I have been sequestered in my bedroom for three-and-a-half days. This all started with a slight fever on Wednesday, November 11th. My body was speaking to me in a small voice, telling me something was off balance. In the meantime Mike made sure to sleep in the guest bedroom for fear of the coronavirus. The following day I called our health provider for a directive, and, just as I suspected, a COVID-19 test was recommended.

The Test

The last thing I wanted to do was to get out of bed and get tested. This was a drive-through test held in the parking lot of the  Anaheim Convention Center. I went online and filled out all the required information; I signed up for the last spot of the day, 5:30-6:00 p.m. I left the house an hour and a half earlier just in case of any glitches.

The Screening

Since this was my first time for testing, I had no idea what to expect. The first screener came to my car, and I rolled down the window to speak to her. She quickly signaled for me to roll up the window.”Please keep your window up!” She pointed to her clipboard and asked for my ID and a confirmation number. I showed her both, but for some reason she kept pointing to the confirmation number. I was showing her my appointment that I had conveniently screen shot. I could see the frustration in her face when she told me to go into lane #2. I knew this was the lane for stupid people. She placed a note on my windshield, and off I went. I was flustered, and all I could think about was getting this test completed. I called my friend Cindy and asked her to pray for me.

The Revelation

While I was waiting in the stupid line, the Lord instructed me to pull up the registration form. Thank God everything was saved, including the insurance information. It turns out that I had inadvertently forgotten to send the last part of the form. As the second screener was walking toward my vehicle, the confirmation number popped up on my phone. With my window rolled down I was handed the COVID-19 kit. I waited another 20 minutes, then drove to the underground garage to take the test. I was greeted by two well-informed male assistants dressed in what looked like HAZMAT suits. With their instructions I gave myself the test. My temperature was taken, then I was instructed to place the tube/vile in the trash can on my way out. Yes, it was a trash can! Of course, as in most cases, my car was too far to reach the can. At no time are you to leave your vehicle, but my arms were way too short to toss it in the trash can. I had to back up, with other cars behind me, to get within reach. I was told that within two to three days I would either receive a text message or email informing me of the results.

Meanwhile Back At Home

Dr. Mike (my husband) instructed me to stay in our room; he would bring me all my meals and anything else I needed. Mike asked me to try not to use the handrails when going down stairs,  and to not touch anything in the kitchen. I wanted a small snack, so I touched almost everything in the kitchen. I tried to disinfect my tracks with Clorox wipes, but I’m sure I left some bacteria behind.

When I got back from the test, Mike solemnly stated, “We need to talk about Thanksgiving.” I rolled my eyes and answered, “We’ll talk when the results come in.”

I was supposed to pick up my grandkids from school on Thursday but the coronavirus symptoms quickly put a stop to that. “We don’t want the boys to be exposed,” their parents cried. On Friday our daughter-in-law Jenny stepped up and picked up the kids from school.

I know my body, and this felt like the common cold that I get every flu season. I stayed in bed and prayed for the outcome of the presidential election. I watched EWTN (a global Catholic Network) and several Hallmark movies, praying for the results to come in.

The Results

The results arrived on Saturday at 11:56 a.m. My heart was stilled with a quick prayer, and then again I needed the stupid confirmation number! Thank You, Jesus, that my date of birth was another option. Yes, coronavirus is the new drama queen, acting worse than a teenager not getting her way. I had a cold but, because of all these political requirements, I was put through Hell. I tested negative! Praise be to God!

Isaiah 33:2 

O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, and our salvation in the time of trouble.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I pray for all who died due to COVID-19. Comfort the hearts of their loved ones and bring them peace. Lord, remove all fear that this pandemic is causing. Help us to trust in You for all of our needs. Father God, guide us to approach prayer with more reverence and humility.  Heal our nation and eradicate COVID-19 from this earth. Amen.

In closing I would like to thank the professional efforts of Fulgent Genetics for conducting the test and Healthvana.com for the rapid results. God bless the work of your hands.

As our usual Taco Tuesday custom, we had tacos for dinner. This Tuesday was different because it was election night.  Mike, our daughter Sonja, Russ and their boys, and our friends Sarah and  Jason came to watch the results of the election. We waited for states to be called red and were pleasantly surprised. This was intense, but we continued to watch. Our conversation was about all the positive rallies for Trump and our belief that the media was going to play an underhanded game with this election.

The Media

The purpose of this organization is to keep us informed, to be in the know and to present an unbiased report on the affairs that are being reported. Our media is not only not impartial, they are so liberal that they can’t even get the weather right. What is happening here is that they all caught the disease of bogus reporting; the lay term for this illness is: Fakenewsism. This disorder attacks the mind and causes delusional thoughts to enter the brain. If you attempt to go for another diagnosis, all the doctors (news agencies) will tell you the same. They will prescribe an extra dose of fake news to keep you in the dark. There is only one antidote, well perhaps two: God and prayer.

The Liberal Mind

Fakenewsism spreads faster than COVID-19; it has been a pandemic for a while. I can recall a telephone conversation with a liberal relative, and I was not at all surprised when she obtusely said, “How can all the media be wrong?” When I heard this, I knew fakenewsism had taken over her reprobate mind. There was no hope; the lights of reason were turned off, so our conversation ended.

This mindset also attacks Christians. How can this be? Some Christians take up one cause and will compromise the things of God to satisfy that one stand. They do not understand the non-negotiable: protecting life from womb to tomb, protecting the sanctity of marriage, and obeying the laws of God. They haven’t sold out, but because of their disorder they no longer think what God created their mind to think.

The News

We watched several stations during the elections, switching from Fox, to NBC, and CNN. Some of the reporters could not hide the look on their faces when a state turned red. Then it started; the fake news quickly kicked in and the reporters stopped calling the states. Russ took the boys home,  Jason left to be with his daughters, and Mike went to bed. Sonja, Sarah and I stuck to the news. We were anxious, so we all decided to make a donut run to DK Donuts. The euphoria lasted for about five minutes  because that is what sugar does. Around 10 o’clock we all turned in because I had to give Sonja a ride home. I was going straight to bed but I decided to watch more of the secularized news. I started to pray; I was not praying for victory, I was praying for justice to prevail.

On Wednesday I visited my sister out of state while all this presidential information was being sorted out. My sister Norma does not watch any news whatsoever, so my mind was at ease the entire visit. Norma and I went on a late night walk and prayed the Rosary. I fell asleep praying in the Spirit.

On my way home, I continued to pray. My phone lit up with the news projecting Biden as the winner. I got a pit in my stomach and pulled out my Rosary and prayed. Shortly afterwards the fake news media declared Biden the winner. I was looking for other news feeds to ease my troubled mind. I came across Taylor Marshall, pulled up a YouTube video and listened to what he had to say.

The Walls of Jericho

Taylor Marshall is a genius. A staunch Catholic to the core, he announced that it was not over yet, that Catholics are gathering around all state capitals especially the questionable battle-ground states to march at 12 o’clock noon for victory. This March started on Saturday, November 7th. I am asking that in solidarity we join them in prayer at 12 p.m.

When the Israelites marched around Jericho, they had with them the Ark of the Covenant, which was carried by the High Priest. The Ark of the Covenant contained the Laws of God. We who serve and follow God still live by these Ten Commandments.

After Moses’ death, God commissioned Joshua to lead. Joshua had the mantle of Moses, the anointed of God. God chose Joshua because our Lord was going to instruct him on how to fight this battle. The only secret weapon was the Ark of the Covenant, which carried three things: a jar of manna, Aaron’s rod and the Ten Commandments. Equipped with this, the Israelites marched on. Were they scared? Did they believe that by just marching around Jericho the walls would come down? They weren’t scared, they were terrified; but because God kept encouraging them they prevailed. They claimed the promises of God. God never leaves a job half done.

God allowed this medium for the sake of spreading the Good News. In all my previous posts, I proceeded with a circumspect heart, never using the name of our President Trump. Why? Because a big red flag of analytics would wildly wave. My free speech is muzzled because I am speaking against the liberals by exposing the truth. The anger of others quickly follows with unwarranted remarks like this, “Like it or not, Biden is the new president of this country!” My first reaction was surprise, then the Holy Spirit calmed me into praying for this angry person. So much controversy with social media and all the tech giants, but to God they are mere grasshoppers.

One  of the main fact-Checkers originated from CNN. Allen Duke, who worked as an editor for CNN for 26 years, was quickly picked up by Facebook to do their fact-checking dirty work. They are nothing more than liberals adding their judgement to twist the truth. This, too, is going to stop because God will intervene and set them straight.

On October 23rd we celebrated the Feast of San Juan Capistrano and the return of the swallows of San Capistrano to Goya, Argentina. I live in Southern California, which is about 30 minutes from San Juan Capistrano. The Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded by Father Juan Junipero Serra on November 1, 1776.  On October 23rd, the swallows circle the Mission one last time before they leave on a 6,000-mile journey to Argentina. They will return on March 19th, the Feast of Saint Joseph. These common cliff-nesting swallows do not understand the religious significance of their journey; the only thing that comes natural is their instinct to find their way back home.

We all have that same instinct in our spirit. We all need to make our way back home to our Creator. Until you come to terms with this supernatural phenomenon, you will always have something missing in your spirit. This spiritual homecoming is what completes us because it unites our heart, mind, soul, and spirit to God.

The Israelites

It took the Israelites  40 years to find their way home. They kicked and screamed at every turn; but when they finally reached the Promised Land, they realized they were home. The entire time God was with them; He fed them their daily bread (manna); they had fresh water to drink; and when they wanted a change in the menu, God brought them quail. Our Lord continues to provide for those who are still wandering in the desert of life. God is with them every step of the way. They can’t see Him because they have allowed the things of the world to weigh them down. Their eyes become clouded with tears from the pain of living in the desert. The desert is extremely barren, miserably hot and dry in the summer, freezing cold and unforgiving in the winter.

The Lord remained faithful to the lost Israelites, He provided a comfortable cloud covering by day, and fire by night. How much more will He do for you?

with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

The San Juan Capistrano Swallows

These cliff-nesting swallows must prepare for their long journey home. For more than two centuries they have made their mud nests under the Roman arches of the Franciscan monastery of Capistrano. According to an article in the story of the swallows, they travel for 30 days to reach Mission San Juan Capistrano on March 19th (www.sanjuancaspistrano.net). During their voyage, to avoid wasting any time, they do not eat or drink because they fly from dawn to sunset. They fly at an altitude of 6,600 feet because this helps them catch favorable tail winds. They fuel their tanks with flies, spiders and worms for their long journey. Once they arrive, they restrengthen their nests for the birth of new life.

Matthew 10:29-31 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. ³⁰ And even the hairs of your head are all counted. ³¹ So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

God’s Plan

These swallows are no different from us when we finally arrive home. We want to stabilize our lives by renewing our spirits for new life. God’s plan is not for us to be abandoned in the desert, but  for us to seek what He has in store for us. Our life in the desert is a learning experience  that involves strenuous obstacle courses for our minds. If we fail, the Lord is there to spot us. He patiently waits for us to cross that finish line.

When I returned to college as an adult, I had to take a class on statistics. This was the most challenging class I have ever taken. When it was time for the final, I knew I was doomed. All of the younger students finished the test in no time, but I was still trying to figure out how to use my computer to get to the problems. I was the last person in the class. It was past 9:30 p.m. when I went to the professor to let him know that I could not finish the final because I needed more time. He looked at me and said, “Take all the time you need, I will wait for you to finish.” With those words, a load was lifted off of me and I finished the test. This is exactly what God does for us; He gives us all the time we need to pass our life test.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

On Sunday morning Mike and I took a ride to San Juan Capistrano to attend Mass in the Basilica. This Mission is known as the Jewel of Missions. We arrived early so that I could walk the grounds and visit the Chapel of FatherJuan Junipero Serra, but due to COVID-19 it was closed. We attended the 9:00 a.m. Mass. It had been years since I last visited this church. As I walked in, my eyes were fixated on the altar. Surrounded with gold are Jesus “top center,” St. Juan Junipero Serra to His right and St. Kateri Tekakwitha to the left. Beneath her is St. Francis of Assisi, the Virgen de Guadalupe (at the feet of Jesus) and St. Joseph (to the bottom right). In the Jubilee Year 2000 this Mission was proclaimed a Basilica. This title was granted by Pope John Paul II. This honor was granted by the Holy See because of its historical and cultural significance in welcoming pilgrims.

Before Mass I was silently praising God when I heard the sound of music; the organist began to play a solemn hymn. This hymn was not only to welcome the parishioners but to unction the Holy Spirit. At exactly 9:00 a.m. the church bells rang as if  to wake up this sleeping community. I love the sound of church bells; they make my heart rejoice to be in the House of God.

My Prayer:

Dear Lord: I lift up to You those who are struggling with substance abuse, anger, loneliness and abandonment. Only through Your Holy Spirit can they make their way out of the desert. Lord, allow them to speak these simple words,”Jesus, I trust in You.” Put a new song in their hearts, and wipe away all their tears. Deliver them from all the bondages that have kept them from serving You. May the manna You feed them nourish their spiritual dry bones. Refresh them with Your holy water and bring them home. Amen.