The Diaspora Encounter: Memoir

By Francisco A. Cruz

The mere record of a humane experience in the politics, economics and social mores of colonial life was entrenched in the heritage of a people living detached from the motherland to a frenzied Diaspora Encounter in China. One discussed relativity and the atom bomb; analyzed Marxism and Communism comparing both to Christianity and Democracy.
The ships of Columbus pierced that veil and brought the vast continent into view. Today, it is the destiny of America to pierce another veil, the veil of the Middle Eastern peoples of the world. Our performance is to uplift these people to some decency of living. Ultimately, our ending of all wars whether for religious or other reasons is our task and our mission.
As a historian in his own right, who is emerging as an author of alternative history, he has captured all his personal history in this memoir incorporating his life experiences throughout his many travels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Aug 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490762180

Francisco A. Cruz

Francisco Antonio Cruz is an immigrant, Macanese (Eurasian) refugee and expatriate; and, a naturalized American citizen since 1962. His beloved parents and the family practiced Roman Catholic faith predominantly within the San Francisco Archdiocese. Relocated in 2011- 2016 to the Sacramento Archdiocese at the ‘Trilogy;’ a great resort community for active seniors. Terry, his wife and he resided in Rio Vista to spend their full-retirement of a great marriage for the Golden Years. One accomplished with much gratitude; in an extensive career of a forty plus years tenure in Civil Service, three decades in banking; and five years as franchise owners with beloved wife, Doreen (deceased in 1984); of a Seven-Eleven [mini-market] in Fairfax, Marin County; and aggregated with an unbroken double-careers for thirty- years minimum. In 1986, remarried and lived with his wife, Terry in the San Francisco Bay Area for the last thirty years. Since 2011 resided at the ‘Trilogy,’ Rio Vista along the Sacramento Delta in California to enjoy a leisurely life for active seniors. They have six grown children (extended family), six grandchildren, and a Pomeranian dog, Rex.

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Copyright 2015 Francisco A. Cruz.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN BIBLE®, Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,1975,1977,1995 by Th e Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

ISBN:

978-1-4907-6216-6 (sc)

ISBN:

978-1-4907-6217-3 (hc)

ISBN:

978-1-4907-6218-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015911864

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Contents

Ancestry

Preface

Chapter 1 In the Beginning of Time

Chapter 2 Seeking My History & Culture

Chapter 3 Genealogy

Chapter 4 Human Dignity Questioned

Chapter 5 Human Actions can be Moral or Immoral

Chapter 6 Potpourri of Events

Chapter 7 A Pair of Daring Souls

Chapter 8 Goodness

Chapter 9 Living In The Far East And The Tradition

Chapter 10 Pursuing An Aspiration

Chapter 11 An Invigorating Chapter In H&Sbc’s History

Chapter 12 The Impact Of A New Global Consciousness

Chapter 13 In The Midst Of Sorrow

Chapter 14 Cultural Revolution & Tragedy At Tiananmen Square

Chapter 15 Leaving The Far East

Chapter 16 Our Flight To The Promise Land

Chapter 17 Life In America

Chapter 18 During The First Years In San Francisco

Chapter 19 Ten Years Later In The Bay Area

Chapter 20 Twenty Five Years With Two Careers

Chapter 21 Why San Francisco Is My Chosen City

Chapter 22 Painful Episodes

Chapter 23 Encountered A Sense Of Deja Vu

Chapter 24 Epilogue

Chapter 25 Charity

Notes

About the Author

Dedicated to Jesus, Mary and Joseph

The Holy Family of Nazareth

JMJ is Written More Than

One-thousand Times in School

Ancestry

Preface

H istory often repeats itself such as in this true anecdote. The identity of the person is not revealed for the sake of its purpose here. It was during many factually related encounters of many refugee-immigrants at the Sao Paulo airport in Brazil. Through my family I learned similar accounts had surfaced in the course of events. It resonated with today’s conflicts and challenges of endless wartime stories. Thus, you will further understand why prejudices are still relevant in this day and age. Immigrants who purportedly came from any previous colonial ports or who desired entry into any other Portuguese possessions in the world, such was a case in point of my cousin.

As he was likely to say, O filho de Macau Portuguese or a son of Portuguese Macau…a Macanese, in most cases are offspring of a native from Portugal and China (or Asian). A Eurasian is akin to offspring from European and Asian.

So, it was, in continuance to the above story when their passports were handed over to his stern-looking deputy at the airport. He sensed the moment of confusion that erupted from the deputy due to his facial expression … He also uttered in profusion these parting words of concern: How can you be Mendes that is a Portuguese surname as according to your papers? Incensed, mankind’s racial prejudices are still prevalent in our society such as in the eyes of this single deputy’s biased judgment leveled upon many similar Macanese descendants. Eurasians and Mendes’ story is a pertinent case in point and can be viewed to include its Social, Political and Cultural context.

I recalled a similar but brutal, frightening confrontation during the Cruz family departure from Shanghai in an Exodus, as refugees leaving China (Communist) in August of 1951. At the border crossing into the British colony of Hong Kong, I too was being confronted with many heavy-handed authorities at the last Customs check point. Two soldiers each carrying a rifle on their shoulder assisted by an English speaking interpreter, presented their authority in oppressive and coercive threats that I must comply to their demands. I was fifteen then and the above scary incident would be revealed in these pages later in the book.

For those sensitive enough for the mere record of a humane experience I suggest The Portuguese in America, 590 B.C. –1900s bearing texts that follow the chronology, are transcripts of documents upon its story.

In 590 B.C., Carthaginian merchants sailed westward from the Iberian Peninsula to the Antilles and New Spain, according to Gaspar Frutuoso (1522-1591), the Azorean chronicler of the Atlantic islands. There are references in Frutuoso as well as in Damiao de Gois (1502-1574), the Portuguese humanist who chronicled the reign of King Emmanuel I (1495-1521), to a stone statue of a man pointing westward on the Azorean island of Corvo. Both declared that it was erected by Phoenician or Carthaginian adventurers on a spot that later was found to be only 1,054 miles from Newfoundland.

In 1516, one of the chief characters of St. Thomas More’s Utopia is the Portuguese sailor Ralph Hytholoday. A renegade Portuguese in the service of Castile, Joao Dias de Solis, commanded an expedition that reached the Rio de la Plata. A number of fellow Portuguese accompanied him.

In 1519-22, Ferdinand Magellan (Fernao de Magalhaes), the Portuguese navigator in the service of Castile who was the first to circumnavigate the globe, left Spain in 1519 and was killed in the Philippines in 1521. Elcano reached Spain, now over charted routes, in 1522. Three captains of the expedition and their pilots were Portuguese. The chief pilot was also Portuguese, Estevao Gomes, who abandoned the expedition at the Straits of Magellan and returned to Spain. He named Montevideo, Patagonia, and the Pacific Ocean.

What is the role of America? We are destined under Providence, to be the secondary cause for restoration of the freedom and liberties of the peoples of the world. We are the secondary cause; GOD is the primary cause.

To fulfill that role, we shall have to make ourselves worthy of it. America, our country has always had a great mission. In the beginning of our history we were a sanctuary for the oppressed. Presently, we became an arsenal for Democracy. In the last few years we were in wars and pantry for the starving world. Each year we send millions of dollars to the distressed and hungry of the world. Now, we are suddenly called upon to roll up the curtain of the Middle East and help to defend the Islamic world against the evil terrorists. That is, to give to the citizens in the Middle East the prosperity, peace, and fraternity with the other nations of the world which it so ardently desires.

The ships of Columbus pierced that veil and brought the vast continent into view. Today, it is the destiny of America to pierce another veil, the veil of the Middle Eastern peoples of the world, in whom we are so interested in our mission. Our role is to restore these people to some decency of living. Ultimately, to end all wars whether for religious or other reasons and instead to usher peace for mankind throughout the earth, to fill their minds and souls with the truth of GOD is our task and our mission.

Francis Cruz

October 13, 2014

Chapter One

In the Beginning of Time

W e believe how things come from God; the first beginning of things must be by total production out of nothing. All things in the final analysis are created. Therefore, the goodness of God is both the first effecting cause of things and the ultimate final cause (the end or goal) for which things are created.

Such as in natural history, it is the essence in the shaping of our Continent of North America; across the vast vault of night, astronomers with their telescopes can gaze at an array of billions of stars; Shakespeare’s burning tapers of the sky was ascribed. They have discovered many with extravagant properties – stars that would weigh as much as 500 million plus of automobiles, with mysterious black holes whose incredible gravitational pull sucks in the dust and stuff of space, never to be seen again.

What has catalogued that jumbled led throng of stars into an orderly sequence by variety and age, as if they had looked at a crowd of people and sorted them into infants, children, young adults, the middle-aged, and the elderly.

A natural history, as earth retches, and steams and exploding lava streaks the skies as the islet of Surtsey grows from the seas near Iceland in 1963. Such pyrotechnics hint of the powerful forces at work in our restless, hot-hearted planet – pushing continents around, building mountains, opening and closing oceans; thus our continent of North America came into being!

By whatever definition this great world that we live in has distinctive representatives and though the biological landscapes of North America are varied and magnificent; the continent is not markedly different in many respects from Europe and Asia.

Let us suppose using another illustration, the problem of conceiving the immense time spans involved in geological processes was postponed until only yesterday our conception of organic evolution by natural selection. One may utilize the past in the face of the present. Time molds the natural world. It shapes the land, and even the smallest pebbles in it. The kinds of animals and plants have evolved through time and will continuously change as more time passes and the complex web of ecological relationships among them will also change.

Conclusively, we must ask ourselves a germane question now, Who created all this?

Another probe, such is our indisputable knowledge of the beauty of His creation that we all share as beneficiary!

One’s supreme responsibility is epitomized hereof: You are also likely to agree that this one true God, as revealed in the chapters of Genesis. He is the living God who gives life and intervenes in history.

Because of the high spiritual and emotional drama which struck me as profoundly real and profoundly human; I wanted to know how one might conduct the inquiry concerning these two inherently related topics:

a) Work.

b) Prayer

What is the Christian understanding of Work? From the beginning of time men have labored to better the circumstances of their lives. From the Christian viewpoint this human activity is in accordance with the will of God. Man created in God’s image was made a worker or creator in the universe, and by his efforts through the centuries, both as an individual and in community; he has unfolded the work of the creator. Spurred on by grace and led by the Spirit, he has contributed to the fulfillment in history of the divine plan.

The progress of human civilization, of arts and science, of the integrated society, are values only inasmuch as they serve the human person. Their goodness lies in the extent to which they transform men, making them more profound, more generous and more responsible.

Where does Prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain. In that light of both latter points taken above which is the direct attribute to part of my life experience and before this memoir begins, I would like to invite you to join me if you desire freely in saying The Lord’s Prayer. This is the prayer in which Jesus taught His disciples and is still the fundamental prayer of Christians today:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one, Amen."

(Matthew 6: 9-13)

*

I was raised as a Catholic and the word means general or universal, from the Greek word katholikos. To tell personal stories about my Catholic boyhood in performance would be one thing and incomplete.

In Christian terminology, the word has been used in different ways:

a) As a description of the Church as a whole, as distinguished from local Christian churches or communities

b) In application to the doctrine of the Church, as a whole, as distinguished from unorthodox teachings….

Today it applies to the Church membership, the creeds, churches, institutions, clergy and hierarchy who follow the same teachings of Christ as given to the Apostles.

In the first place, I would not have been a working storyteller if it had not been helped providentially and secondly if it had not been for Terry, my wife in her encouragement to write this memoir. With God’s blessing, our 25th Wedding Anniversary would come to fruition in 2011!

Thanks to the storytelling communities that have provided a context for my work spreading over these last seven decades – from this list were all our children; my dearest parents, Roberto and Jacinta Cruz and my favorite grandmother, Maria Conceicao, my two siblings, Eduardo (Edward) and Anita and their families; as well as the casual structures of colleagues and friends whose influence will be clear in these pages.

Finally, I would like to thank the brothers (clergy) at St. Francis Xavier College and Ste. Jeanne D’Arc College who taught me: "‘Bros. Gilbert and Jules (Principals), Bro. Alfred (Dean), Bros. Henry, Claudius and Kevin, then there were two biological brothers of Bro. Leo and Korad (teachers/soccer coaches), vivid remembrance of Bro. James (in Form I class) and especially Bro. Rafael Maher a teacher from our Portuguese community, a Eurasian by birth himself who had set the tone of my entire education. More profound narratives followed in chapter 9.

In due respect, I had a desire in the early years of religious education to serve God as an Altar Boy for my Parish at the Sacred Heart Church in Nanzin Road, Hong Kew district, Shanghai. I have never seen my ‘permanent record,’ but I know it exists somewhere.’"

This brief explanation of a wondrous vision makes us contemplate the human race in the unity of its origin in God. St. Paul tells us that the human race takes its origin from two men: Adam and Christ….

The first man, Adam, he says, became a living soul, the last Adam a life giving spirit. The first Adam was made by the last Adam, from whom he also received his soul, to give him life….

The second Adam stamped his image on the first Adam, when he created him. That is why he took on himself the role and the name of the first Adam, in order that he might not lose what he had made in his own image.

The first Adam, the last Adam: the first had a beginning, the last knows no end. The last Adam is indeed the first; as he himself says: I am the first and the last.

Life had become interesting for this child. And his aspiration then was into education, religion, travel and sports in that first order. However, I have never received a medal for Religion or General Excellence. Somehow, that qualified me for the elite corps of boys chosen to assist the priest at God’s altar during Mass.

Nevertheless, in my junior years at St. Francis Xavier College (SFX) during their ‘Silver Jubilee Celebration’ I had won the top prize in sports for my age category; awarded with a silver cup and numerous medals for the highest aggregated points in individual events.

Early on as a young boy I had a passionate desire to seek the true knowledge about our existence on this earth of ours as a whole human being. Man’s knowledge (in body and soul but truly one) created in the image of this One and true GOD, one is a being at once spiritual and corporeal.

My aspiration to follow Jesus came early on in childhood when I saw the movie Apparitions of Fatima at the school auditorium, of a miraculous event in Portugal. I hope all my future heirs would also be merited with the grace of God as beneficiaries. The synthesis of all this is the real knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Saint Pope John Paul II in 1982 visited the shrine to give thanks to the Mother of God for having survived the attempt on his life on May 13, 1981.

Many have welcomed Christ’s call and freely responded to it are urged on by love of Jesus to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel and spread it throughout the world. As His twelve Apostles who chose to follow Him in this mission of evangelization some two thousand years ago. As the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but receives everything from the Father who sent Him, so those whom Jesus sends can do nothing apart from Him, from whom they received both the mandate for their mission and the power to carry it out. Christ’s apostles knew that they were called by God as ministers of a new covenant, servants of God, ambassadors for Christ, servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

In brief, these following points would advance one’s understanding of the commission:

1. As in our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything; the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God’s works.

2. God’s oneness, which has its roots in the divine revelation of the Old Covenant, is inseparable from the profession of God’s existence and is equally fundamental. God is unique; there is only one God, He is one in nature, substance and essence. [Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord… (Dt. 6:4; Mk 12:29)]

3. The revealed truth of the Holy Trinity has been at the very root of the Church’s living faith, principally by means of Baptism. It finds its expression in the rule of baptismal faith, formulated in the preaching, catechesis, and prayer of the Church. Inseparable in what they are, the divine persons are also inseparable in what they do. But within the single divine operation each shows forth what is proper to him in the Trinity, especially in the divine missions of the Son’s Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

4. Of all the divine attributes, only God’s omnipotence is named in the Creed: to confess this power has great bearing on our lives. We believe that his might is universal, for God who created everything also rules everything and can do everything. God’s power is ‘loving’, for he is our Father, and mysterious, for only faith can discern it when it is made perfect in weakness.

5. Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and drawn by the Father, we believe in Jesus and confess: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. On the rock of this faith confessed by St. Peter, Christ built his Church.

First, a word I have about this Catholic Church in the 1950s. It may as well have been 1517, liturgically speaking. And that was fine with me. The altar was placed at the front of the church. The priest spent much of his time with his back to the congregation. Much of what he said was inaudible to the people attending: some of it was whispered, especially the words at the Consecration of the Bread and Wine, and all of it was in Latin.

The Mass had not changed in form since the Counter-Reformation, specifically the Council of Trent, when the Vatican, in response to the paradigm shift in Europe now known as the Protestant Reformation, standardized its central act of worship into a form that would be the touchstone of some of the most beautiful music the world has ever known.

~~

CERTAINTY

There is an old tale about an unusual tree that grew outside the gates of a desert city. It was an ancient tree, a landmark, as a matter of fact. It seemed to have been touched by the finger of God, for it bore fruit perpetually. Despite its old age, its limbs were constantly laden with fruit. Hundreds of passersby refreshed themselves from the tree, as it never failed to give freely of its fruit.

But then a greedy merchant purchased the property on which the tree grew. He saw hundreds of travelers picking the fruit from his tree, so he built a high fence around it. Travelers pleaded and pleaded with the new owner, Share the fruit with us.

The miserly merchant scoffed, It’s my tree, my fruit, and bought with my money.

And then an astonishing thing happened – suddenly, the ancient tree died! What could have happened? The law of giving, as predictable as the law of gravity, expresses the immutable principle: when giving stops, bearing fruit ceases, and death follows inevitably.

~~

Roberto Luiz Cruz and Jacinta Maria Mendes Cruz, my beloved parents were raised from devout Catholic families of European and Asian extractions. I am honored to be their first-born son.

As a Christian in the first order and being Eurasian, one has also inherited a dual cultural heritage which is an advantage if not beneficial as well. Consisting of both Western and Eastern traditions the culture is markedly different in so many respects of the two continents of Europe and Asia. These are essentially the universal phrases heard shortly after birth on April 19, 1936 yet not having understood any of it in this cited example.

Nevertheless, it is in God’s will, seems in a chronological flow for the life of this child in words of kinship. Conceivably these similar expressions may have been pronounced in three different languages. From one’s national origin of those who are in attendance:

Graca de Deus (Portuguese),

We praise God for this healthy child.

And, now just be prepared for the following in Chinese, an interesting language that has been in existence since the epoch of the Old Testament:

"Gum-yut, say-yuet, sub-gaw, yut-gaw-sarm-sug-look-neen, hai-nay-gachai-ka ‘Saarng-Yut’, taw-chey-nay teen-chee YEH-ZHO

("Today, fourth month, nineteenth, one nine thirty-sixth year, is your son’s ‘Birthday’, thank you heavenly JESUS).

The ancient text in first (main) ‘Cantonese Dialect’ is often used in Shanghai as its second most spoken language for folks from Guangdong Region. It is undoubtedly employed in this instance. Conceivably, all the Eurasians, Europeans and Asians in attendance many of whom understood this suitable idiom.

Incidentally, most Chinese communities here in America come from that southern region of China. The people of Guangdong Province are the first Chinese to make contact (often unhappy) with the merchants and armies of the modern European states.

They spearheaded the Chinese emigration to America, Australia and South Africa in the mid-19th century, spurred on by the wars and growing poverty of their own country.

The image which most Westerners have today of a ‘Chinatown’ is based on Guangdong’s chief city, Canton. It is Cantonese food which is eaten and the Cantonese dialect which is spoken among the Chinese populations from Melbourne to Toronto to London.

The Han Dynasty lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD.

And, during this period the pattern of a modern Chinese state was established and the empire reached its pinnacle.

Known to the Chinese as ‘Guangzhou’, Canton is one of the oldest cities in China, the capital of Guangdong Province and for over 1000 years one of the main gateways to China.

The first town to be established on the site of present-day Canton dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221 to 207 BC), coinciding with the conquest of southern China by the north. Close to the sea, Canton became an outward looking city. The first foreigners to come here are the Indians and Romans who visited the city as early as the 2nd century AD.

As for my future generations, let it be known that amid the storms through which She passes today, the Church could proudly say:

Alios ego vidi ventos; alias prospexi animo procellas

(I have already seen other winds. I have weathered other storms.)

The Church has fought in other lands, against adversaries from among other peoples, and She will undoubtedly continue to face problems and enemies quite different from those of today until the end of time.

That one day, what was written on all the pages of this book is not only a humble reflection or a symbolic gesture to the Creator; this title referring to God alone as Maker of all things from nothing; in essence it has been accomplished only, "all for the glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus

Christ!"

The baptismal rite is held at Sacred Heart Church, Shanghai and given the name of: Francisco Antonio Cruz.

My ancestral origins are from Portugal, China, Spain and the Philippines.

We know from creation the origins of the Church, from Church doctrine and current controversies in our history all too well.

Inspiringly not as an American by birth, however I have occupied this land of America as an immigrant and naturalized citizen for ‘more than fifty years’, longer than the great story described in the second book of the Old Testament about Moses whose life-story is told in such great detail.

It tells the story of how the Jews came to be a nation and happened, ‘after forty nomadic years’, to occupy the territory, promised long before to Abraham. They still claim as their own.

In a profound sense, one could establish that this nation is founded under a Judeo/Christian value and principle, and such is the birth of a great country endowed by her virtuous belief. Where civil rights for all its citizens are incorporated into the laws by the early fathers in this promised land that all share and call, America.

Today, at the very basis of those good intentions – the idea of self government under God – is often gravely challenged.

One cannot help but take heart always, at the moment of great crisis many encounter. That this country has mustered more than good intentions. She has found wise leadership, resolute spirit, and decisive action.

Judaism generally refers to the religious, political, ethnic, social and historical background of the Jewish (Israelites) people. Historically, Judaism goes back to the beginnings of the twelve tribes in Canaan, which developed through the Persian period (539-333 B.C.) and evolved through the Greek (333-63 B.C.), Roman (63 B.C. to A.D. 70), Rabbinical (A.D. 70), Medieval (East, seventh to twelfth centuries: West, twelfth to sixteenth centuries) and Modern (eighteenth to twentieth centuries) periods.

Judaism is a religion revealed by God and originates with the Mosaic covenant and identified with the land of Canaan (Israel today), expressing the belief, in one God who reveals of Himself through the law, the prophets and the events of history.

A faithful Jew is one who lives according to the covenant

I am your God, and you are my people.

Therefore, a Jew follows the law and worships God by prayer, reflection upon the sacred writings and the observance of Sabbath and other festivals.

According to Vatican II, there is a relationship between the Church and the Jewish people, that people to which the covenants and promises are made. And from which Christ is born according to the flesh: in view of the divine choice, they are a people most dear for the sake of the fathers, for the gifts of God are without repentance…. Refer to: (Lumen Gentium-n.16.), (Cf. Hebrew Feasts; Anti-Semitism.)

Furthermore, I believe the spirit of God certainly has provided me its rich source of nourishments to grow from, for both my body and soul from that moment of my birth.

In Christianity – broadly understood, Christianity is the religion derived from the teachings of Jesus Christ as professed historically by Roman Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants.

Comprised of faith in the Person of Jesus as Messiah, the spiritual life He inspired and adherence to the moral dictates He advanced. Christianity has influenced the arts and sciences, government and society for nearly two thousand years. Christian humanism, in particular, looks to the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation and promotes the great dignity of the human person which the Second Person of the Trinity so values by His having shared our humanity in His earthly life and which He has now glorified in heaven.

In the West, typically Christian values are joined to their historical antecedents in Judaism to Judeo-Christian ethic.

The Apostles continued, expanded and spread the teachings of Christ throughout the world; the hierarchical order was established, with the bishops as successors to the Apostles and the presbyters for the continued administration of the seven Sacraments instituted by Christ.

With organization and growth, there follows the logical consequences of Christian thought, notably its effect on the family and society, especially the Christian condemnation of slavery, the dignity accorded the human person and the exercise of civil authority.

In this regard, the Second Vatican Council has stated: In their pilgrimage to the heavenly city, Christians are to seek and relish the things that are above: this involves not a lesser, but rather a greater commitment to working with all men toward the establishment of a world that is more human (GS, n.57)

~~

It is a providential gift that Terry and I are brought together from the premature loss of our first spouses. Both time-honored families are from different cultures. Interestingly all are disciplined in the Roman Catholic Faith.

In February of 1986 we are married and thus became one Christian family again. The Apostle Paul made clear on the profound marriage vow when he says: Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. And the two shall be one. This is a great mystery, in reference to Christ and His Church.

Much gratified over all our children’s ability to adjust from the two sorrowful episodes.

Hymn of ‘Thanksgiving’ is now appropriate: Give thanks to the Lord, who is Good, whose love endures forever. (Psalms 118:1)

Ultimately, in one way or another, or at one time or another, we shall be faced with this question: as parents, whether both could assume this heavy burden of responsibility before acquiescing to the sizable amalgamation of what are two medium size families?

Believed, this Scripture verse is relative to the above concern, only, He can deal with us as with His sons and daughters; for what children are there, whom the Father does not favor?

In a short order all have learned to share much love for one other. In fact, our daughter Christine and a few close friends have expressed that we closely resembled the Brady Bunch, a popular family television series from several decades past.

Together, we raised six children almost all teenagers, with Montsy, Jay and Tessa from the Agcaoili family; Carl, Christine and Gary from the Cruz family.

Something given freely, for no recompense - all the material and spiritual needs over many gratifying and rewarding years!

In conclusion: "That, the home is basically a sacred institution. In order for a good marriage to exist it requires the following ingredients, ‘is a union of three persons – a man, a woman and the most important entity is God, Himself.’"

Blessed with three wonderful grandchildren:

Christopher and Alexander are the sons of Carl and his wife Maryann.

Matthew is the son of Gary and his wife Leticia.

Unexpectedly, in February of 2008 we learned with much joy that Jay and his wife Heather were expecting their first child. Then Gary and wife Leticia were expecting their second child to be born in August as well just about a week apart of the other.

We hope and pray if it is God’s Will, more grandchildren are to follow?

Who cherishes this belief, ‘God has a plan for the life of every family, every circumstance, every turn of destiny, is for the good.’

At the age of seventy, a Surprise Birthday Party was advanced by Tessa and Lee, at their home in San Rafael.

Without any coercion both events of Easter and Passover for 2006 are also observed on the same day since the Baer family is of the Jewish faith. It seemed so fitting where, a gathering of the clans of more than fifty relatives and close friends are invited. The turnout was truly a momentous occasion for all that had participated.

Even family pets, Rex and Whiskey were included and their presence added fun for both the adults and children.

Such as Easter Eggs hunting for all three categories: for the young, middle-age group and lastly, the seniors. None are excluded! Where only scrumptious finger foods and Champagne are offered just as starters….

With some prompting from Terry on that day, soon I have concluded that she was in one’s own right in suggesting that I could produce a ‘memoir’ for our children?

Surely, it sounded great at the beginning!

A ‘spiritual’ guidance soon led to the appearance of a miracle. However, one must be careful as a senior and not suggesting any false perceptions which is not prudent to begin with.

Nevertheless, an introduction in lifestyle feeds my creative side and keeps me blithely balanced for the moment.

By natural order, I am an adventurer who loves to travel and take up the challenge in any favorable circumstance. And, now being retired surely qualifies me as an ‘Emeritus’ and a vibrant elder of this day-and-age.

Suddenly, after taking the Champagne one is sipping slowly accomplishes a first-taste from the sensitive palate almost like the sparkling dry white superior wine that is produced from the region of Champagne, France.

Unexpectedly this aftereffect has just overtaken one’s equilibrium–now, functioning as an ‘alter ego’. He is a ‘connoisseur’ and winemaker. Then, he became a comedian savvy in political, satirical matter, who is precipitously engaged at a debut performance before a rowdy audience.

Now, this is the first spiel:

"Beware! Once, I was a self-proclaimed conservative Reagan Democrat voter in California. Who was among the minority of friends and colleagues. One had abruptly changed to become a Republican after the great Democratic President of John F. Kennedy and Cuban crisis. But most of my friends are liberal Democrats and Independent minded people? Obviously, someone like me gets easily clobbered and suffered the consequences as the result when politics is the topic of discussion. That is certainly not funny, in serious terms! So, please allow me to skip this topic for now and delve into other less provocative or incendiary matters… Momentarily! Presumably in a similar wine I have drunk that is produced elsewhere – and not sense or know any difference from it.

Still recalls, such is a very pale yellow or greenish-yellow color wine made from the fermented juice of grapes.

Anything considered the best or luxurious quality is preferred. Above all, I just need to warn my readers as a pharmacist would cite (in prescription) and quantitatively that there is a solution of a medicinal substance in wine which would undoubtedly, ‘invigorate, cheer, or intoxicate any user in such a scheme.’

Oh, well! Perhaps, you might guess where my story is leading you to, now?

Yes, you are correct if you have chosen this similar line of thought?

Then, I have asked myself the obvious and a fair question as to ‘how can one’s good writing be achieved without any prior experiences?’

Essentially, this is simply a journey in one’s lifetime?

To get under way, with much apprehension as to how all this can be accomplished?

But, stirring to laughter; when, this thought promptly surfaces. That it just might work?

Simply, to claim that my loss of hearing in August 2004 had somewhat impinged on this feeble-minded person.

In a proverbial sense of the latter, – to claim that one’s memory has suddenly faded away from the scene without a trace. It simply went down the drain or somehow it has all vanished into the thin air?

This is rapidly becoming quite an exciting, important issue and controversial if I may say so? Just like an actor who is summoned to a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) much like the popular series on the television screen we are accustomed to enjoy? Incidentally, which is Terry’s favorite program as well?

Markedly, another smug thought has surfaced, ‘Francis, please slow down!’ ‘This is not good for your high blood pressure.’ But, I also need and would like to get back on track now to finish my central point of this tedious discourse…

Please bear with me for another moment so I can explain this complex matter about my ‘Cerebellum’ that sits in the skull’s cavity. It is important by any definition and needs to be taken from this writer’s point of view.

Projecting a theory from this point of observation, since I also knew that the brain provides both in one’s hearing ability and its memory retention capability operating under two separate tracks. Therefore, conceivably one or both of these functioning entities must have been damaged through natural mysterious causes and unknowable even to modern medical science.

Furthermore, it could simply be classified as a ‘mystery, just for the second!’ Now, one needs to bet and phrase it in this idiosyncratic fashion for a certainty. If a patient who has been medically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease his memory function would likely be lost.

So, it is credible that a chance of something happening here or for a better term: ‘the probable causation and its deficiency reaction in the brain.’ Better known as one having a ‘faulty brain’ to have led to such a weakness and ultimately it is also true of the hearing loss as well.

In my humble opinion, if any of these assumptions are true, then, this could be the solution to recant the entire writing altogether.

A mystery indeed! Furthermore, this suggestion offers nothing in terms of any satisfactory conclusions except commonly known as the ‘nature of the beast?’

Now, also as a sound practice in this regard, I need to request for a second opinion from anyone in the medical field.

Perhaps, this is sounding ludicrous? For the practical intent and purpose, it is fair to say that the prognosis I have just offered above is from common sense, logical and irrefutable, to say the least and maybe a little cavalier by its means of access. Furthermore, I never claimed that I am a medical doctor but at the same time, one could never deny not being a ‘CHARLATAN’ or an uncertified physician either? In other words, it is utterly a balanced prognostication, after all?

So, in conclusion and for this CSI’s report: ‘I would like to ask myself a very serious question; why in the world would a man of my age seek to embark into such a venture, in the first place?’

The short answer is simply for the humor of it!

Oh, incidentally, 99.9% of the people who knew me, they do not call me by the legal name, as ‘Francisco.’ Even in childhood, I am always known as ‘Francis.’ – But still to this day, one has remained curious, yet, never discovers who has started it? Nonetheless, it is a true fact that today I do hold a valid Social Security Card bearing Francis as its first-name, and also receive all the retirement benefits… It is a fair proposition as I see it. Maybe, one is absolutely being bamboozled to join this ‘mystery club’ for a lifetime?

~~

I would like to seize this opportunity to affirm that God has always been so generous with the Cruz family. They left a country not of one’s own; nevertheless, as a tribe of persecuted refugees from China solely for religious reasons.

Whereupon, they are being sustained in fullness by providential assistance on a flight of bondage from the Chinese communist regime under chairman Mao Zedong in 1949 to 1951. Their fleeing to the British colony of Hong Kong is regarded as their initial refuge and autonomy. HIS generosity is followed by another modern utopia in relocating the entire family to ‘America’, to a country that is known for its ideals of freedom, equality and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American.

And, such is the decree granted by her founding fathers of the Constitution, framed in 1787 and went into effect on March 4th 1789. This young nation has sought to affirm its common beliefs in the truthful tradition toward a Judeo-Christian practice. It is both universal and timeless that is relevant and accessible to the present generation and for all those in the future.

Spiritual and political leaders throughout our history have called upon us to reaffirm our creed and renew our civilization.

This year, as we observe the season of thanksgiving and share the gracious aspirations together; let us also be grateful not only in words but in our deeds. Let our gratitude find expression in a resolve to live a life more unselfish and more consecrated to our Lord.

We have just celebrated our wonderful 20th Wedding Anniversary on February 16, 2006.

With providential blessing and renewal in a Christian marriage which include the upbringing of our