History of Christmas

The History of Christmas

By: Timothy L. Kerofsky, MA

18 December 2014

My Christmas definition:

• A Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas evolved over two millennia into a worldwide religious and secular celebration, incorporating many pre-Christian, pagan traditions into the festivities along the way.
• Today, Christmas is a time for family and friends to get together and exchange gifts, but this is not what it is really about. It is about giving to the poor and needy, helping others, and spreading joy and peace throughout the world and remembering what Christ did for us.

History of Christmas:

Christmas, like all so-called holidays, gets its roots from Pagan traditions.

We Christians stole most of our traditions from pagan worship.

Like the Pagans worshiped trees and nature and during their time of Saturnalia, which is in the heart of Winter Solstice, they would decorate them.

This is why we decorate Christmas Trees today.

• Roman pagans first introduced the holiday of Saturnalia, a week long period of harvest and lawlessness celebrated between December 17-25. 
• In the 4th century,                                                                                                                    Christianity imported the Saturnalia festival hoping to take the pagan masses in with it. 
• Christian leaders succeeded in converting large numbers of pagans to Christianity by promising them that they could continue to celebrate the Saturnalia as Christians
• The problem was that there was nothing Christian about Saturnalia. To remedy this, these Christian leaders named Saturnalia’s concluding day, December 25th, to be Jesus’ birthday.
• Popular myth puts Jesus’ birth on December 25th in the year 1 C.E.
• Dionysius Exiguus, a Scythian monk, wrote the modern calendar known as the Julian calendar; the Anno Domina, and really had no idea when Jesus was born. In fact the day and date he suggested, 733 in the Roman calendar, is four years after the time of Herald; in which Jesus was crucified during that time. This does not add up at all.
• Early Christians did not celebrate the birthday of Jesus.                                                                They celebrated his life and teachings.

Christmas Story:

• And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
• (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenious was governor of Syria.)

• And all went to be taxed every one into his own city

§         And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David :)

§         To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child

§         And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

• And she (Mary) brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn
•  
•  
•  
• And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
• And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
• And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
• For unto you is born this day in the city of David Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
• And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
• And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
• Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

There are several things wrong with this Christmas story.

• For one; if there was a decree it would not be logical. Was there really a decree? If so why would Augustus have everyone go to their own city? Think about it – the Caesar was more organized than this. He would not have everyone travel like this with all the turmoil in Rome. No he would have most likely made a head count with everyone in the city they were already in. This is not just my opinion, but that of many Christian Scholars. Was Jesus born in the City of David? I believe he was, but Joseph and Mary did not travel there because of a decree, they traveled there because they were foretold by the Angels in Heaven. Just like the “wise men” traveled because of the star formation in Heaven foretelling them of the birth of the Messiah…The star formation was not a bright star either, nor was it a comet; for the people at that time feared comets. The star formation was just that a particular formation which was seen only by the scholars and wise men.

§         For two; an inn is not what we think of what an inn is. Let me set this part straight, we as Christians picture this as Jesus being born in a stable (a barn type stable with animals all around). This is somewhat true, but let me tell you what a stable is with the buildings of the Middle East. A stable and inn are in the same building. An inn is where people ate and slept and the stable is the lower part where they keep their animals.

§         For three; “The Shepherd’s were keeping watch of there flocks by night.” If this statement is true than this is proof that Jesus was not born on December 25^th. The Shepherds stop watching their flocks and bring them into the stables at the end of September. The stable would have been way too crowded for Jesus to be born in if all the flock was in the stable. There were probably a few young sheep, the donkey, and maybe a young ox in the stable, but that would have been it. I can’t dispute the rest of the story it seems to be true.

§         In my conclusions Jesus was born in 5 BC, which is the 5^th year in the Berber Calendar. He was really a God – like man; a human with qualities deriving from God, but a human non-thy-less. Born from a Parathos – Greek meaning “Young Woman” mother, we translate the word virgin in the bible as being untouched by man. In biblical times a virgin was a young maiden. Jesus was raised by human parents; a virgin mother named Miriam from Nazarene in which we call Mary Nazareth and his adopted father Joseph from Bethlehem. Not much is said in the bible about Jesus as a young boy. The only story that relates to him is when he was found in the temple conversing with the high priests. As a teen he worked as a stone layer with his father, Joseph. Not a carpenter like we are led to believe. In reality there is not a lot of wood in Galilee. The wood was mainly used for the Roman Crucifixions’.  Therefore, a tecton built with stone. The word tecton is actually translated as a day laborer, not carpenter. Jesus was raised strictly as a Jew and followed the Torah – the Laws passed down from Moses. His father died when he was a young man and his mother Mary married the eldest brother of Joseph, Clophias. This was done in accordance with Leviticus Law. Mary then bore 6 children, four boys and two girls. The step brothers and sisters of Jesus are as follows (according to age): James, Jude, Simon, Salome, Joseph Matthew, and Jose. Jesus helped take care of the family. When his step brothers and sisters got older he left on his quest given by God.

The First Santa Claus

§         The first Santa was Saint Nikolaus

§         He was born Parara, Turkey in 270 CE and later became Bishop of Myra.

§         He would fill poor children’s stockings with gold coins, which follows what the mythical Santa does today.

Polish Christmas Traditions

§         12 Course Christmas Eve Feast; Pierogis, caraway soup, sauerkraut with dried peas, poppies seed noodles, pickled beets, borscht without meat, stuffed mushrooms, pickled herring with sour cream, fish with horseradish sauce, Norther Pike Polish style over baby red potatoes, rye bread, and Polish Christmas Cake 

§         Opening one present to give back to Jesus; this gets donated to an orphanage.     And opening others that are exchanged.

§         Having a polka dance

§         Listening to traditional Celtic and Polka Christmas music. 

Year end Letter 2014

Year 2014

Dearest Friends and Family:

As this year ends I reflect on what was accomplished 

and what I can do to better my next year. 

I cannot believe it is 2015. I wonder where the time went?

My son Tim has moved out and is now living with his girlfriend Rachel.

They both attend classes at Western Illinois University in Macomb Illinois.

May the lord bless them as they find their way in this world; as they learn and grow, 

may they make the right decisions. 

My son Ken is doing better in school. He has not been struggling as much this year. He looks forward to joining the soccer team or the football team next year. He also looks forward to the STEP program in which he will be working part time after school. 

My wife Jill earned her Medical Coding Specialist certificate at Black Hawk College. She is now working on her degree full time. This year she got knee replacement surgery; she hopes to get the other knee replaced as she works toward attainment in a new career. On her spare time she does many activities with the church. She works with the cookie walk, Pricilla circle, bible camp, and plans for the Liturgists.

Me; will, for the most part, this year has been pretty good. 

In July I took a trip to visit my sponsored child Jacklieth in Cartagena Columbia. 

I needed to get away for a bit and unwind. I had a fun time in Cartagena.

I stay active swimming at the YMCA and with my art and writing.

I was honorary promoted to Midoru Kyoshi –

Shichidan-ho 7^th degree black belt in Shurinju Ryu Karate Do this year.

Because of my community service to others Master Stevens honorarily promoted me.

I hope to do my martial arts full time and teach a regular karate class again one day.  

The only downfall is that I still have to deal with constant pain and tingling through my spine, shoulder and fingers. I go to the VA in Iowa City frequently for pain shots and physical therapy. Winters are always hard on me.

I pray that 2015 be as blessed as my 2014 and that one day my pain is relieved.

In the next year we are preparing our future to move and to start a new life in New Mexico.

We hope to be in New Mexico in the summer of 2016. This will be a better climate for my body ailments and a warmer place to retire.

I wish all of my friends and family a blessed year ahead.

Have a great 2015 my friends and family!

Mr. Timothy L. Kerofsky, MA and family

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!

Cristopher Columbus

Columbus Day, what can I say?

Columbus was a brilliant sailor and navigator,

But he lacked leadership and was not a good governor.

He, like most men, took advantage of the brutality of the time.

He mis-treated slaves and tortured them.

Under the authority of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand,

He was to discover new land, and set up a spice trade route to China,

In exchange for gold and slaves for the Queen.

He departed on August 3^rd, 1492

and commanded three ships;

The Pinta, the Niña, and the Santa Maria.

Although Columbus was in overall command,

the Pinta was captained by Martín Alonso Pinzón

and the Niña by Vicente Yañez Pinzón.

They stopped for supplies in the Canary Islands.

He discovered the Dominica’s on October 12^th, 1492

and named the island, San Salvador.

Then he landed in Cuba on October 28^th, 1492

thinking it was China, but it was not.

Then he landed in Haiti on December 5^th, 1492.

He named the island Hispaniola.

On December 25^th, the Santa Maria ran aground

and had to be abandoned.

Columbus himself took over as captain of the Niña,

as the Pinta had become separated from the other two ships.

Negotiating with the local chieftain Guacanagari,

Columbus arranged to leave 39 of his men behind in a small settlement,

In which he named La Navadad.

On January 6, 1493 the Pinta arrived and the ships were reunited:

They set out for Spain on January 16, 1493.

The ships arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 4, 1493

And they returned to Spain shortly thereafter.

Upon his return he persuaded the King to finance another voyage.

He did three more voyages between 1493 and 1504.

He was looking for the lands that Marco Polo discovered,

But never found them; the land of Nanking China.

In his failure to govern a new land, he was brought back in chains.

He died a poor lowly man...

Columbus did not discover America!

A Norse Viking from Greenland by the name of Lief Erikson

whom was the son of Americea landed in America which he named as such

500 years before Columbus sailed.

The closest Columbus got to America was the Bahamas off of Florida.

Columbus did not sail around the world!

A brilliant navigator by the name of Fernadad Magellan did.

Magellan set sail on August 10^th, 1519.

He reached the Eastern edge of the known world,

Before he was killed in the Battle of Mactan in Zebu Philippines,

by a blow to the head with a bamboo stick in April of 1521.

His crew completed the voyage to Spain.

What did Columbus really accomplish?

Not much.

He never found the lands of Marco Polo.

He never discovered America.

And he never sailed around the world.

He persevered, kept striving, and never gave up.

But in the end died a poor lowly man.

NO RESPECT

I have been having a rough few days.
My shoulder pain, tingling, and imbalance is acting up.
My wife is in the hospital.
I have bills to pay and things to deal with.
I have been under stress lately.
And all I need are people disrespecting me.
This is what I hate the most.

So today I am at the Aldi store parking lot to get some groceries.
And this lady there tells me that she hates people who take advantage of the system,
and that she can fake walking with a limp and walking stick too.
That there is nothing wrong with me.
Excuse me? 

For one I was not walking with a limp,
I use my cane for my imbalance I get.
Two I have tendinosis, tingling, and pain through my shoulder and spine.
Three she did not look disabled to me.
The way she was walking either.

The bitch got in my face and I told her to back off.
She called me a evil name which usually I ignore,
and I turned around and said, "You do not know me!"

She jumped in her car,
in which she did not have a handicap sticker displayed either,
and she was in a handicap spot.

She slammed her car door on me, as I was trying to explain my situation.
It was the last straw for me to deal with such a bitch.
I swung my walking stick at the car and I think broke a headlight.
As she sped away....

The staff manager heard the incident and talked to me to calm me down.
I sat down a moment. And then I did my shopping.
Some of the shoppers in the store chatted with me
and thanked me for my service in the U.S. Navy.
This cheered me up a bit.

My friend on Facebook sent me this quote:

 "Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard.
Do not let pain make you hate.
Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.
Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, 
you still believe it to be a beautiful place."
 — Iain Thomas

What do you do when you always try to be nice,
but still get put down and disrespected by others?
Like today before the Aldis indecent,
I let a man driving a truck out into the street,
you know how it is to wait to get into the street from a road.

Then I held the door open for this elderly lady,
and I helped a man in a wheel chair into his car at the YMCA.
I do these nice things, and a b*tch disrespects me.
Not right; not right at all.

"Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor."
1st Corinthians 10:24 ESV

This is what I always seek to do my friends and peeps of my blog page.
That is to do good works, no matter how I am treated.
However, it pains me to be mistreated.

I will keep striving. Tomorrow is another day. 

The Struggles:

"That is the way I run, with a clear goal in mind.
That is the way I fight, not like someone shadow boxing."
1st Corinthians 1:26 NIV

Monday 08 Sept 2014:

This morning I got up at 0600;

I made me a strawberry and banana breakfast smoothie.

I then took my son Ken to school.

At 10:30 my wife Jill and I left to go to the hospital.

She got ready to have her knee replacement surgery.

I stayed there and chatted with her in the hospital room for a bit.

At noon the pastor, Pastor Flo, from the church showed up.

She went and visited Jill before surgery.

I sat in the waiting room after that until after 2PM.

I then went to go pick up my son Ken from school.

Then we drove across the Davenport Bridge to find my friends house,

my friend Joe still has to give me back my papers.

I am writing a letter to Cheri Bustos for my Social Security Disability Claim.

I have been fighting for it for nearly six years.

I was injured while in the service and have stenosis to the spine, nerve damage,   tendonitis to my right shoulder, and other damage acquired.

We never found my friend, and I am desperate to get my papers back.

At 5PM we went to the hospital to visit my wife and sons mom, Jill. 

She was not out of surgery yet.

At 6:30PM my wife was finally out of surgery and we got to see her.

At 8PM my son Ken and I had dinner at Rudy’s Tacos.

Then we went home and watched American Ninja Warrior off the DVR.

Tuesday 09 Sept 2014:

Today I got up at 0600 again.

I made another breakfast smoothie and took my vitamins.

I took my son Ken to school.

Then I took my wife some study items at the hospital.

I stayed for a bit.

Then I went home and started to field day the house.

I spent most of the day cleaning.

At 3PM I picked up Ken from the school.

Then we went to go visit his mom.

For dinner I made him spaghetti and marinara sauce.

I then cleaned up the kitchen.

Then my son and I watched YouTube videos and Netflix.

Wednesday 10 Sept 2014:

What a heck of a day.
Too long for a Hump Day Wednesday.
I got up at 0730
(fell asleep at 0200, so more sleep than last night)
I made my breakfast smoothie and took my vitamins,
then I reorganized the master bedroom,
but did not get it done before I had to pick up Ken or my wife Jill,
At 1100 I left and picked up Ken from school,
came home and went back to organizing,
then at 1430 (2:30PM) left to pick up Jill from the hospital,
she did not get to check out until 4PM,
a shout out to Kara Ade for getting a walker for my wife Jill,
after checking out and Ken bringing most of the gear down to the van,
we gave Jill's mom Jackie a ride to her car,
then went and got the prescription at HyVee,
then came home and ordered Pizza Hut,
but the driver went past our house and turned around in the cul de sak,
I was pissed and Ken and I went to Pizza Hut and complained,
they deliver to our house all the time,
so how can they say that they cannot find it?
We ended up getting our pizza for free!
At 1930 (7:30PM) we ate pizza finally.
Then at 8PM we watched the presidents address about ISIS

and then America's Got Talent.
Now it is time to sleep for a change...

Prayer today on this Wednesday of Pain:

Almighty Father, Thank you for your love, grace and mercy.
I pray that my discomforts will turn to comforts, my pains to gains,
my deprivation to more blessings, my losses to profits,
my tears to smiles, my sorrows to pleasures, my illness to wellness,
my debts to credits and my dreams to realities.

As the scripture says:
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
And he "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Psalm 147:3

Jesus by your power, relieve the sharpness of my pain and tiredness,
my tingling and shaking, the ringing in my ear and equilibrium imbalance,
and help me through my turmoil; but above all, Jesus,
heal the wounds of my soul.
And even though I find it hard to pray, yet shall I ever say:
Thy will be done. Amen.

Lord send the healing hands of Jesus down
and heal my ear ache and imbalance
as I wait for the VA to get an appointment; give me the strength.
Amen!

23 Years of Marriage!

23 years of marriage:

Married at the Stanwood Apple Orchard in Stanwood Washington

on August 3^rd 1991. 

It was a simple country wedding;

Yet beautiful.

I was an insulator then and a BM2 (Boatswainsmate Second Class)

in the Naval Reserves working for CHB5 (Cargo Handling Battalion 5).

In 1992 I became a cook and went to duty as a cook for a boarding team on the

USS Underwood FFG-36 and did boarding ops as well,

during the Counter Drug Operations in the Caribbean.

In the mean-time my wife, Jill, was moving all of our household goods to

Charleston South Carolina.

In 1993 I was assigned as a pantry cook on the

USS Richmond K. Turner CG-20

where I did a Mediterranean deployment.

My first son Timmy was born during this deployment.

It was one of my biggest joys to see him for the first time after the deployment.

In 1994 I was in operations in Bosnia;

Called Operation Provide Promise

And Operation Deny Flight.

I missed my son Timmy’s first birthday

And we celebrated it after I returned.

In 1995 I was assigned to LEAP (Light Exeo Atmospheric Projectile) test 3.

This was in San Juan Puerto Rico.

In 1996 I was promoted to Second Class Cook

And assigned as a Stateroom Supervisor on the

USS John C. Stennis CVN-74. 

In 1997 I was away from my family again on a Shakedown Cruise.

My wife was stuck at home taking care of the kids,

taking care of the finances,

And preparing for each move from ship to ship…
I know this was hard for her to do and my hats off to her. 

In 1998 I was assigned to the Auxiliary Security Force

in Newport Rhode Island. 

Finally some shore duty and family time.

My second son Kenneth was born that same year.
I was actually present at his birth.
This was a precious moment for me. 

Two years of well deserved shore duty.

In 2001 I was assigned as a Speed Line Supervisor on

the dreaded USS Belleauwood LHA-3.

In 2002 I was assigned as a Master at Arms for a roving patrol

during West Pac 2002.

That same year I helped build an orphanage in Africa,

during Humanitarian Ops.

In 2003 I injured my shoulder when a cabinet fell

during the dry dock maintenance period.

In 2004 I was promoted to Master at Arms first Class.

I worked as a Cell Block Supervisor in the Brig.

And I worked as an Acting Lieutenant during

Prison Escort and Detainee Ops in Kuwait and Iraq

and worked as a Security Officer during West Pac 2004.  

In 2005 I went to rehab at Great Lakes

and worked doing administration duties.

That same year we, my family and I, bought a house in Moline Illinois.

My dad, mom, Uncle Gary, brother in Law Kent, and Sister Tammy

All helped us move in.

In 2006 I temporarily worked as the Lieutenant

with the Naval Sea Cadet Core.

 

In 2007 I was at home awaiting retirement orders.

and happy to be settled down with my family finally.

In 2008 I went to work to make ends meet at Per Mar Security.

I only worked a few months and went back to college instead.

The GI Bill and the Illinois Veterans Grant was a big help in making ends meet.

In 2008 I received my AA Business Administration Degree from the

American Intercontinental University.

In 2009 I applied for disability for my knee, neck, right shoulder, tingling, shaking,

and equilibrium imbalance I have from injuries I have acquired over my Naval Career.

From 2008-2012 I taught private karate classes in my in house dojo;

The Kerofsky Family Dojo.  

In 2012 I earned my BA in Arts from Western Illinois University.

In 2013 I became an Official Sea Cadet Lieutenant

and worked as a Training Officer at Great Lakes Illinois.

In 2013 I earned my Masters in Arts from Regina University.

It is 2014 now and my wife and I are on our 23^rd year of marriage,

There was sure a lot of moving, transferring,

lot of time away from my family on deployments,

lot of hardships, but lots of fun times as well.

Fun times most remembered with my kids were at Disneyland

and Knott’s Berry Farm in California.

Going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and

going on the Viper Roller Coaster.

This year my son Tim moved out of the house

To pursue college life with his girlfriend Rachel,
My wife got a medical coding certificate
and is now pursuing her degree. 

I retired from the Sea Cadet Core,

I honorary received a 7^th Dan rank promotion from Master Stevens

due to my community involvement in helping children,

I went on a trip to Cartagena Colombia to visit my sponsored child Jackleth

through the Children International and the Fundación Amigos de los Niño’s,

We got our roof repaired on our home, my dad, uncle and brother in law

fixed the kitchen ceiling which still needs plastered.

We are having some ups and downs this year, but will get through it.

Over the past few years since I have been retired from the Navy;

I have been trying to make up lost time with my wife and kids.

Especially my youngest son, Kenneth, who has taken things hard.

What a life together so far.

What will the next 23 years bring?

My uplifing experience at the Templo!

Today my family and I went to the water park at White Water Junction in Rock Island.
While there I met this tattooed christian man named Marcus: He prayed for me.
He invited me to a Christian concert at his church called the
Templo Elim Spanish Assembly of God.
The concert was from 5PM to 8PM. And half of it was in Spanish.
It was loud in the church with the music echoing throughout 
and I did get a head rush a couple of times.
My friend, whom I just met at the church, got me a drink of water. 
I had to calm my head for a bit. So I sat in the back room. 
Then we went out into the church. He did a Christian Rap.
My friend, Marcus, whom I met at the water park read a poem. 
And another guy did a rhyme. 
The pastor was a 25 year old man named Joe from Chicago. 
He asked what our pet peeves are; I shouted "people who do not use their turn signals".  
He agreed with the pet peeves and said, "give up your worries to god."
His testimony was uplifting. He talked about his father and how he was mistreated. 
And how at the age of 18 he spoke at a church and his father was in the back of the church;
he looked and saw him and forgave him then. 

The bible scripture was from Mark chapter 2:

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man 

 

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, 
the people heard that he had come home.  

² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, 

not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  

³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.  

⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, 

they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it 

and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.  

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! 
Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, 
and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?  
⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ 
or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?  
¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” 
So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  
¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. 
This amazed everyone and they praised God, 
saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

 During the last part of the sermon people in the front stood with letter 
and it all spelled out the sentence; 
"I have issues." 

He talked about the root cause of sin; which is really us. 

Then he took the "I"s away and rearranged the people in front;
the sentence now read:
"JESUS SAVES!"
  
What made this service uplifting to me was toward the end we all went up to the front;
where everyone prayed for us. We prayed in a line. 
I do not know what God Yahweh has planned in my life,
but I do know there is something left for me. 

Rather it be working with more children, teaching karate again, mentoring, 
or whatever he has planned;
I will do! 

Cartagena Colombia!

My adventure in Cartegena!
What a heck of a journey it was; that is for certain.

But if I had to give up everything I own to help a child in need,
I would do it all over again.  

It makes my heart flutter to help a child in need!!!

My Cartegena Adventure started on Saturday 12 June 2014:

I left my home at 5PM got a ride up to the train station in Galesburg Illinois. 
At 7PM I was on the train toward Chicago Illinois. 
The train ride was good at first until around 9:20PM - 
two stops away from Chicago Union Station;
when we got delayed because during the storm two cars crashed on the track. 
We were delayed for an hour and a half; while they cleared the track of the vehicles. 
At just before midnight I finally arrived at my destination at the Union Station.

I then walked to the subway station were I took an hour subway train ride to the 
Chicago O'hare International Airport. 
I arrived at the airport at just before 2AM on Sunday 13 July 2014.  

At the Airport I walked all the way to my gate, got my ticket out of the ticket machine 
(you enter your code number on a ticket printout to get your actual ticket now, 
how times have changed),
and then waited to go to the TSA scrutiny and board my flight. 

Sunday 13 July 2014: 

At 0515AM I left on the on time flight 409 on SPIRIT Airlines to Fort Lauderdale Florida.  
On the airplane was a nice lady from Guatemala who I spoke Spanish to on the whole flight. 
She took a photo of me...

and I of her.

At 0915AM I arrived in Fort Lauderdale Florida. I hightailed it
with my yellow backpack on my back and my walking stick in hand
to the other side of the airport to barely make it to the boarding of my next flight out.

On time at 1048AM  I departed on flight 859 to Cartagena Colombia.

I took a selfie on that flight!

At 1245PM I arrived in the heart of the Indies in the Caribbean Sea - Cartagena Colombia.
I was stopped by the policia who walked me right through customs within 10 minutes,
then I exchanged 50 USD to 100000 Pesos; but dropped a $100 bill, which I did not recover.
I only brought 250 USD with me, which did not turn out to be much at the
Bocagrande District.
This is the new highrise district, and it is costly American prices.

Anyway I was treated like royalty upon arriving until my departure.
The people were not like I expected, because of the bad stereotypes about them.
How many people stereotype Colombians as drug or coffee dealers,
with high powered weapons,
whom are dangerous, even the state department warns of the danger of the drug cartel.
In reality the stereotypes are wrong.
And even the warnings are wrong about travel to Cartagena.
Colombians are really respectful people, with lots of character, many whom work hard
just to make ends meet, many like futbul (the national sport),
and there are lots of old American sitcoms like 2 and 1/2 men on TV.
Though the Bocagrande is rich, the rest of the districts are very poor.

I departed the airport in a taxi and went straight to my hotel, the hotel Caribe.

I checked in and crashed in my room. I slept from 0130PM until 0530PM.

I got up and took a shower, shaved, changed out and went to get something to eat.
On the SPIRIT airlines you have to pay for food, you even have to pay for $3 for a water.
I did not want to do that, so I did not eat for nearly 26 hours.
I did have water, however, to take my pills and they even made me pay for that.

I went to a restaurant called, "La Fonda"

and I had a "Benjada paisa" for dinner.

The dinner consisted of one fried egg, a whole fried plankton, red beans, rice, a pork rind,
a avocado slice, a link of chorizo sausage, pulled pork, and four corn cake balls.
I had mine with a Agula beer.
The dinner cost me 42,000 pesos or 21 USD.

After the dinner I was going to go back to my room,
but went and got a massage to regain focus.
The girls name was Veronica.
Then I went back to the hotel and took a few pics,
then went for a nightly swim in the pool. And then went to sleep at 11PM.

Monday 14 July 2014:

Today I did everything on my itinerary for today, Wednesday and Thursday.
So, I will wring it on Wednesday and Thursday.
I woke up when the sun rose. Went for a morning swim.
Ate a continental breakfast from the breakfast bar.
Then showered and shaved and went to old town plaza.

At 11AM I paid $2.50 USD (5000 pesos) and explored the Museo de Arte Moderno.

I then went explore the square and all the art sculptures in the square.

I then took the bus to see the old walled city and the rest of the historic district.
While there I bought some souvenirs;
a T-shirt that said Cartagena for mi hijo Ken,
a bracelet for mi madre Sharon and esposa Jill,
and a hat for me. 

Cartagena is sure a beautiful country!
At 6PM I returned to my hotel.
After the sun went down I did the "Plum Blossom" form on the deck.
I then went upstairs and watched 2 and a half men on TV.
At midnight I fell asleep.

Tuesday 15 July 2014:

Today was the highlight of my entire time in Cartagena!
I was so overwhelmed with joy to finally see my child I have been sponsoring for six years.
I got up at 0800AM, grabbed a juice from the juice bar, took my vitamins and pills,
took a shower and freshened up; put my hair back in a ponytail
(which I do to honor Master Zenkoshi).
I then got dressed in my blue jeans and pink stripped shirt
(pink is my sponsored child's favorite color).
At 0900AM I was down in the lobby waiting for my guide for the...
Funducion Amigos de los Ninos.
At 0940 she finally showed up. The traffic here in Cartagena is loco!

First we went to Jackieth's home. She is an only child.
It is just her and her mother living in a 24 feet square concrete shack.
It makes me sad to see that and realize all of the poverty here;
while there is a big highrise Bocagrande District.
They say that the district was built to bring in the tourists,
so that the government can make more monies to fix the ghettos.
I was and am so saddened to see people, especially children, in poverty.
I have seen it all over the world and I wish I could do more.
I would give up everything if I had to to help another child.
Me and my guide Ana were talking about that on the way to the home.
I mentioned about the politics in the states;
how Romney and Obama during the last campaign wasted billions of dollars;
which could have been used to fix infrastructure, education, and help the poverty stricken.
It was great to finally see Jackieth! I talked to her in Espaniel and English...

After the home visit we went up to the Castle and the Fort.
Then we went down to the playa (beach) to take photos.
We then went to the Naval Museum; where Jackie and I toured it on our own.
I could not believe that Children International let us tour on our own.
But as her madre said I am like her father.
After the tour we went back to the plaza where Children International was waiting for us.

We, my sponsored child and I, communicated well for the most part while on the tour.
The only thing I did not really understand her trying to ask me was what uniform I wore.
I did point out the cracker jacks and the beige officer uniform.
And a nice girl in the museum helped me translate.
I did my "Donald Duck" sneeze and made Jackie laugh.

We then went to get something to eat at the mall.
Jackie like most children, in the Americanized influence of the world, wanted McDonald's. 
The McDonald's here is different than America, however, it is more organic.
And the tomatoes, lettuce, and onions are locally grown.
The onions were diced real onions and not the dehydrated junk they use in America.
It was actually the best Big Mac I ever had!

After the late lunch we went back to the ghetto to take Jackie and her madre home.
I felt bad, because they went back to a shack and I went to a nice hotel with a pool.
At 0500PM I was back at the hotel and I reflected on the day...

Wednesday 16 July 2014:

Today I slept in until 1030. Then I went and got a breakfast bar which is open until noon.
I swam until the afternoon, when the storm clouds came.
It started to storm and I went up to my room on the 4th floor, room 429.
I fell asleep while it rained. The cool wind from my open window felt good.
I slept until 0600PM. I then got up and went to pay my hotel bill to pay it early.
I did not know that they charge $2 a minute for phone calls,
and I was calling my wife everyday.
That added up quickly. And it turned out to be a big hassle to get it paid.
I then left the hotel, watched the nightly parade for the "Virgin of Mount Carmel",
and went and got me the local favorite called the Arepas pues;
it is like a taco, but made out of a bread instead of a shell.
It was delicisio!

  I then went to the hotel bar and got a couple of drinks and chatted with a fellow
American Navy Man I met. He is still on active duty, but vacationed on his own.


After the sun went down I went for another nightly swim.
I went back to the sauna and had a lemon grass tea.
At 10PM I was back in my room watching sitcoms and chilling.

Thursday 17 July 2014:

This morning I got up at 0800AM and went to the playa (beach) until noon.

I then went back to the hotel to shower and get the sand off of me.
I then changed out and walked and got a lunch at a place called,
Kit Kof Burguers. 

I had the Barcelona Burger; delicisio!

I then walked back to the hotel; where I finally got my debt paid,
and my camera fell and broke. Bad luck for me always!
I talked to the front desk,
who let me borrow a laptop to make sure my photos were still on my sun disk.
I got on my Facebook at the computer room and chatted with mi esposa.

At 1900 I walked over to the beach house and tried the Playa Platter;
a whole spicy blackened fish, red beans, and rice.

The rest of the night I stayed around at the hotel.
I packed my bag and prepared to leave.
I am ready to get out of here.

Friday 18 July 2014:

Today I left Cartagena Colombia!
I got up at 0900AM, had some pancakes with jam to eat from room service. 
By 1030AM I was checked out.
Getting the bag checked and going to customs at the airport actually went fast.
I was sitting in my terminal waiting to board my plane at 11AM.
I sat there for 2 hours; bored out of my mind.
At 0100PM I boarded another SPIRIT plane, flight 946 to Fort Lauderdale Florida.
We departed on time at 0137PM.
I arrived at Fort Lauderdale Florida at 0537PM.
Customs here with the TSA was not as fast as the customs in Cartagena Colombia.
In fact the customs officer told me that the disability line is only for wheel chairs.
It took me nearly three (3) hours to get through customs, the bag check, and the pat down.
I was in pain and shaking the entire time.
My blood sugar was low and nearly fainted. 

My next flight was supposed to leave at 0820PM,
but thankfully it was delayed.
I called my wife to tell her and she told me that my parents were picking me up.
She contacted them.
At 0940PM I (we) boarded the plane, flight 464 to Chicago Illinois.
It was nearly midnight when we (I) arrived in Chi-Town.
I walked straight off the plane with my yellow backpack;
straight to the curbside pick up were I saw mi padre and madre.
I arrived home at just before 0300AM Saturday 19 July 2014.

Good bye Cartagena! Te Amo!

Mi Amor Cartagena!