Oliver was crossing the street Sunday night. Suddenly, with his peripheral vision, he noticed a huge object headed straight for him --- a brand new Toyota Tacoma with the headlights turned off was about to run him down. With seconds to spare he twisted his body just enough to put both of his hands on the hood of the truck. The impact propelled him on top of the truck and then his body rolled over to the pavement.

My life flashed before me (in a good way) last night. I picked up my old dusty Bible that my wife gifted to me back in 1995 as a Father's Day present. I had put it aside for several years because the book binding had given up on the pages and the wrinkled sheets kept on falling off. I'm one of those who abuse books --- I underline, write notes and even draw pictures (lots of them because I'm a visual learner) on the margins and in between columns. Reading my desecrated notes, I was impressed at the insights from my "quiet time" and the many teachers that passed on their scriptural wisdom to me. What a joy! What a treasure! Many of my notes were written when my kids were still under 10 years old. I carried that Bible as well as the many milk bottles and toys we had to drag along whenever we went out. No wonder it got beat up.

I think I should stop reading the news before I go to bed. I had 2 consecutive nightmares last night. In the first one, I was pulled over by the police for driving in the wrong lane. I asked them to prove I was guilty but they couldn't. Then they asked for a bribe to go free. They weren't asking for much but this was a matter of principles. I threatened to call my lawyer. And that's when the real nightmare started because I was in this never ending loop of dialing my lawyer's number over and over again -- and the more I couldn't remember the number, the more they increased the bribe. I woke up out of frustration.

Unless you live in a cave, you must know about the ongoing war between the Israelites and the Palestinians. The hatred between the Jews and the Muslims predates any other rivalry in our time. But did you know that around 782 to 753 B.C. God told a Jew to warn an Arab nation of impending doom? Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located on the outskirts of Mosul in modern-day northern Iraq. It had a square area of about 60 miles and a population of 120,000. In other words this is a factual event --- not a fish story … well, you know what I mean.

Lily called me up a few days ago. I had not talked to Lily and her family in years. We used to go to the same church but she moved and I moved and … you know how that goes. Well, she said she wanted me to share the gospel to Buddy, a family friend, who is dying in a hospital in downtown L.A.. Of course I was willing to help.

There is majesty in the design and size of the buildings. And there is serenity in the open spaces. There is endless variety in the themes of each exhibit. There are priceless paintings, sculptures and furniture that remind you of the hardship of eras long gone by that brought about the birth of a new nation. Different ethnicities --- African, Asian, European, South American --- cry out to be heard. Fossils, stuffed animals/birds and insects reminded me of Noah's ark; while airplanes and rocket ships made me wonder what else God has hidden for us to discover.

Olivia had lost 20 pounds. Aside from the usual office clutter, her office was piled with memorabilia and certificates and awards covered the walls. We reminisced the good times with her husband who was a frogman and demolition expert. Dan was among the first batch of the newly created US marines. His covert team gathered intelligence for the Cuban crisis and the Vietnam war. Dan even opened the hatch for Neal Armstrong when the Apollo 11 capsule landed safely in the ocean.

Laura, an old friend, passed away last week and Maristella (a close friend of Laura) decided to throw a religious death ritual. The intention was good but (unless Laura recently converted to another religion) I was pretty sure Laura did not believe in this tradition. Awkward, huh? Unfortunately for Laura, she had no say in the matter. A funny thought came to mind: I imagined Laura rolling out of her grave and appearing in the middle of all the long prayers demanding whose bright idea this was and everybody pointed to Maristella. Snap! That Kodak moment would have gone viral.

After listening to Florence, I made sure I encouraged my grand kids when I picked them up from school. I am slowly becoming the grandfather I wish I had when growing up. Sure, I knew my grandparents loved me, but I don’t remember having any deep conversation with them. No, I don’t blame them for not sharing their wisdom. Some people aren’t good at expressing themselves. I still consider myself fortunate to have good parents, uncles and aunts around me.

We take our friends for granted but friendship is actually a basic human need, isn’t it? Back in my introverted elementary years, I didn’t have a single friend until I was in Grade 5. I would have given anything to have someone to talk to. We need friends to fill up the holes in our grid of needed affection. Some of these relationships are built in (like parents, siblings and other blood relatives) but a majority of friends enter our sphere of influence because of our choosing. According to Psychiatrist Dr. Warren Lamb (who explains relationships in Chapter 19 of his book Unbound), we need different levels of friends --- from the casual to the intimate. Having a spouse (a soulmate who fulfills even our physical needs) being the most intimate of course.