Argentina’s bridge from nowhere to nowhere. A sad reminder of the chaotic way in which the country is being maladministered. 😥 Fifty percent of the population are poor in of one of the richest countries in the world.

This is in response to the many emails and messages asking me not to close the blog. First I must explain. This blog was born in Central Virginia, October 10, 2010. The idea was to promote my then recent book Ark of Grace — Our Blessed Mother in Holy Scripture. That was my first book published in English. It was around that time that 33 Chilean miners got trapped underground by the sudden collapse of an old and unsafe mine. I thought: “33”? and imagined that the event had some significance, so I posted a few words  when a few days later, on the 13th of October the 33 miners made it out of the mine safely thanks to the efforts of an international team of rescuers led by Chilean government agents. It was a very happy story but it was also a reminder of the sad state of affairs in so many South American countries whose suffering people deserve better administrations.

The blog continued until today. I simply told the stories that caught my attention but as I continued posting I noticed that quite a number of supernatural events were happening to people I knew and to myself. Dialog with so many dear readers along the way made me grow in faith. Weird and unusual things have been happening ever since. No, I did not witness any apparitions nor I received messages from Heaven. Sometimes things happened that left me thinking, like that May 1st I was approached by a simple man after I got lost in a part of the city I was not familiar with. That good man had an unusual name that made me think he could have been St. Joseph cleverly disguised. Yet another time I bought an old encyclopedia I thought it was a copy of the same I enjoyed when I was a child. But it was not a copy: it was my own encyclopedia lost around 1968 and it still had my old page marker in it. The stories multiplied over the years and that made many of you think that this is not any blog, it is a blog with a sprinkle of heavenly favor totally undeserved by the blogger but most certainly deserved by those good souls that decided to explore its pages.

You, dear readers, have been a blessing and great company.

A few weeks ago I was told that my ‘bread and butter’ was coming to an end. I’ll try to explain.

With the help of friends in the US we found a way to wire the small amount required to cover my monthly needs. But recently, my friends began preparing to receive a new baby into the family. The busy schedule became super-busy and they could not help me any longer with the wires. I tried to see if some friends I trust could take care of the matter but there were various obstacles and so … I had to move quickly to see how I was going to make ends meet under this new scenario. I accepted the fact that the local government discourages certain transactions by heavily taxing them. For example: if one sends $100 from a New York bank to a Buenos Aires bank, chances are that one will receive $30 after filing a lot of paperwork. There are various other systems but they all have serious inconveniences. Wires via a service like MoneyGram, Western Union or similar are the simplest, most secure and quick. Well, that could not be done any longer.

I concluded that the best thing was to work locally to make ends meet and forget about the US income. There is a lot of work for someone with my skills, even at my almost 68 years of age. The stress of the monthly transactions was thus eliminated and I would get to do some needed exercise and enjoy the outdoors. That is when I decided to close the blog taking good care of letting you know I was not dead or sick. I learned my lesson in 2021 when I returned from the hospital and had to respond to a huge number of emails asking me if I was alive. Thanks be to God, I was.

That did not stop many of you from asking “Why are you closing your blog?” and so this time I am posting an explanation.

As recently as this afternoon, a friendly reader from the US contacted me and offered to take care of the wires. He is a reader, he does not like the blog going away. Today we had a chat (well, more like a monolog with me doing most of the talking) and we may find a solution sometime this month.

Our friend echoed many of the comments I have been receiving from readers. Honestly, I did not know nor imagine the deep appreciation so many of you have for this little corner of the Catholic Internet. I was moved by your sincerity and love. I had no idea! Please know that I always pray for you all and I ask you to please “say a little prayer” for this old sinner. Let us ask Our Lord to help us and allow us to gather here while we can. Your kindness has given me a lot to think of. I got to organize my activities and seek a few partners to keep it going in case something happens to me if  I need to take a break.

I will respond to all the emails although it may take a few days because they’re many! If I miss any of them, please insist!

In the meanwhile may God bless you and keep you safe.