I woke up this morning on February 21, 2020 and first thanked God for being alive after which I realized it was my 85th birthday. I am amazed how fast these years seem to have gone by. Harry Chapin wrote the wonderful song "All My Life's A Circle" with the lyrics: All my life's a circle;But I can't tell you why;Season's spinning round again;The years keep rollin' by. I was born at the Anacortes hospital on this day in…
IS IT CHRISTIAN TO DECIDE THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS? The New York Times ran an article "Evangelicals Closing Ranks with President" regarding evangelical support for Donald Trump after a Christian publication supported his impeachment. One letter to the editor was this one: “Like many Americans, I don’t like President Trump’s rude and hostile tweets and comments; I abhor his lack of both repentance and humility. For these reasons, as an evangelical Christian, I would never hold up Mr….
I fully agree everyone has the right to the opinion Donald Trump's actions don't justify removal from office through impeachment. However, everyone should be also obligated to comply with the law and are also obligated to tell the truth. Politicians like everyone else have a duty to make logical arguments and not rely upon groundless excuses in support of their opinion. When the House was conducting it's investigation, Donald Trump and his Republican supporters called it a "Kangaroo court" and…
Retired Pope Benedict is at it again, undermining the authority of Pope Francis. Now he has co-authored new book “From the Depths of Our Hearts: Priesthood, Celibacy and the Crisis of the Catholic Church," along with his fellow conservative, Cardinal Robert Sarah, who heads the Vatican's liturgy office and has been a critic of Pope Francis. The book strongly reaffirms priestly celibacy which is in direct conflict with Pope Francis who wants the policy discussed and re-examined. It is a…
My sister Phyllis Luvera Ennes died on January 7, 2013. She was the oldest of the three Luvera children, Anita Mayer and I as the youngest. For my previous post about Phyllis see https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/01/phyllis-luvera-ennes-1928-2013.htm Born to Paul and Mary Luvera in Anacortes January 29, 1928, she graduated from Anacortes High School in 1946 with honors and attended the University of Washington where she obtained a degree in English and in 1953 a teaching certificate from Western Washington University. She completed…
I watched the movie The Two Popes and enjoyed it very much. I also recognized that much of the dialogue was accurate and the script had taken liberty with how to present the viewpoints of the two men. In the interest of historical accuracy I decided to write this review. If you haven't seen the film you should. You'll like it. Great acting and scenes of the Vatican. The Movie My personal view of the movie is that it was…
Our best Christmas wishes to each of you, your families and those with whom you have special relationships. To my friends who celebrate a significant religious holiday: Hanukkah Sameach or Happy Hanukkah. Hanukkah 2019 will begin in the evening December 22 and end in the evening of Monday December 30th. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah or Chanukah is an eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and gatherings. The Hanukkah menorah, is a nine-branched…
PHYLLIS FLIPPA LUVERA 1870 – 1946 My grandmother – dad's mother – died December 20, 1946 in Anacortes. She was an Italian grandmother who looked and sounded like what an Italian grandmother should. She Nonna spoke no English and was a wonderful cook who was always feeding us children something whenever we visited. I've written about her before: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/12/phyllis-flippa-luvera-1870-1946.html.htm ELIZABETH "BETTY" BARNETT 1910 -1985 Betty Barnett was my wife Lita's mother who died December 20, 1985. I've written about this remarkable…
Someone has said: "coincidence is God's way of being anonymous." Brett Lunsford, who is the director of the Anacortes Museum, recently sent me a photo of my mother and I standing next to a 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air car. That car is connected to my living in Gig Harbor Washington and the role of fate in my life. The connection involves being born and raised in Anacortes and ending up in Gig Harbor. After graduating from Gonzaga law school in…
Last Thursday, November 21, we flew from Seattle to Cabo, Mexico to stay at the luxury five-star hotel, the One and Only La Paimilla. While we had to get up early, our trip through security and the flight itself was relatively painless. That may be because with my limited walking ability we are now using a wheelchair for me which seems to facilitate the process. We flew Alaska airlines and were met by hotel representatives who drove us the twenty minute drive…
