Enter into a new year with a newfound appreciation in becoming a stronger faithfilled Catholic.  Why is this one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your entire life?  Because you are made in the likeness and image of our creator.  Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Before the world was created you were in the mind of Christ.  You still are, its just that he has given you the most powerful gift, it is called free will.  And with that gift you can bless your life and the lives of others exponentially or you can deny him the privilege, the honor, of seeing his creation become their best self.  At age 60 I have learned about this most important decision and it is so critical to each and every person created because whether they like it or not, they are God's children.  And as a Father, God wants only the very best for all humanity.  We go through life without a manual, ah so others say so, but I will tell you differently.  If you were born, baptized, confirmed, married in the Catholic Church, your mom, your dad, your grandparents, great grandparents, great aunts and great uncles received their first holy bible for a gift upon their wedding day.  I was given from my mother the bible her mother gave her, and decided to open it on my way to begin a new career as a live in caregiver.  That booked opened up my eyes, opened up my mind, and freed me.  How did it free me?  It revealed to me that I needed only to trust Christ with everything.  Afterall I was beginning a new career, I had walked away from a great successful career as a beautician and barber for a lesser paying position, but, I felt in my spirit, I was being asked to do so at this point in time by God.  Sometimes we need to take two steps back in order to go two steps forward.  Because there is a lesson in the experience we were meant to have.  My lesson was this.  To keep my eyes focused totally on Christ and what he wanted for me.  So as a caregiver God gave me a 93 year old women from England to care for.  She was very active, healthy, we both exercised together, and went to mass daily, fortunately she had lived steps away from Saint Vincents Catholic Church. Thanks be to God that exact church is still there and my mom and I walked through those doors in 2023 two years after my fathers passing.  However, ironically, I was being inspired by God to care for an infirmed woman living at home.  Fast forward 30 years that exact building where I lived as a caregiver became a doctors office where my dad went for treatment and experienced miraculous healing.  Like a mosiac, I was able to see Gods hands in that healing process reflecting upon the prayers that were recited by me within that exact building as I worked 7 days a week caregiving. I trusted God, I fully surrendered my heart to him, in deep trustful prayer, and he in turn took care of my father.  The power of almighty God must never-ever be underestimated.  When I was asked to consider allowing my lady to pass away without treatment, I quit on the spot.  Every human being is allowed to receive proper treatment and not be left alone to die.  My upbringing was such, I could not continue with that particular request.  In my heart it didn't feel right.  In my soul, the soul God gave me was so full of his love and his compassion, I moved back home, and that pleased my father greatly.  It wasn't too long after that I had submitted and graciously donated underwater photography to a new book being  published, promising myself if I were to become published that was my sign from God to proceed with my move to Florida.  I received a letter in the mail, and I gave all of my prized possessions to a orphange and followed Christ!