This is my assignment # 4 and I chose to write this blog for you my family and friends who feel uncomfortable with my opinions that don’t conform to your sense of right and wrong.  To those of you who fear that at this stage of the game I am backsliding to hell, I thank you for your prayers and please know that this blog is for you too.   I know that you are sincere in your beliefs.  Our friendship would not have lasted if I thought differently. I appreciate that you continue to accept me in spite of it all.

I want you to rest assured that I am not an atheist, leftist, liberal.  However, I want you to know that each time one of those “Christian” politicians or religious leaders gets up with that look in the eye to  talk about morality and what is right in the eyes of God, I get afraid and I take a step to the left.  Please don’t think that I was brainwashed by the socialists as I campaigned for Barack Obama and I certainly didn’t wake up one morning because an evil force put these thoughts in my head while I was sleeping.  No, this has been a process, a spiritual transformation and personal evolution if you will.  Please excuse my use of the “E” word but it does describe the way I see the process.  It didn’t happen at the snap of my fingers or the wave of a wand.

Most of you know that I love the history behind the scriptures.  I’ve studied the Christian bible-Catholic and Protestant versions. I’ve researched the basic beliefs and dogmas of Orthodox Catholics and other popular religions. I’ve come to the conclusion that they all have similar, if not the same basic teachings. They’ve all served as a moral compass for believers.   Traditions and forms of worship have been shared and adopted though the ages.  I will get into all these things as we go along.

But–   Since writing about religion and politics day in and day out can be a bit exhausting for all of us, I intend to add a few stories, musings of life how I’ve experienced it.  I’ll add stories about my grandchildren and the amazement with which they experience life. There is nothing more fun for me right now than seeing the world again through the eyes of a child that is loved and cared for.  Sometimes I’ll bring bittersweet stories, memories of my parents, aunts and uncles that have passed on from this life but taught me to be the person I am today.  I hope you’ll smile as you remember them too.   I’m sure there will be days when I bring in a “can you believe it?” story just to make you chuckle.  I hope you do.