Dear Niece[s]: I have Been thinking about you. From the Uncle Guy, sort of Far Away

    Hello there, my niece! This is for you. I take being an uncle somewhat seriously, but my life is fashioned in a way that I have concerns that distract me from being as good an uncle as I would like to be. If it were up to me, I would have a dream job where I would work about two days per week, earn about 50,000 per month (I am not asking too much, right?), and I would have money and time to visit you, take you places, and have a really good time. Caution: I do not drink or smoke, and I would not encourage that behavior with people in my company, but I think we could make do. My dad always said that we saved so much money by not drinking alcohol or smoking, that we could afford real butter and nice dishes and deserts. But travel is about imbibing and savoring the local foods and libations, yes? But for me and us, we will stay away from fermented things and chemicals. Unless it is gnarly kim chi that does not make us drunk.

    Sounds good, huh?

    We could go a lot places; normally I would take one or more of my children with us. My kids will soon be living in five different places, so maybe we would visit them. That would be awesome, I know. But we would go to other places, like islands and continents that people do not care much about. I have looked at a lot of maps all my life, and I have some fun ideas to do. Would you go with me, maybe my wife and kids, if I could pay your way? Too good to be true, no?

    Anyway, I do not want to be too bossy or imperious upon you and your life. Mostly I would like to show you and your parents that I think that you are neat. Special. Family. Children of my siblings and siblings-in-law, cousins of my children, all deserving to have some good times and experiences.

    For the record, I have nieces in the following places: West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Texas, Utah, Idaho, Washington, and California. Did I miss anyone? There are a lot! From eleven total siblings and in-laws with kids, I reckon. Oh, I think I have one in Minnesota. They keep spreading around! I think 50k monthly would allow me to accomplish some visiting and travel goals.

    Yeah. Travel and world visits. That would be great. But not so likely, it seems.

    Sorry. I am not that guy. Yet. Maybe ever? Time will tell. Some money and some materials could come my way... Eventually. Maybe not.

    What else? Whether I have the time or money to help you do some fun travels, that might not materialize. (Sure, maybe we can arrange some more affordable visits?). But what else is there about being a good uncle?

    Know that I think and I care about you. I want you to be happy, and what is best for you. You, in my and many people's estimations and considerations, are a daughter of God and your potential is limitless. You deserve to be happy. And, as my daughter recently expressed, gratitude is something even more important than happiness. Gratitude contains and imbues joy. Be joyful! And thankful. This is something wished for by me, my family, your family, parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, and on and on.

    Great men and women throughout history want what is best for you.

    We--I want you to be with the best people, and have the best lives. I do not want to be bossy nor iperious.

    I care for my own children, I want the best for them. I love my siblings, my in-laws, our parents, who are all pulling for you.

    Advice? Work hard, be humble, try to be fair. I cannot always do all those things, but I will continue to try. Expect the best from others; do not put up with those that abuse or denigrate you. Live in a way within your means and try to serve others as you can.

    I hope to see you sooner or later; I hope we can share a meal together, a trip or a show, or simply a nice conversation.

    Love, 

    Your uncle 

PS: I directed this to the girls who are my nieces, but much if not all of the above is for the nephews, too. Maybe more with them later.

The Human Family: It's Forever Started January 9, 2026

 The Human Family: It's Forever

Even if there is no God or Angels recording all our movements and actions, the human family is being recorded, now more than ever.

We are now registering and saving, safeguarding or compiling our lives through so many ways that we in many  aspects have created an eternal race of beings, united through the clicks of mouses and the revving up of hard drives and a dozen other man-made wonders.

Scientists look at the detritus of our past; paleontologists, archaeologists, chemists, anthropologists. Physics cosmologists and astronomers, and perhaps a dozen other specialists like metallurgists and geologists look into the physical realms to discover the ancient until the present, peering into the collective futures that we plan on inhabiting.

    Now it is March, 2026. Sunday the 8th. Time has marched on.

Gusanitos -- Little Worrms - Winter Ending

 Gusanitos -- Little Worms - Winter Ending

    In front of my building today, I saw dozens of little, skinny, brown, dead, worms. It had rained a bit the last few days. They were laying on the sidewalks where there had been snow and ice in the weeks before. They survived the longer winter underground, I guess.

    Days pass. 

    My ideas lie dormant, or distracted, like the dead little worms that laid across the warming sidewalks. Even days after the warmer fog and gloom they are there. Gusanitos. Dood, in Arabic. The plural, who knows? Doowadie?

    The cycles come and go, another spring is at hand. Now a week into March.

    2026. 

    I was reading an old journal from 1992, the first year after returning from my life altering Church mission. I started it in 1991, or 2000-9.

    It was the year 2000, miles and years away.

    Now it is a lifetime later.

    Still keeping some sort of a journal, only now expostulating on dead worms in the spring and the changes of seasons.

    Little dead worms help the birds along, and the grounds and the grass. Right?

    The grasses surrounding the memorials of those killed at my building during their honorable service.

    Amen.

    Some miracles are positive, others are not. But they all come from God.

    Ah men, and ahmen.

 Spanish Lesson - Gustar

    I like the city.

    Me gusta la ciudad.

    I like the cities.

    Me gustan las ciudades.

    I liked the city.

    Me gusto' la ciudad. (The apostrophe is the accent, that goes over the letter, tilting right.)

    I liked the cities.

    Me gustaron las cities.

    I used to like the city. I was liking the city (over a period of time).

    Me gustaba la ciudad.

    I used to like the cities. I was liking the cities.

    Me gustaban las ciudades.

    I wanted you to like the city.

    Queri'a quu a ti' te gustara la ciudad.

    

    Confused? Let's discuss.

    

Six Killed on the American Side, So Far - 3 Days In

    We are in a new chapter in United States history: we are at war with Iran. They have bombed our guys, killing some and injuring three times more, six and 18. How long will this conflict last?

    God bless the legacies and the families of those that we lost. I am still looking for their names and origins. May their contributions be meaningful.

    

 Lunardi Has the Indiana Men Still In?

    They have to win their last two...

    Too many losses now, which is 12. Right? Or 11. We have lost a lot of games. The Northwestern one was galling, the Michigan State one yesterday to be expected, more or less.

    We lost to Minnesota and a lot of teams.

    We have Ohio State... and Nebraska? Then the Tourney.

    What does Mike Lunardi know?

    We shall see.

    Mike Lunardi. No, DeCourcy! Joe Lunardi?

The Legality and Morality of Fighting Iran, Killing their Leaders

    Well, the United States and Israel have combined to lethally execute operations against a major world leader, a religious icon, or a spiritual and political authority for the Republic of Iran and much of the Shia Muslim world.

    Does this fit into many Biblical narratives? I think this is likely. For those of us who believe and try to live by Biblical and scriptural covenants, blessings, and prophecies, it smacks of heavy and perhaps not accidental events and occurrences.

    The laws of the United States are being violated by such acts, according to a friend that spoke to me at a party last night. It deserves consideration, this accusation. Did the U.S. Congress need to give approval? Did the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization give the U.S. president and military carte blanche to strike as they wanted?

    Grey areas, not black and white. The recent capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife was considered legal since the Cartel de Soles was qualified as terrorist. As the drug runners being blown up in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Whether some of those boats are really illegally moving illicit drugs is not always known. 

    Questions to ponder, legal and moral.

    Habeas corpus, all the rights of defendants or accusees of whether they deserve a trial.

    In the last 25 years, arguably longer (see Clinton trying to kill Bin Laden in 1998), killing enemies of the state who are terrorist has become normal, accepted.

    Israel is very determined to weed out its existential enemies. Especially since October 7, 2023. The tone and the rules of the deadly game has changed. Syria fell to the freedom fighters, which seems better for many. Lebanon has lost firebrands that threatened the existence of Israel.

    Israel has wiped out many Hamas members and fighters in Gaza City, and in other places. Hezbollah has a continual target on its back. No safe quarter, even in the rich Gulf States like United Arab Emirates.

    Saudi Arabia, and maybe Jordan, were pressuring the U.S. to strike Iran.

    Donald Trump determined that many U.S. presidents failed to combat and stand up to Iran and its threats as he has done. The revolution in 1979 was egregious to us and many citizens of many lands, while the bombings of the barracks in Beirut in 1983 were worse. Iran was blamed for killing our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s.

    They, the Irani government, would not back down from developing nuclear power.

    Israel could not abide by it. And the U.S decided by executive order and military might to do the extreme, "decapitate" Iranian leadership in order to let the people of Iran to make the next steps.

    Legal? Moral?

    What else is there to consider?

    Certainly awful and tragic that we killed school girls, maybe in Teheran, as collateral damage.

    Wars and military strikes are always a mixed curse of strategy and woe.

    Blood is on our hands, as a commander once said to me.

    Will the blood of guilty and innocents be attributed to our souls?

    I think so.

    The next days and weeks will determine much more.

    How will the next leaders of Shia Islam proceed? I think, undoubtedly, with more caution and less bravado. Will there be retaliation from some of the followers of Islam? Likely, too.

    We must figure things out.