The Shakedown

Attempting to make an appointment to visit Mario on Friday was fruitless. This was my fourth visit, so I was no longer a novice. I know the visiting rules, but that didn’t matter because I still got it wrong. First of all, due to the heat, we were being checked inside the razor-wired, locked gates. I had all my stuff ready: dollar bills, quarters, sports bra, etc. The woman officer made note of my jewelry, and told me that I could only wear one bracelet. “Really? Because the last time it was two,” I replied. She made no eye contact when she rudely said, “Read the notice; it has always been one.” It didn’t matter because they will always win any argument.

I had forgotten that I was wearing my prescription  sunglasses, and I got called out for that too. This rude lady officer sternly said, “You can’t wear sunglasses!” I replied, “But these are prescription.” “Do you have the prescription  with you?” she asked. I do not know one sane or insane person on earth who carried their sunglasses prescription, so of course I had to return to my car for my regular glasses.

The Tables

When Mario called the night before, I asked him if he wanted to sit inside or outside. He said he wanted to sit outside. It was a hot day, over 90 degrees so when I got to the counter for the second shakedown I was asked if I wanted inside or outside. I said, “Outside but in the shade if possible.”  “Ma’am, there are no guarantees, whatever table you’re assigned, you must stay there the entire time.” I explained that direct sunlight gives me headaches. He didn’t care.

As I walked back to the assigned table #55, I passed so many empty tables that were in the shade. Table #55 was in direct sunlight for Mario. Mario got up and talked to the officers in charge; surprisingly, we were moved insdoors. Table #6 was directly in front of two large sized, noisy fans. These tables are so short that my knees were hitting the edge. These sawed-off tables are so that the officers can see the inmates’  hands at all times.

Bad Bible Studies

Mario has been attending Bible studies on Tuesdays, but heen has not be satisfied with the teachings. This Protestant preacher has been dealing with internal family turmoil and is expressing his negative pain in his misguided  teachings. His wife, who recently died, was two-timing him. In every example of a woman in the Bible, this man interprets the characters to be sinful. Many times, because Mario is knowledgeable about the Word of God, he has recognized this preacher’s misinterpretation of the Bible. Because of this preacher’s wife’s concupiscent behavior, he has twisted the truth and now is teaching in his anger. These inmates are victims of a poorly catechized preacher. I use this example for Mario to turn to the Catholic faith. Our church was established by Jesus Christ.  If you don’t believe, me ask Alexa.

Because “The Good News Bible” was behind two large fans, it was impossible for me to reach. Like everything else in this place, you need to ask for permission, so one of the inmate helpers got it for us. We started to read the Book of Wisdom, which  was written about 50 years before the coming of Christ. The author is unknown, but was said to be a Jewish sage from the community of Alexandria, Egypt. These words are profoundly written and are meant to help us understand the splendor and worth of divine wisdom.

Mario’s Education

Registering for five classes was a desire of Mario’s heart. Norco College offers these classes to inmates, and Mario is slowly getting closer to receiving his AA. He is taking a sign language class to fulfill a requirement. English, history  and several computer classes were also part of his curriculum. Please pray that he gets into these courses.

Turkey

Remember Mario’s friend Turkey?  I wrote about him in our first visit. Mario asked that I pray for him because he was deported to Turkey. It seems that at this facility inmates from foreign countries are being deported to their homeland. As surprised as I was, though I felt bad for Turkey, our country should not be paying for incarcerated individuals from foreign countries. It cost taxpayers in California an average of $105,000 per inmate.

The Avocado 

I eat avocados on a daily basis; to an inmate this is a treat. Mario shared with me that he received an avocado. “A whole one?” I asked,. “Yes, and the next day I got a tomato and made guacamole!” he replied. The things we take for granted are treasures for inmates. It made my heart glad that he had guacamole. God is Good!

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I am asking favor for Mario to receive all of the classes he signed up for. Keep his mind on You, and make his time in prison pass quickly. I am also asking for continued prayers for Ricky because he needs a miracle. Lord, heal this precious young man! Amen.

This past week was one of my busiest.

After a five-day hospitalization from COVID in 2021, I asked the Lord to help me with a meaningful project. He gave me the word “nonprofit.” I was uncertain as to what that entailed, I asked again and I heard the word “backpacks.” So this is how the Ciriza/Driscoll Project got its start. We started with 50, but have now expanded our project to 75 backpacks. This is our fourth year.

The Great Deals

After we had delivered all the backpacks to  five different schools, we were well pleased with our efforts.

The following week, when I went shopping, I noticed that backpacks were on sale at Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx and Macy’s. On different days I started to purchase them; some were marked down as low as $9.00, and if there were five available I purchased all of them. Before long, I had accumulated 26 backpacks that I needed to hide from my husband Mike. This  merchandise filled three large-sized bags that I had to store. I kept this tiny secret from Mike for two weeks.

Our attic is not a safe area for someone  my age to venture into. I always bump my head on the wood beams and sometimes I can hear the plywood crack under my feet. Regardless, the attic is very large, so without telling anyone, I stored the bags there. No one needed to know until next summer; besides, we rarely go into the attic. Shortly after storing them, for some strange reason Mike went into the attic looking for something. When he came out he asked me about these large bags in the attic. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I answered. “There are three large bags in the attic, who put them there?” he asked. “How should I know?” I lied.

The Confession

My guilty conscience got the better of me, so I went to confession. After confessing all my transgressions about the backpacks and lying to Mike, I received penance. But now my confessor told me that I had to come clean and tell Mike the truth. My character is a lot like that of Lucy Ricardo from the I Love Lucy television show. Lucy was forever getting into trouble, and Ricky would always come to her rescue. That’s how it works for us, as Mike will, at first, get upset, but then  he quickly forgives me.

I cannot hide supplies for 75 backpacks and, since Mike is one of the major donors, I started to  include him in the ordering. When we work together everything falls into place. For the greater part of this week our home will be a mess, but soon all will return to normal.

We got a late start  ordering supplies. I was in a panic; so many of the bulk items had to be picked up at Walmart because I’m still boycotting Target. On the way to Walmart I made a few phone calls to ask for donations. My grandson Jacob, who was with me, asked, “Why are you calling people and asking for money? That’s embarrassing, grandma.” I quickly answered, “Embarrassing? No, it’s an opportunity for them to get blessed as well.” Then he said, “Either way, it’s still wrong.” I ignored him and made a few more calls.

We needed two shopping carts for all  the supplies. Both Jacob and I were taking careful inventory and clearing some of the merchandise off the shelves. As I was checking for the best price on Bic pens, a stranger approached me. “What are you doing?” he asked. “I’m purchasing supplies for 75 backpacks” I answered. “What do you do with them?” he asked. “We distribute them to local schools to help parents who cannot afford to purchase school  supplies for their children,” I answered. Then the man pulled out his wallet and said, “I want to bless you. How much money do you need?” I think my eyes must have dilated with this surprising generosity from a complete stranger. “Whatever the Lord leads you to give,” I replied. He gave me $120 in 20-dollar bills. My eyes filled with soft, grateful tears as I hugged him and thanked him.

As I turned the corner with the shopping cart I looked over at Jacob and said, “I forgot to ask his name!”  So I went back to get a photo with him and his son. This special young man’s name is Emery, and his son’s name is Levi. He was shopping with his beautiful mother, whose name is Celeste.

This gracious act of kindness taught Jacob a great lesson on benevolence. Sometimes when we distrust and question God about important matters, He always confirms our doubts with a favorable miracle. This is how our Lord works. He also directs us to pray for those in need.

Praying for Ricky

My cousin Rick’s 42-year-old son, Ricky,  is at Loma Linda University Hospital  fighting for his life. After several attempts to reach Rick, I finally got through. I asked if I could visit Ricky and pray for him. Rick welcomed the gesture, so on Wednesday I drove to Loma Linda University Hospital. When I arrived, I could not believe the grave condition of Ricky. I had a blessed St. Jude medal, some water from Lourdes, and some anointing oil from the lamps of the tomb of Jesus at the  Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. I made it clear that I was not there to give the anointing of the sick; but to  pray for Ricky’s healing. Ricky needs a miracle, so I will continue to stand alongside  his family in asking God to intervene on his behalf. Jesus, we trust in You!

For those of you who do not understand the powerful intercession of the  saints, St. Jude will change your mind. He is the saint of the impossible. For is the reason  all the St. Jude Hospitals all over the world are named in his honor . Saints are our heavenly example of how we should live our lives. To put it simply, we Catholics ask for their intercession. The great divide is this: Protestants believe we pray to the saints. We do not! We know Who our Lord and Savior is, and we pray to Him directly.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for sending Emery and blessing our ministry with his kind donation. Continue to bless him and his family. Heavenly Father, my cousin Rick and his family are at the foot of Your Cross, asking for a miracle for Ricky. I am asking for anyone who reads this prayer to come alongside us in agreement. Lord, nothing is impossible for You. Amen.

Isaiah 46:4   New American Bible (Revised Edition)

I received a letter in early June from the DMV stating that I needed to take a written test in order to renew my license. I was frantic with worry. My thoughts reflected my panic: “A written test! The last time I took a written test was in my teens!” To prepare for the test,  three times a week I would practice to familiarize myself with the questions. I failed miserably! The more I studied, the worse it got. Needless to say, I was nervous about the entire ordeal.

Last Thursday I got the letter out again and reread it.  I had totally missed the part that said I had to appear in person! This new information was forcing me to take action. I got on the DMV website and found what I thought was a practice test. It took over three hours to review and go over all the questions that I’d missed.

To prepare for the test Mike, who also has to renew his license purchased the “booklet” from the DMV.  There are over 100 questions in the booklet, so to try to memorize even half of the answers was a impossible. After practicing the test, I was able to make an appointment to appear in person. One big problem!  The earliest date available was August 29th and my birthday is on the sixth! So I had to go to the DMV in person to take care of the matter.

DMV Visit

Everyone in the entire world knows what going to the DMV is going to entail. The DMV is notorious for making people wait; the experience can traumatize you to never return. As a result, not having an appointment makes matters worse. For starters, I parked in the wrong parking lot and had to cross over a line of teens in cars that were taking the behind-the-wheel test.

It was 11:30 a.m. and I, along with all the losers who did not make appointments, were in a line with over 30 persons. It was well into the high 80’s, and only some of the crowd had covering from the sun. The perfect scenario would be sitting on a bench, under a shaded tree and drinking cold water, but that was a far-fetched dream. The scorching sun was dehydrating me and there was no refuge, just me and a bunch of foreigners from God-knows-where. As the line moved closer to the covering, I stood side-by-side with the young man in front of me. When he looked at me, I smiled and pointed to the umbrella.  All I could think was, “If the line is this bad outside, how is it going to be inside?”

The Broken Kiosk

It was not a bit surprising when an announcement was made that the Kiosk was down. This was par for the course, like the rest of our state.  Those waiting for the Kiosk inside got to go ahead of us. No problem, I thought, “This is what I get for not reading the notification better.”  My greatest fear was getting pulled over and having an expired license.

Inside the DMV

I finally made it inside, was given the number G291, and told to find a seat. “A seat? In this sea of people?” There I was, and, just like all my plane rides, smack in the middle of two strangers. I looked up at the monitor and noticed that G79 was called. The letter G was not the only alphabet being used, so I knew I was going to be there awhile.  I pulled out the booklet that Mike had purchased and started studying. All the information about the different signs and the painted lines on the road were confusing, so I was all studied out and prayed instead.

My Turn

Finally at 2:30 p.m. I heard G291 called. I took a deep breath and walked up to window 25. The kind woman took my right thumb print and asked me why I was there. As usual, I gave her my life story and told her that I needed to renew my license.  She asked,”Did you take the online written test?” I was confused. I answered, “What do you mean? I took a practice test.”  She replied, “Let me check, you did take the test, and passed.” Believe me, I was not only surprised but greatly relieved! The rest is in the history books!

The New DMV

They say a leopard can’t change its spots, but the DMV has changed. Even though I had to wait without an appointment, the four employees I encountered were not only helpful but efficient and kind. They displayed this demeanor to everyone and, from what I witnessed, everyone was given the same professional treatment.

The Real ID

As life would have it, I did not think of getting the “Real ID,” which will soon be required by law. Like Scarlett O’Hara said, “After all, tomorrow is an other day.”

New Hobby

I’ve started making bracelets again.  This time instead of thread, I’m using stretch magic. I was selling these bracelets for $25 a piece. In the past my bracelets always broke apart and I never got return buyers. In some cases I had to return their money. With the recent trip to Spain and Portugal, I purchased more than 30 medals to add to the hundreds I already had.  I pray that my new business endeavor will be successful.

This weekend, when we took a short trip to check on our property in Santa Barbara, I wore two of my bracelets. As I was getting ready to leave, my Jesus medal fell off the bracelet. Not again! When we got back home, I made a quick run to the local bead store and asked for advice. The owner sold me a device that fastens the medals more securely. I worked on getting the ring on one of my religious medals for over two hours, but at this point I’m already in the red! Pray for me.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, thank You for my health and the ability to drive. Lord, help us all to be kinder on the road and to follow the traffic laws. Grant me the grace to not get angry or grow impatient with other drivers. Jesus, deliver us from road rage. Amen.