A Special Card From Reilly

Every Time That I See "A Christmas Story" and Ralphie Beats Up Farcus...

I cry for Ralphie, especially when he's crying while looking his mother in the face and facing what happened. The year is 1940, and Ralphie is nine years of age at the time (meaning that he was born in 1931; almost a half-decade after my mom's mom, and a half-decade before my dad's parents). Ralphie is part of the infamous Silent Generation; in which abuse is either tolerated and even encouraged, or just plain not talked about. By the way, I'm quite sure that Joe Paterno has had the "Silent Generation" excuse used for him-- after all, he grew up in the "You don't talk about it" culture.

Having gone through abuse myself and hearing of a cousin's work in which she has to deal with horrendous cases of abuse, I can relate to Ralphie. That Farcus is just a plain old bully isn't the case, but Farcus' situation (obvious abuse-- perhaps neglect being the full, but still painful, extent) isn't an excuse for him to pick on and abuse Ralphie. Ralphie is an obvious target for Farcus because (from all outward appearances, such as to Farcus' eyes), Ralphie seems to come from an intact and good family (He doesn't. His dad isn't exactly Husband or Dad of the Year.).

As the saying goes, "Abuse begets abuse" and (as Dr. Sandy Wilson put the saying in other words) "Hurt people hurt people." The saying is based on-- besides common sense-- direct-from-the-Bible admonitions:

¹² Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

The desire to hurt others because of being hurt is a strong desire. Then the desire to hurt others affects that others are hurt. Then the hurting of others brings forth that more people want to hurt other people.

By the way, be thankful if you have been abused:

⁹ Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. ¹¹ For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

Those who have not known the richness of suffering do not know the richness of hope-- "Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation". Anybody who has been free of suffering will have no reason to hope for something better than suffering, for redemption, and for salvation.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas (And this Yehudit celebrates both Thanksgiving-- Yom L'Toda-- and Christmas-- Chag Mashiach.).

I Think That Some Relatives May Be Reading This Blog & Still Won't Contact Me....

I honestly don't bite-- if I don't need to bite, that is. But I bite and fight pretty fairly. I'm not perfect; but I do love and am thankful for my family, even if they don't love and be thankful for me. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

Great-Grandma Czarnecki was thankful for even the son who intended to rid of her in the most painful way possible-- in a cold hospital with her leg amputated and almost thrown away when she was already dying and wanted to die at home. That's why she "want[ed] to talk about it" to Aunt Mary-- she loved us enough to do that for Aunt Mary and the rest of us (including her great-great-granddaughter Brianna, who was yet to be born at the time. She loved Madison, too; but considered her a step-great-great-granddaughter, as Madison really only is-- through no fault of her own; but she's only Dad's step-- not his biological-- granddaughter, and she'll always be so far.).

As I said on Facebook last night (and after a distant cousin revealed that he's part of one of the crazy branches as well, and to the point where he will take the name of any woman who he will marry), I-- like Great-Grandma did-- talk about our family because I care enough to see our family history exposed to and reformed in the light:

• Luke 12:2-5, NKJV: ² For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. ⁴ “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!
 
• 1 Corinthians 4:5: Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
• 2 Corinthians 4:2:  But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

That's why I do not dread Dad, Pop-Pop, and others who want to silence and our family histories and collective family history-- and that's why I want to thankfully use my gift of the right to free speech and "talk about" our family history.