271. Happiness

Friends and Fans:
Yesterday we left C.W. at our farm to watch over things while the woman he calls “Mrs. Big Dope” and I enjoyed one of the happiest days of our lives. He later gave me permission, albeit somewhat grudgingly, (“They want to read about me, not you.”) to devote a day to the occasion.  He’ll be back tomorrow if the Falloonian Elders release him. (Don’t ask).For right now, here goes.


It started over ten years ago when a couple of kids moved in with their sister and her husband who are neighbors to us at our farm. The kids were from Ensenada, Mexico, here on a travel visa. With their father deceased, and their mother remarried to a new family, they had no place to go when their visa ran out. So we “adopted” them, not legally but emotionally. The young man’s name is Arturo and he probably has an IQ in the stratosphere. His sister later married while we helped Arturo get an associate’s degree from a nearby university branch, and a Green Card. He, himself got a job as a computer-aided drafter and has become a valuable member of society.

After years of struggle, all it took was a raising of the hand.

Well guess what? Yesterday we went to the Federal Building in Little Rock to watch him and 49 other precious people raise their hands and become American citizens. Wow.



Tres Amigos

Though hardly what you would call a religious couple, we base our happiness, my wife and I, partly on the Biblical injunction: “You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:21 (NRSV) We believe that we are on the proper side of both history and righteousness.

We finished the day with a marvelous meal at his family’s house and a few shots of Tequila to celebrate. As they say down in South Arkansas, “Hit don’t git no better’n that.”

Anyway, it was a glorious experience to watch those folks raise their hands and see the smiles on their faces and those of their families and friends.  And while we know that hatred is currently fashionable among certain segments of our population and our views may be alien to some, let us just add that we wouldn’t trade those 50 people for 1,000 Donald Trumps.

Our proud new citizen

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