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” — Jeremiah 1:5 (NABRE)

The Love of a Mother

Every single day, Jenny was at her baby boy’s side — watching over him, staying until Mikos arrived to take his turn. The two of them formed a circle of love around Will, and by the time he reached his proper birth weight, he was finally released into the arms of his family. In the meantime, little Maddie was in the loving care of her Aunt Amy and me. We took turns so Jenny could be where she needed to be — with Will.

two weeks. Because Jenny, had undergone a C-section and was still under anesthesia, she had no idea the trauma Will was experiencing.

Fighting to Live

When life begins with a battle, it can only mean one thing — God has a special plan for you.

Will has always been a fighter, and he has had to prove it more than once. From the very beginning, God gifted him with an athletic spirit and the physical ability to match. He played soccer, baseball, basketball, and picked up surfing and snowboarding along the way. He excelled at every one of them — but basketball became his true passion.

He didn’t just show up and play. He sacrificed weekends, put in the hours, and gave everything to his craft. For years he committed to a Club Team, competing at a level that demanded real dedication. By his sophomore year of high school, his teammates recognized what everyone around him already knew — they voted him captain of the Junior Varsity team.

Some boys are born into ease. Will was born into a fight. And he has never stopped fighting.

Sports and Politics

A coach can make you or break you.

Shaquille O’Neal was cut from his high school team — too slow, too clumsy, his coach decided. It took a different coach at Louisiana State University to see what was really there and develop it. We all know how that story ended.

Will’s high school was serious about sports, and that meant winning came first — sometimes at any cost. Suddenly, six-foot nineteen-year-olds began showing up on the varsity roster. These are what people call “holdbacks” — kids whose parents chose to give them an extra year to grow, develop, and gain a competitive edge, both athletically and academically. They’re often bigger, stronger, and sometimes two full years older than the boys they’re competing against. Will could read the room. He knew the odds had shifted, and rather than fight a battle that wasn’t his to win, he made a smart, graceful pivot — to golf.

He never missed a beat. Because that’s who Will is. A fighter doesn’t quit — he adapts. And he has never lacked for people in his corner. He golfs regularly with his grandfather Mike now, and true to form, he’s excelling at that too.

“I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk, give you counsel with my eye upon you.” — Psalm 32:8 (NABRE)

Work Ethic

Will once told me something that stopped me in my tracks: “You’re not always going to be the best, and you’re not always going to get picked to play.” For a young man still in high school, that kind of self-awareness is rare — and telling. It’s the kind of lesson that can only be learned from the inside out.

His parents have worked hard to pass something even more valuable than athletic talent down to Will and his sister Maddie — a genuine work ethic. Following in Maddie’s footsteps, Will started working at Porky’s Pizza at sixteen. For two years he was the dough boy, putting in the unglamorous hours that no one sees. Now that he’s eighteen, he’s out delivering pizzas — showing up, being reliable, doing what needs to be done.

Maddie, for her part, is carrying a full-time internship and still finds time to deliver pizzas too. These two didn’t fall into that by accident. They were raised that way.

So to all the Porky’s Pizza customers in Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills — please be kind, and please be generous. You just might be opening your door to two of the finest young people we know.

Will said that he learned a great lesson during his high school basketball seasons. “You’re not always going to be the best, and you’re not always going to get picked to play.”

Will graduated with a 4.2 grade point average — and yes, we are proud. Deeply, genuinely proud. Not just because of the number, but because of everything it represents: the early mornings, the late nights, the dough-covered hands and the weekend tournaments and the quiet determination that has defined this young man from the very beginning.

He was accepted to the University of Utah. Snowboarding in the winter, golf in the spring — for Will, it might just be the perfect fit. And knowing him, he’ll find a way to excel at both while keeping his grades exactly where they need to be.

Before he even sets foot on campus, he’s already lined up an internship with Harbor Distributing as a merchandiser. One week away from a brand new chapter, and he’s already preparing to show up and work.

That’s Will. That has always been Will.

From four pounds eleven ounces in a NICU bassinet to a 4.2 GPA and a university acceptance letter — the boy who fought to breathe is now stepping into a life he has quietly, faithfully, and stubbornly earned.

A Family Celebration

Jenny’s family made the long trip from Minnesota to be there — all seven of them. That kind of love doesn’t need explanation. You pack a bag, you buy a ticket, and you show up. And show up they did, filling the room with the particular warmth that only family can bring. Our entire family was there as well, gathered together around this young man who has given us so much to celebrate.

My Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Please watch over Will. Protect him — guard his heart and his mind, and lead him always toward what is right in Your eyes.

Lord, I pray not just for Will but for all who are graduating — for every young man and woman stepping into a world that will pull them in a thousand directions. Direct their paths toward holiness. Do not let them be swept away by every wind of doctrine, but anchor them to You — the King of Kings, the One who knew them before they were formed in the womb.

Amen.