End of Year 2017

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and a good 2017. I would not have made it through this past year without God's help. My husband died in March and my mother had three cancer operations for which I traveled to Ohio. As her only child, I felt I needed to be there for her. However, she is doing pretty well for being 86 and living still in her own house.

I have my own home in Michigan and would like to stay here. I've been in the house for 28 years and had come to Muskegon 37 years ago as of the first week of January. I came as a USDA meat inspector of all things. I had used my veterinary degree in other capacities but hadn't found the right niche. I did the USDA job for about 6 years, then quit veterinary work for good in order to write and I eventually got married. I also worked in church-related agencies and did a lot of volunteering in social concerns.

Forgive my rambling but I guess the last week of the year is often a time for reflection and reminiscing. May you greet the 2018 New Year with hope and strength from the Lord, and may He bring you ever closer to Himself.

More Family Needs

As I said in my last post, my husband died of advanced Parkinson's disease. The day after he was buried, I found my mother needed surgery for suspected bladder cancer. The next day I headed for Ohio to be with her for her surgery. It turned out to be cancer, extensive enough as to need more surgery, so I returned to Ohio about a month later for the second surgery. I've been back and forth from Michigan to Ohio about 5 times now. At home, I had paper work to take care of because of my husband's death, such as changing names on various documents. I have not been blogging and don't know if I will continue or not. I just thought I'd write this as an update and let Google know I am still around in case they decide to wipe out anyone who hasn't posted in 6 months.

I hope the lives of those who read this are going well. If you are having problems, do as I do and go to the Lord for His help. He is faithful and good and gives us peace.

Thomas Carlson

My kind, patient, loving husband of 26 years passed away on March 11, 2017 of advanced Parkinson's disease. Prayers for the repose of his soul would be appreciated. Thank you.

War and Peace

I just finished reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Though I think the title should have been War and More War, I can see why it is considered a classic. But I was surprised by how belabored it was on the discussion of what "history" consists of. I guess I shouldn't have the nerve to criticize such a revered book, but Tolstoy seemed exhaustingly determined to get to the bottom of why events happen the way they do (mostly using Napoleon, the French Revolution and the invasion of Russia as his backdrop or example) and therefore to discover a "law" of history just as gravity has a law. The emphasis on law comes from the contrast between the ancient belief that everything came from Divine influence and the modern emphasis on science.

Tolstoy tries to make the point that it is not just leaders such as Napoleon that cause events, but all people involved, including the citizens of the countries. And yet, what causes them to behave as they do? Tolstoy gets into a discussion of human free will vs. inevitability, but this is a question with which many minds have struggled.

Ironically, though modernists want to explain all things by science, Christian evangelists fight in a war of the spiritual kind. This is vividly described by the Apostle Paul in the Bible:

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12 NABRE).

Anyone who misses this aspect of our lives cannot adequately, even by human standards, understand why things happen as they do. The real goal for us as Christians is, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to lead people to Christ that they may believe He is our Savior. The evil elements resist this in any way they can.

I try to pray for Christian evangelists, which is to say Christians, every day. I pray for wisdom and strength for us, understanding, knowledge and courage, and in general all that we need for the task. Though we are all given different gifts, I believe we all as a body are called by God to evangelize. I pray we do so as well as we can.

Been a While

As you can see if you scroll down my posts, it's been a while since I've posted anything but a Christmas greeting.  I've been spending time on Catholic Answers Forums (CAF), a Catholic chat website.  I mostly read the posts but have made a few comments. Lately I have participated in one long-playing game. I am constantly surprised by not only the knowledge of the people who post on the CAF, but their brilliant sense of  humor (when appropriate). There are some smart Catholics around, I assure you.

I've also been reading, taking a break since I finished writing my latest book, Biotech Swirl.  I read The Brothers Karamazov and am reading Fr. Brown mysteries by Chesterton (there are more than I thought of those). I am in the middle of Don Quixote--I don't know if I will finish that or not. I wanted to see what it was like since it was listed in the top 10 fiction books ever written (on several websites of top fiction books). I admit it's imaginative but for me it's a little over the top and 1000 pages of that is a lot. I like Love Inspired Suspense books, since I'm still a mystery fan and these are Christian-centered stories. I like reading them, and although I admit there is violence by the bad guys, it does not seem too graphic, and there is no swearing or pornographic bed scenes.

I'm a caregiver for my husband, who is in his 17th year of Parkinson's disease. I try to keep on top of our healthcare as well as upkeep for our house.

So, life stays busy enough. I try to pray throughout the day, thanking the Lord for our blessings and asking for help, often.

Glad I could express and update this in my blog. Hope all is going well for any readers.