This has been a very strange Christmas for me. I know several people who are grieving the loss of a loved one and a few who took a financial hit. Then there are those who are celebrating better health and better wealth --- a perfect Yin Yang, Day and Night, Black and White paradox.

This Christmas, many of us are struggling to make ends meet and worried about finding the right gift. Are you one of them? Why not follow my Mom’s advice? It’s the homemade ones that are the real treasures.

In the very first century, a young Jewish couple headed to a humble little town of Bethlehem. Although the young wife was pregnant with their first child, they were forced to make that long journey because Rome ruled the land and Caesar Augustus, the head of the empire, demanded a census --- all that trouble because Caesar wanted to know how many people were in his kingdom. Why? You know how important bragging rights are for kings when they meet in the Annual King Convention.

Raoul’s Two Cents: December 5, 2025 Old Christmas Carols If you don’t want to ponder, move on to the Jokes. December. Christmas. Shopping. Presents. Family gatherings. Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas to you? Somehow this year seems to be lacking something. For one, I don’t hear a lot of Christmas carols anymore. Once upon a time, …

There are many reasons to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for? What are the two Before and After pictures in your head that remind you of God’s goodness and mercy? For me, it’s a snapshot of that young boy sandwiched between strangers in the pouring rain; and a snapshot of an aging husband, surrounded by family pictures on the wall and grown-up toys and typing this TGIF article for special friends and strangers.

I go home and I’m flipping through the internet to find out more about this Los Lobos Band. I’m shocked! Los Lobos is a GRAMMY award winning Mexican-American band. Their most famous hit was “La Bamba.” They are a fusion rock-Mariachi group. What?! What?! I watch their YouTube performances and these guys are all super talented. All my years practicing my guitar and leading up to (of all things) a Mariachi band! And now I’m picturing myself on stage with these Mexicans and here’s this Asian dude singing “Bamba bamba!” I think hell is about to freeze over: “Ladies and gentlemen, here are The Bull Dogs and … and … El Shi Tzu!”

But, to be honest, the comradery among men was the most memorable for me. The last time I went to camp was some 30 years ago. I forgot what it was like.

The camp memo said to dress warm, to bring a sleeping bag and to wear rough terrain shoes. So, I dug up my son’s old sleeping bag. I’m staring at it and wondering what it smells like. Afraid I’ll faint. I’m thinking, this will be a natural sleeping pill which I will need just in case the snoring among my 2 cabin-mates come to full crescendo. I decide to surprise myself when I get there. Of course, there’s this strong possibility that I will just suffocate from the fumes that have percolated inside that bag over the years. I wonder if dying from sleeping bag fumes is covered in my insurance.

Are you afraid of the dark? I grew up with a very imaginative family. We would watch horror movies and share stories to scare each other. We just loved to get scared. Strange human behavior. It must have something to do with endorphins. And yes, I was open to the possibility of UFOs, Abominable Snowmen, Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, ghosts, vampires, Frankenstein, Werewolves --- I was messed up …. just like everybody else.

Raoul’s Two Cents: October 24, 2025 Frightful Passages If you don’t want to ponder, move on to the Jokes. To be relevant with the season, I wanted to talk about the big event just around the corner – Halloween! I toyed around the idea of writing about the decorations, the costumes, the history but — meh! – these themes have …