All Creatures Great and Small

 

RICH or POOR?

 FROM THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER

On the fundamental question of why some people are rich and others are poor, more Americans point to the advantages they possess – or the obstacles they face – rather than their work ethic. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults (65%) say the main reason some people are rich is because they have had more advantages in life than most other people; far fewer say it is because they have worked harder than others (33%).

An even larger majority (71%) says people are poor because they have faced more obstacles in life. Only about a quarter (26%) say they are poor because they have not worked as hard.

As in the past, these views are deeply divided along partisan lines, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center, conducted Jan. 6-19 among 12,638 U.S. adults who are members of the Center’s American Trends Panel. Large majorities of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say advantages in life have more to do with why someone is rich (82%) and that having faced more obstacles has more to do with why someone is poor (86%).  TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...

WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION

SIMPLY PUT:   Wealth Redistribution is taking money from the Wealthy and giving it to the POOR...  exactly like the ROBIN HOOD SAGA.  This typically takes place VIA taxes on not just the wealthy but taxes on large corporations and businesses.

"We live in a market economy," says Warren Buffet...   and, because of this market economy in which Buffet is very skilled, he has become the 3rd wealthiest man in America.

But, what if money was awarded some other way, like through athletic ability or through artistic ability or through musical ability...  Warren Buffet would not be wealthy at all...

SO...

regardless of how WEALTH is generated, some people become wealthy while other people remain average or poor...  this is just how it works.

• What if you had the acting ability of TOM CRUISE?
• If you did, you would be worth over $500,000,000 and counting.
• What if you had the athletic ability of MICHAEL JORDAN?
• If you did, you would be worth over $1,500,000,000 and counting.

WEALTH is generated based upon one's ability in that area where WEALTH is possible...

• wealth is not possible as an electrician
• WEATH is possible if you own an electrical company
• wealth is not possible as a carpenter
• WEALTH is possible if you owned a lumber company
• wealth is not possible as a waiter/waitress
• WEALTH is possible if you owned the restaurant

    

Possibly Our New Leaders

With the Presidential Election too close to call, I am trying to imagine what life will be like in America with Biden as President and Harris as VP...  with a Republican SENATE...

1. My taxes will go up because Trump's tax cuts will be removed...
2. Medicare For All will drain our medical resources...
3. Funds for Law Enforcement will be redirected...  resulting in less cops...
4. Open Borders will result in a huge influx of immigrants...
5. Senate investigations into Biden and Trump's Impeachment will continue...
6. Biden will replace Bill Barr as Attorney General and all his investigations will STOP...
7. Our Military will receive less money...
8. Free College Education will DILUTE the importance of a college degree...
9. OUR SOCIAL SECURITY might be increased...
10. OUR MEDICARE PAYOUTS might be increased...
11. Corporate and Business Taxes will increase...
12. Biden will return all Government Regulations on business and industry...

I am a LIBERAL but I am not as LIBERAL as these NEW DEMOCRATS and I worry that our country will move into a direction that it may regret terribly down-the-road...

Trump's EGO and I DON"T GIVE A SHIT attitude hurt him more than anything else and while I did not vote for him in 2016 or 2020, the Democratic candidate was far worse of a choice.  America cannot lead the rest of the world, if it is ASSHOLE deep and DEBT and CENSORS all opinions that do not agree with their opinion.

HOWEVER, with a BIDEN victory, I am anxious to see how the mainstream media will report the negative shit that Biden inevitably will do...  it will have to see pros and cons now whether they like it or not...  and, that will be something new for Americans.

I am also anxious to see how Bernie Sanders and THE SQUAD influence Biden and Harris and how Biden's policies will begin to reflect how he lied during his campaign...

BUT...  WE ALWAYS GET WHAT WE DESERVE...

Back In The Day

What Was Life Like During The Time of Jesus Christ?

The population of Palestine in Jesus' day was approximately 500,000 to 600,000 (about that of Vermont, Boston, or Jerusalem today). About 18,000 of these residents were clergy, priests and Levites. Jerusalem was a city of some 55,000, but during major feasts, could swell to 180,000.

Children in Jesus' day played games similar to hopscotch and jacks. Whistles, rattles, toy animals on wheels, hoops, and spinning tops have been found by archaeologists. Older children and adults found time to play, too, mainly with board games. A form of checkers was popular then.

Tradesmen would be instantly recognizable by the symbols they wore. Carpenters stuck wood chips behind their ears, tailors stuck needles in their tunics, and dyers wore colored rags. On the Sabbath, these symbols were left at home.

The second commandment forbade "graven images," so there are few Jewish portraits showing dress at the time. Also because of this prohibition, the Jews produced little in the way of painting, sculpture, or carvings. The masonry and carpentry of the day appear utilitarian. One notable exception to the commandment seems to be the tolerance of dolls for children.

At the two meals each day, bread was the main food. The light breakfasts—often flat bread, olives, and cheese (from goats or sheep)—were carried to work and eaten at mid-morning. Dinners were more substantial, consisting of vegetable (lentil) stew, bread (barley for the poor, wheat for the rich), fruit, eggs, and/or cheese. Fish was a common staple, but red meat was reserved for special occasions. Locusts were a delicacy and reportedly taste like shrimp. (Jews wouldn't have known that, however, since shrimp and all other crustaceans were "unclean.")   SOURCE:  Christianitytoday.com

TODAY... 

there are a myriad of ways that males and females 

can experience/express incongruence between 

birth sex and gender identity.

This was never an issue back in the days of Jesus, so there was no real concept of homosexuality other than having sexual relations with another male as one might have sexual relations with a female as both would have been considered PROSTITUTES and willing to have sex for money.  So, when Bible verses express males not lying with another male, these verses are referring to PROSTITUTION and quite possibly INCEST, but not homosexuality.

Similarly, ABORTIONS has no real evidence of comment in the Bible...

Exodus 21:22–24 describes two men fighting and accidentally hitting a pregnant woman's stomach causing a premature birth that does not result in further injury as a non-capital offense and a "non-serious injury", unless it results in the crime of murder. Commentators such as Bruce Waltke have presented this as evidence that "God does not regard the fetus as a soul".  C. Everett Koop disagreed with this interpretation. 

Numbers 5:11-31 describes the test of the unfaithful wife. If a man is suspicious of his wife's fidelity, he would take her to the high priest. The priest would make a substance for the woman to drink made from water and "dust from the tabernacle floor". If she had been unfaithful "her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse." If she was innocent the drink had no effect.

Recently Wondering

To tell you the truth...  (actually implies that I have not been telling you the truth before...  but, is still a phrase that is commonly used in the South)...  I wonder often but recently I have been wondering about what might happen to AMERICA if President Trump DOES NOT WIN his bid for re-election...

Not only will the Democrats win the Presidency but they could win control of the HOUSE as well as the SENATE and if that is the case, AMERICA will change...  and, in my opinion will change for the WORSE not for the BETTER...  but again, this is one's perception...

First of all...

Biden will DO AWAY with Trump's TAX CUTS which will impact everyone even those that do not make enough money to be considered in Biden's tax increases

Second of all...

Biden will be influence by the PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS who will push for MEDICARE FOR ALL and while that is a positive humanitarian effort for everyone, it will stretch our medical resources beyond their current limits.  It will be like everyone going to the ER instead of their family doctors.

Other ACTIONS...

• A Civil War between Political Party Supporters will take place throughout the country
• Washington, DC and Puerto Rico could become States which will submit Democrats to the House and to the Senate
• Legislation towards severely limiting the Second Amendment will be passed
• Legislation towards opening our borders to unlimited immigration will be passed
• Legislation towards tearing down the border wall will be passed
• Legislation toward expanding the Supreme Court will be passed
• Legislation towards preventing Republicans from ever gaining a majority will be passed
• Legislation towards free college education will be passed
• Legislation towards a guaranteed income will be passed
• Legislation towards going GREEN will be passed
• Legislation towards redistributing law enforcement monies will be passed
• Legislations towards paying black reparations for slavery will be passed
• Legislation towards reducing the military will be passed

FEARS:

1. Biden will fall ill and Kamala Harris will become President
2. Russia will take advantage of a Liberal President and Congress
3. China will take advantage of a Liberal President and Congress
4. North Korea will take advantage of a Liberal President and Congress
5. Trade deals will be negotiated that do not favor Americans
6. NATO will no longer trust America's Military Support
7. Terrorism will no longer fear America's retaliations
8. A college education in America will be damn near worthless
9. America's NATIONAL DEBT will increase beyond its ability to pay back
10. The worth of the American Dollar will decrease

Tomorrow is the Day

Election Day Tomorrow...

Boy oh Boy...

We are in a Presidential contest between:  Biden/Harris and Trump/Pence and most of the people and that includes the mainstream media...  HATES TRUMP for several reasons, the least of which are:

• He did not win the popular vote
• He was elected by the Electoral College
• He is not a POLITICIAN
• He is a Billionaire
• He is not diplomatic
• He seems to have no manners

It really does not matter what he has accomplished, we THE PEOPLE want him out of there...

However, 

there are some problems with Biden/Harris, which are:

• Biden is for raising taxes and eliminating the Trump tax cut
• Biden is for OPEN BORDERS
• Biden is in favor of Medicare for all
• Biden is a career POLITICIAN
• Biden would be the oldest President
• Harris is not qualified to become President

If we have OPEN BORDERS and if the GOVERNMENT gives all immigrants FREE HEALTHCARE and EDUCATION and WHATEVER...  then, the odds are these immigrants will become a  DEMOCRAT...

Now, if we think this concept through, our country could become:

60%  Democrat

40% Republicans

simply math yawl...  which party would always have the majority?  There would be no opposing views...  only one way to think...  only one way to govern...

And if they govern WRONGLY...  we would have no one to replace them with other than someone else who is like them...

This is dangerously STUPID...

AND, we ain't even gotten to our GLOBAL ISSUES and our greatest competition which is CHINA...

Reasons For Piss Poor Communications at Work

The purpose of communication is to convey information from one person to another. Through the choice of written and spoken words, ideas, concepts, emotions, thoughts, and opinions are exchanged. Unfortunately, miscommunication is common – the listener or reader fails to understand what is said or written. Dale Carnegie, author of “How to Make Friends and Influence People,” said, “90 percent of all management problems are caused by miscommunication.”

EXAMPLE:
“If you have time, try to mow the lawn this afternoon,” said the father as he walked out the door to go to his office. His teenage son, head down, concentrating on breakfast, grunts in reply, “Uh-huh.” To the father’s dismay, the yard remained untouched when he returned home. The son, when confronted by his angry father, excused his lack of action with the explanation, “You said ‘if I had time,’ and I was at the mall all day.”

Communications are effective when the receiver of a thought, whether by listening or reading, understands the meaning intended by the speaker or writer. Good communication is simple and direct, sometimes intensified by emotion, but never confusing.

COMMON COMMUNICATIONS PROBLEMS

1. Misaligned Vocabularies
2. Messy Thinking
3. Faulty Definitions
4. False Civility
5. Sloppy Language Habits
6. Government Speak and Legalese 

Many of the problems is due to proper grammar not being taught or learned (acquired) in high school yet the student(s) in question still graduates and takes that lack of understanding into the workplace.  The only words and phrases that everyone really understand without any problems or difficulties are CUSS WORDS AND/OR PROFANITY...

One of the BIG REASONS why some (or all) of the 6 points above happen in the workplace is because EMPLOYEES are afraid to ask their BOSSES to explain their words and therefore they then make the false assumption that they know what the boss is trying to communicate.

This problem does not just exist between management and labor but it exists between management and management and labor and labor...  and, the TOP MANAGEMENT person(s) don't really care as long as results are achieved.

The Butterfly Effect

Chaos theory is a branch of mathematics focusing on the study of chaos—states of dynamical systems whose apparently random states of disorder and irregularities are often governed by deterministic laws that are highly sensitive to initial conditions.

In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.

Using these two concepts (chaos theory and the butterfly effect) let me propose an idea to you that from the OUTSET will be completely CONTROVERSIAL...

If we have ever attended a Church Service, we have heard quite often that JUDAS betrayed JESUS CHRIST and therefore by default must be considered an evil person and condemned to HELL or worse...

BUT, without JUDAS, there would be no arrest of JESUS, no trial of JESUS, and no crucifixion of JESUS... and, without the crucifixion of JESUS there would be no burial and resurrection of JESUS... and, without the resurrection of JESUS there would be NO CHRISTIANITY that survived decade after decade after HIS death.

This is a PERFECT EXAMPLE of the BUTTERFLY EFFECT... one thing happens because something earlier happened first.

JUDAS had no choice but to betray JESUS... that was GOD'S WILL... and, had to happened so that other events were then set into motion and GOD'S WILL could be accomplished.

JUDAS caused CHRISTIANITY to take place... so, why should JUDAS be seen as EVIL?

Komic Korner Kartoons

 

HALLOWEEN

                                                            

Halloween or Hallowe'en (a contraction of Hallows' Even or Hallows' Evening),also known as Allhalloween All Hallows' Eve,or All Saints' Eve, is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows' Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain; that such festivals may have had pagan roots; and that Samhain itself was Christianized as Halloween by the early Church. Some believe, however, that Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, separate from ancient festivals like Samhain.

Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related guising and souling), attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins into jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, as well as watching horror films. 

In many parts of the world, the Christian religious observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead, remain popular, although elsewhere it is a more commercial and secular celebration. 

Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows' Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of certain vegetarian foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.   SOURCE:  Wikipedia

THIS and THAT

Just Me and My Thoughts

My thoughts appear out of nowhere or that is what they seem to be doing and yet I know that these thoughts must come from somewhere.  The generation of these thoughts is better in the morning for some reason and so it is in the morning that I have trained myself to write and reflect.  Upon reflection, I formulate ideas and once the idea hatches, my mind begins to control my consciousness openly and I put pen to paper and write...  or, in this case, I put fingers to keyboard and type...  however, I can actually write faster than I type and errors are easily scratched out, whereas with the keyboard, one must find and use the backspace key that I use all the time...

Nonetheless, I write in a notebook with a pen in hand, usually black and usually fine point as medium points smear...  and I write on blogs using a computer...  actually a laptop since the keyboard on a tablet is too small for my fat fingers.

And... mornings are the best for me as I drink coffee but also in the afternoons do I write my thoughts as I really have nothing else to do with my life now that I am retired...  although, I have taught some evening college classes in the past and have agreed to teach another one in the spring of 2021...  this class I taught many times before so I just need to update my syllabus a little and I am good to go...  Personal Financial Planning changes very little over the years...  and, as I think about it, I will be adding BITCOIN and CRYPTO CURRENCY to my list of topics.

All Creatures Great and Small

Disrespect For Limits Causes Accidents/Deaths

An early morning scheduled PET-CT Scan had me up at 5:00 am and on the road by 5:30 am since I could not eat or drink anything 6 hours before my arrival time of 6:30 am...  This morning, it was dark, foggy as best as I could tell, and raining as if Trump had won the election and the world was going to end.  Usually, I drive with one hand on the wheel, but today I had both hands and could feel the vehicle sliding a little to both sides as the rain pounded the windshield.

Once in the city limits of Knoxville, the traffic was thin and moving rather briskly until all of a sudden traffic was stopped, backed up, and slowly moving to the left as emergency vehicles creeped past us with sirens blaring.  Fortunately, most of the drivers (including truckers) were polite, allowing every other vehicle to merge left from 4 lanes down to 1 lane that was actually the pull over zone for disabled vehicles.

As I drove by the wreck, it looked like 4-5 vehicles were involved and that a few had been injured since there were 3 ambulances.  One of the vehicle involved in the crash was facing me as I drove by, the front end of the car completely smashed up against the front seat and the driver was still pinned in behind the wheel. 

I later found out that all the vehicles involved were driving too fast and following too close and with the amount of rain coming down on the road and hydroplaning conditions in place...  it was the perfect storm for an accident.

I would suspect that there are twice as many vehicles on the road in 2020 as there were in the 1960's and I have personally observed that unless there is a highway patrolman or cop in plain sight, NO ONE OBSERVES the speed limit and that includes:  Old/Young, Black/White, Male/Female as well as Hispanics, and illegal immigrants.

Personally, I don't care who lives or dies anymore because when I drive, I assume EVERYONE IS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE and watch my speed, keep my distance, and am constantly on the lookout for asshole drivers.

It's nothing personal, just the world that we are living in today.

Workplace Communications

Communication problems in the workplace can have a negative impact on morale, productivity and interdepartmental working relationships. When left unchecked, ongoing communication problems can potentially cut into profits, increase turnover and lead to mistakes that negatively impact the company’s public image. Recognizing and addressing common issues can smooth over problems before they get out of hand. Watch for common workplace communication problems and resolve them quickly.

Common Communication Problems

1. Failure to communicate fully
2. Assuming someone else has the ball
3. Failure to self edit
4. Being unprepared
5. Using the wrong communications tool
6. Saying too much

People in general make the assumption that communications is simple when in reality if you are not taught how to communicate properly, it is 100% certain that the communicator will be misunderstood...

Let me try to paint an example of what I am saying...

1.  Person A makes a comment to person B

2.  there is a 50/50 chance that communications are perfect

3.  Person B communicates to person C

4.  50% chance of understanding (B) times another 50% chance of understanding (C)

5.  the result is .50 X .50  =  .25

6.  or a 25% chance that person C understands what person A was trying to communicate

7.  now person C communicates to person D

8.  25% chance of understanding (C) times 50% chance of understanding (D)

9.  the result is .25 x .50  =  ,125

10.  or there is a 12.5% chance that person D understands what Person A was trying to communicate.

NOTE:  From the very beginning there is a problem with my communications example because everyone made the assumption that communicating was not a problem...  everyone knows how to talk.

If you are married, you also understand how difficult it is sometimes when talking to your spouse, as what you thought you said clearly was still misunderstood...  and, if the issue is pushed then a huge argument follows pissing off both spouses to the point that they go into separate room and stop communication altogether.

These actions are extremely detrimental to a marriage and they are devastating to a company.

Illegal Drugs

 NATIONAL INTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE       

    

1. Vaping
2. Nicotine & Other Tobacco
3. Marijuana
4. Alcohol
5. Opioid
6. Other Illicit Drugs

More than 42,500 students from nearly 400 public and private schools across the country participated in this year’s Monitoring the Future (MTF) Survey of drug use and attitudes among American 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. Encouraging trends continue to be seen for cigarette use, with past month use down by approximately 20-30 percent compared to the mid-1990’s. Declines were seen in five-year trends of lifetime, past year, past month and binge alcohol use and in overall rates of lifetime, past year and past month illicit drug use, excluding marijuana, among 10th and 12th graders. Notably, misuse of prescription opioids among high school seniors is at its lowest rate since the survey began assessing it. Despite these promising trends, the 2019 MTF results show a continued dramatic increase in vaping.

Some of the most common reasons that high school seniors reported they vape are to, “experiment”, “because it tastes good”, “to have a good time with my friends”, and “to relax or relieve tension.” Over the past year, the two-fold rise in the percent of 12th graders that say they vape because they are “hooked” is of particular concern. This report supports other published findings that flavor additives, especially sweet flavors like fruit and mint, are appealing to youth. Overall, reported rates of past month vaping appear to exceed any other kind of substance use, including alcohol and marijuana, for all three grades; and in each grade past year vaping is second only to alcohol.  TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE, CLICK HERE...

Importance of an Education

In 1966, I graduated from high school in the Spring and entered college in he Fall of that same year.  Two and a half years later, I left college because I was not happy, worked for a year then enlisted in the US Navy and after 2 years realized that in the military was not the place I wanted to be, so I left and returned to college and two years later received a BA degree.  Five years later, I entered Grad School and after 2 more years, I graduated with an MBA.

While my MBA opened doors that would have otherwise been closed, I hardly ever used the knowledge from my MBA in the discharge of my duties until I started designing and teaching classes in Project Management which lasted from about 3-5 years out of my 45 year career.

SO...  what was the point of my education?

From my standpoint, my education provided me with a lot of knowledge but did very little in the performance of my job or in my pay raises or advancements, except opened door as I mentioned.  Therefore, my career could have been just as successful had I received no education at all outside of high school.

First of all, when I left college in 1968 and entered the military, I could have remained in the military for 20 years and retired in 1990 at 43 years old.  At that point, I could have used my military experience and secured another job doing whatever for another 20 years and retired a second time in 2010 at 63.  I still would have been below FULL RETIREMENT AGE to receive Social Security, but I would have income from 2 other pension plans.

During my career, I had an opportunity to talk with a restaurant owner, who after high school got a job at that restaurant as a bus boy...  worked his way up to a waiter, then a cook, then chef, then assistant manager, then manager, and after all those years working for the company was given the opportunity to purchase the FRANCHISE and became owner.

He had no college debts that he had to pay off but when talking with him he came across as a well educated person.  During our conversation, he told me that he read a lot and learned most of his knowledge by reading as there was no tests or pressure on him to retain the knowledge he was reading so it was easier for him to remember.

When one speaks of the IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION, one is always assuming that this means going to college, but college is not for everyone.  I was lucky because the GI Bill paid for all of my college education after I returned to college; otherwise, I would have had TONS OF DEBT to pay off with very little to show for it...  and, because of all that debt, I may have been forced to move out of the South where the wages are traditionally LOW...

Importance of Family

Over my lifetime...  at least so far, I have know several families many of which had 2-3 children while only a few had more than 3 children...  and, the general consensus of my thoughts were that most of these families (around 90-95% I would have to say) were CLOSELY TIED when the years between their ages were far apart or when they were close...  as family is family and that is more important than age difference.  However, I never knew or came into contact with any family where one sibling was substantially more wealthy than the other siblings.  Typically, each family were comprised of the HAVE and HAVE NOT siblings in various degrees of success but they were still all close.

This is in STARK CONTRAST to my siblings where my sister is much more successful that I was but mainly because she lived and worked in a State that paid much higher wages than the State in which I lived and worked...  so, we were relatively on the same playing field.

Our brother, on the other hand (8 or 12 years younger) quickly became a MILLIONAIRE and then a BILLIONAIRE and as he acquired more and more wealth, he wanted less and less to do with his two siblings...  not sure why, but I can speculate that not only were we beneath him but that he traveled in different INTELLECTUAL CIRCLES than we did, making it damn near impossible to have a conversation.

This SIBLING INDIFFERENCE extended to me personally when I was told I had experienced a heart attack, had cancer, then developed another cancer, and was later hospitalized with a STAPH infection...  his response was GOOD LUCK...  although, he did recommend a cardiac surgeon who inserted stints into my arteries so I did not have to have a triple bypass...  this was accomplished because he was on the BOARD of DIRECTORS of the hospital and MADE IT HAPPEN.

Other than that, for the last 12 years, I have only had minimal contact with my brother outside of a $50 gift card for my birthday and a $100 Christmas Present that I did not need.  He does not answer my phone calls, my texts, or my emails...  and, on those rare occasions where a text or an email is answered, it is usually less than 6 words and there IS NEVER A FOLLOWUP...

IRONICALLY, on his 50th birthday celebration,  he rented a library for 150 of his closest friends and invited me and my sister up for the party as well...  and as a parting gift for everyone, we were given a book by a Harvard Professor, curiously enough on the IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY...  My sister and I were invited as TOKENS because during the party and afterwards, he had nothing to do with us other than a QUICK thank you for coming hello.

During his son's wedding, we were treated the same way, except this time our mother was isolated with us.  The only time when we were really treated like family was when our father was alive...  and, I am sure that his behavior was for our father's benefit and not ours.

YES...  the family is important...  just not our family...  since those events, my sister has backed away from me...  or, I have backed away from her, as I am not totally sure other than the fact that we do not communicate anymore either, except when she wants to share what is going on in her family with us but never responds to our reply.

What it boils down to for me is that the only real person that I can count on outside of my wife, is myself and my faith...  and, whether or not that is sad is beside the point, since this is a fact of my life.

MATTHEW 18:20

"FOR WHERE TWO OR THREE

 GATHER TOGETHER IN MY NAME

 THERE AM I WITH THEM..."

This is the passage most often used by the United Methodist Church Ministers with whom I spent my morning on Sundays at the request of my parents, to justify the necessity of attending Church...  but, as you can easily see, NOWHERE is there a command or instruction to be in Church.  If fact, according to this passage, I could be in my vehicle, outside on my deck, on the battlefield in Vietnam, or at Myrtle Beach as long as there were one perhaps two others who were gathering in HIS NAME.

This is a CALL TO WORSHIP...  not to attend CHURCH...

Back in the time of Jesus, the Synagogues (our modern Church so to speak) were located in the cities and not everyone lived in those urban areas and did not have a Synagogue to attend in order to worship...  so, Jesus was telling the people of his day, that they did not need a Synagogue in which to worship but they could do so in HIS NAME where there were two or three present.

And...  while this does not indicate that an individual could worship alone, I am sure that was also possible since Jesus prayed to HIS FATHER all the time when he was alone.  Jesus wanted to encourage gatherings.