The Killer Worm

June 19, 2018 2 Comments

The last time I went to visit my sister in New Orleans. I wanted to go French Quarter to have coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter, but NO! Jo refused to take me there. Instead she took me to a local outdoor cafe in New Orleans. As we were walking to the quaint cafe I noticed a lot of caterpillars crawling all over the sidewalk. I asked Jo, “What are all these worms?” Her reply was “Thems are mean caterpillars and if you get stung you could die.” Jo also told me to watch my purse because this was not a safe area. I had just returned from Jerusalem and was home for twelve hours before boarding a plane to New Orleans, so I still had my passport on me. I was uncomfortable with the situation and leaned against the wall, hanging on to my handbag so that it would not get snatched.

The killer caterpillar about ready to sting me

We were to meet Tori, Jo’s son for lunch at twelve, so we left in plenty of time to allow for parking. As we were walking to Jo’s vehicle, my right hand started to throb, and pain was shooting through some of my fingers. I told Jo that I was not feeling well. Jo jokingly said, “Maybe you got stung by one of those caterpillars!” I really did not understand what was going on, and thought maybe I was having some type of mini- stroke. We get in my sister’s Hummer with her granddaughter Sophie in the backseat, and the pain became more intense. I am a bit of drama, and I really wanted to know why all of a sudden this pain came about. In the meantime, Jo found a really good parking spot, when all of a sudden both of my legs started to feel the same pain as my fingers, throbbing, burning, and at this point I just thought that I could be having a mild heart attack. I grabbed for my purse and a huge venomous caterpillar was stuck to on the handbag. I had never screamed so loud in my life. I tried to fling the caterpillar off but, it latched on to my already injured hand. I yelled at the top of my lungs, “The worm! The Worm!” I did everything possible to removes the aggressive creature, and my body was moving wildly and out of control. “The Worm! The Worm! it’s biting me!” Jo’s sweet four-year-old granddaughter was crying from all the commotion. Before Jo could park, she yelled for me to get out of the car. I jumped out dazed and in shock. In front of another sidewalk cafe sat a man and his wife enjoying an early lunch when I approached him with my wild story. At that point I had no idea where the killer worm was and I was not going to go back into that vehicle until I saw its spiny body with my own two eyes. The poor man came to the vehicle and used a napkin to remove the disgusting, crawling critter.

My inner knees were on fire from the stings of the beast and I was shaking, almost to the point of passing out. Tori showed up and Jo told him what happened. Tori left to purchase some Benadryl for me. We sat at the beautiful table with white linens, and the waiter came to ask for our drink order, but I could not speak because of the pain. Jo told the waiter about the incident, and the waiter shared a story about his daughter who was recently hospitalized because of injuries caused by same kind of caterpillar. Of course this story validated my fear. Though it was an upscale restaurant, I did not enjoy my meal because for all I knew, it could have been my last one.

I picked up some type of virus either in the Holy Land or in New Orleans, so when I returned from New Orleans, I was bedridden. Mike was sure it was the poisonous toxins injected by the caterpillar, but I was too weak to think about it. I did remember that we took several pictures the day of the incident, so I grabbed for my phone and swiped across the photos. I came to one picture, and using my index finger and thumb, I enlarged it, there, plain as day, was corpulent caterpillar.

If my sister had taken me to get coffee and beignets in French Quarter, the incident with the caterpillar would not have happened.

Isaiah 33:4 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴And Your plunder shall be gathered
Like the gathering of the caterpillar;
As the running to and fro of locusts,
He shall run upon them.

My Heart of the Matter

The Cajun Invasion

June 12, 2018 1 Comment

Sophie, Lucas, Jacob, Wil, Harris, Maya, Frankie, Reina, Nick, Michele, Russ, Sonja, Mikos, Jenny, Mike, Maddie, Me, Jo,Lindy, Mike, Ronda, Lee, Rong, Nick U., Nadia and Michael

They were eight coming in from the New Orleans area. A direct flight from Louis Armstrong Airport to LAX, with a pit stop at In-N-Out hamburgers, brought them to our doorstep at 2:00 A.M. My sister Jo was staying with us and her two sons and their families were staying a stone’s throw away from Disneyland.

Day One: They wanted to go to Hollywood to take in the sights, but I informed them that it was Gay Pride Week, and the traffic would be a great deterrent. Then they wanted to go visit where my mother once lived, but their cousin Sonja told them that that would be too dangerous. Sonja used kind, loving words, “I would never take my children there for fear of their lives.” Our son Mikos came in and piled more fear about the dangers in the City of Angels. Our son-in-law Russ heard that they wanted to attend a game at Dodger Stadium, and warned them that they could be stabbed. So on the first day, they stayed within the compound of the Marriott Hotel and hung out by the pool. My sister Jo kept mentioning to me that all we were doing was discouraging all their plans. Later, I will share a story with what they put me through when I visit them.

Day Two: They wanted to go to the beach but the riptides and waves were too dangerous for swimming in the ocean. The Dodgers were in town playing the Atlanta Braves, so they went to the game. The last time that Frank was at a Dodger game Fernando Valenzuela was pitching. These brave Southerners stayed the entire game. We usually leave after the third inning or after eating a Dodger Dog.

Jo, Mike, Frank, Rong, Me, Nick U., and Nick T.

Day Three: Frank and Nick, my nephews, are getting married in Las Vegas this June 15, so we planned a family barbecue. It was a perfect day for a family gathering, and my brother Mike and two of his sons and their families joined us for the gathering; we were a total of 27. Mike made his famous Cherry Cola Ribs and hamburgers. We shared many stories and made wonderful memories, while all of the kids swam. Every last one of the beach towels was put to use, then we discovered that our clothes dryer was on the brink.

Day Four: Universal Studios, I cannot express how I loathe the crowds, and waiting in long lines. I am not a Disney fan either, so Jo and I stayed behind.

My sister is the same way when I visit her, as she never wants to do anything touristy and refuses to take me to the French Quarter.

We are like cats when visiting each other, taking many naps in between our ventures. All of us three sisters, Norma included, share another thing in common; we care for our grandchildren and many times our schedules revolve around their timetable. In reality, that is what family is about, right?

On Thursday, round two with more Cajun’s arriving.

“And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” ~1 John 4:21

My Heart of the Matter

School Board Meeting

June 5, 2018 3 Comments

Our grandchildren: Maddie 7th grade, Will 5th grade, Jacob Kindergarten, and Lucas 2nd grade; all attend public school within the Orange Unified School District

Matthew 18:6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

On May 24, 2018, I was asked to speak at the School Board Meeting. California passed a law on sex education that was to implemented on June 5, 2018, in our district. For me as grandparent this poses a big problem, because of the severity of the information that is going to be inflicted on our children.

The school board meeting was standing room only. I followed the proper protocol and filled out a form, I was number seven of more than twenty speakers. We had three minutes to state our grievances against this new policy. Within the group were concerned parents, physicians, college instructors, students, and persons of diverse religions.

The future of our children is in jeopardy, because these new laws are about indoctrinating children starting from Pre-K to high school. To introduce them in a casual manner through “Teen Talk,” instructing our youth of the do’s and don’t of sexual conduct and, informing student of all the choices of “gender spectrum.”

My talk was about the fact that at any time, a minor of any age in California may consent to birth control and abortion services. Additionally, a parent’s permission is not required to excuse a minor during school hours for confidential services (Calif Family Code 6925). If my grandchildren suffer from a headache, the school cannot dispense an aspirin, but they can leave campus to get an abortion? For the full three minutes I pleaded my case. I ended my talk with informing the school board that they are not only accountable to the parents but also to God.

The irony of this meeting is that most parents are oblivious to these new laws. One school board member kept reiterating that parents have an opportunity to opt out, but even this is a half-truth. A parent can opt out of some of this so-called “sex education,” but not all.

This tactic is bullying to a new level, and parents should be in an uproar about this.

Ed Code 51932 (b) says parents MAY NOT OPT OUT or EXCUSE their child from any instruction that discusses gender identity or expression.

CSBA AR 6142.1 (also states NO OPT OUT)

This instruction can be for ANY GRADE LEVEL and parents do not need to be notified ahead of time when instruction is given.

Another “great” teaching moment is telling our children that different genders exist and should be respected.

According to the California Teachers’ Association Magazine (California Educator) in the article “Embracing the Gender Spectrum” (March 2017, Vol 21, Issue 6, p. 21) , genders can fall in MULTIPLE CATEGORIES… (Gender Expansive)

They can be:

1) GENDER NONCONFORMING– which means their gender expression is outside of the their assigned sex at birth.

(pronouns used: Feminine identity or Expression: she, her, herself Male Identity or Expression: he, his, himself)

2) AMBIGENDER– meaning you can actually have BOTH GENDERS at the same time

(pronouns used: they, them, their, themself)

3) AGENDER– They don’t associate with either gender

(pronouns used: ze, hir, hirs, hirself)

4) GENDER FLUID– to have no fixed gender (it can fluctuate back and forth between male and female at anytime)

(pronouns used: May fluctuate between Feminine and Male pronouns)

5) QUESTIONING– they are unsure of or exploring their gender identity.

Are we not already confused enough? I promise you that 90% of parents have never heard of these terms. These teachings should be left to the parents and not the government!

Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Some of the books that are going to be introduced, starting with Pre-K:

http://www.welcomingschools.org/pages/looking-at-gender-identity-with-childrens-books/

This is just the tip of the iceberg, because what this law is forcing explicit information, like teaching children that anal sex is safe. Dear God! Help Us!

Do not accuse me of any homophobic behavior! The government interfering with our kids, is like a stranger telling me that my mother has cancer. It is not their business!

Please watch the emergency board meeting video, which shows Brenda Lebsack, school board member, speaking about the need to protect of our children. This enables you to see for yourself the big mess we are in. Please watch the video in its entirety, and pray, pray, pray.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJOxKkUWNjM&sns=em