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BOOK SALES POSITIONS AVAILABLE:

SEEKING INDEPENDENT SALES CONTRACTORS

FOR IN HOME MARKETING OFSONG OF THE STORM WINDS

AN EPIC NOVEL BY

IVAN ERICKSON

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING EXCERPTS FROM SONG OF THE STORM

WINDS IN ORDER TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT YOU WOULD LIKE TOMARKET MY NOVEL. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHOM WISH TO EARN PART TIME

MONEY AS AN INDEPENDENT SALES CONTRACTOR RETAILING MY BOOK,

PLEASE CONTACT ME AT MY EMAIL ADDRESS FOR INFO:

[email protected]]:

CAST OF CHARACTERS IN THE FOLLOWING EXCERPTS:

Narrator.Michelle Marie Marcell a rich, aspiring young operatic Soprano from Bordeaux.Gianni Corelli Italian transfer student to the Univ. of Notre Dame, from Rome, Italy,who becomes the driving, spiritual force for the Fighting Irish football team, both on and

off the field.MaeveKelly Kecia Kellys Grandmother.Kenneth Kelly Kecia Kellys Grandfather.

Father James J. Madigan, President of the University of Notre Dame.

Memo: The following excerpts from my novel have been revised, with a narrator and the

names of the characters speaking inserted above, in order to be read more easily by those

of you whom may wish to join together with friends and assume the roles of the

characters in a group reading session. This is especially important for those of you whommay wish to retail my novel. Please visit my other pages on this site to read and comment

on my essays, or to order my novel in paperback or in Kindle Book Digital via my direct

links to amazon.com.

* * *

[NARRATOR]:

[The hero, Gianni Corelli, a handsome, outspoken transfer student from a Cattlico

Universit in Rome, Italy to the Univ. of Notre Dame has quickly become a dynamic,

spiritual force both on and off the field for the Fighting Irish football team. In thisexcerpt, Gianni is at his rental home in South Bend, Indiana, when he receives a phone

call from his girl friend, Michelle Marie Marcell, who is currently at home at her familychateau near Bordeaux, France, over the Thanksgiving Holidays. Michelle is a student at

a Universite in Paris, is a rising young, beautiful opera star who has been staying with her

cousin, Kecia Kelly in South Bend, and who is currently taking the semester off in orderto perform in a series of operatic concerts with her troupe in America. Michelle met

Gianni through her cousin Kecia, who, like Gianni, is also a student at Notre Dame.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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EXTRACT # I: FROM VOLUME I, CHAPTER 18, PAGES 512 520:

[NARRATOR]:

Sunday morning of the next day, Gianni was at his desk in the den, working on his

assignments. Outside, the day was cold and sunny. The storm had blown its way onthrough sometime during the previous night in time for the snowplows to get out and

clear the snow and ice off most of the main streets and throughways in South Bend so

that he had been able to drive to St. Josephs for mass earlier that morning. Outside the

window near his desk, he could see the suns rays reflecting off the snow in theneighborhood, in a dazzling display of pure celestial whiteness. Children were laughing

and shouting to one another as they played in the snow.

His mind quickly played back a series of nostalgic memories of other days in the snow

and the sun, from his various experiences in other countries and continents around theworld. Many of the memories evoked sadness, rather than nostalgia. His phone rang

sending his memories back to be stored in the recesses of his mind from whence they hadcome, to be recalled again at some future time as he came out of his reverie and picked

up the phone:

[GIANNI CORELLI]:

Gianni speaking.

[MICHELLE MARIE MARCELL]:

Oh Gianni, thank God that you are home. I so desperately need to speak to you.

[GIANNI]:

Michelle? Magnified indeed is the quintessence of the precious voice of a special one

from afar, to the one to whom she speaks! Is it truly you, or has one of Gods special

angels somehow obtained my unlisted number?

[MICHELLE]:

Yes, it is me, you nut! Were you expecting another lady to call?

[GIANNI]:

Not really.

[MICHELLE]:

I do not know what is the matter with me, Gianni. I saw you just three days ago, but

already it seems that I have been away from you longer than at any time since I haveknown you. I miss you so very much. Do you miss me also?

[GIANNI]:

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Of course, I do.

[MICHELLE]:

You do! I am elated to hear you say that to me, Gianni. The fact that you miss me will

make it so much easier for me to speak to you of how much I miss you also. It would

have meant so much to me if you could have cut a couple of your classes on Fridaymorning to see me off on my flight. I was lonely for you even then, as I bid goodbye to

Kecia and Kathryn and then boarded my flight. I missed you during my entire flight

from South Bend to New York City. I missed you during my entire flight form New YorkCity toBordeaux.

I was so happy that I kept one of the eight by ten photos of you with me on the flight. Ihad put all of the other pictures that I have of you and me, as well as the other photos that

we took, in my luggage that was in the baggage compartment of the plane. I took it out

of my travel bag and held it in my lap. It looks like a special work of art in that platinumpicture frame that I bought for it. I wished that the portrait were really you and that you

were right there beside me on the plane, so that I could be in your arms for the entireflight! One of the flight attendants came by and asked if she could see the portrait. Shelooked at it and said that you were one of the most handsome men that she had ever seen.

She commented that I was very fortunate to have such a handsome husband. I told her

that we were not married. She then asked if you were an actor.

A man sitting across the aisle from me saw the picture in the flight attendants hands and

exclaimed, Thats Gianni Corelli, the football player from Notre Dame, isnt it!? Ianswered him that it indeed was. Then, I could scarcely believe it, but about half of the

passengers on that 747 asked if it were really you and pleaded with me to let them see the

portrait. I did not wish to let the portrait out of my hands, because it was so special to

me. I did not even wish to share your image with those strangers. But, reluctantly, Ipassed it to the man across the aisle that had first recognized that it was of you. I did not

get the portrait back again for almost half an hour, as it was passed from one person to the

next. The people were all buzzing about you, like a whole hive of excited bees. I couldnot believe that so many people knew who you were even Europeans. They recognized

you from watching your ball games on TV and from seeing your pictures in sports

magazines. They were all so excited about you and wanted to know all about you people of all ages, grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, fathers, young men and women,

even little children. They spoke of you as if you were the most special person that they

had ever heard of like you were their hero.

I was very proud, because I was special to those people too, when they learned that Iknew you personally. I was also a little jealous, because I am a rising diva, who has sungin some of the best theaters and opera theaters in France and America and yet not even

one of those darn people knew who I was, even after I told some of them my name.

Anyway, when I got the portrait back, I cleaned the glass and frame with some tissuesand again held it in my hands. I was so lonely for you, I felt as if I was going to cry.

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Today was the day that Mario came to see me, you know. He ended up leaving earlier

than he had planned. Do you know why? It was because I could not get you out of my

mind. I could not concentrate on what anyone was saying, as my Aunt Louise, Mario, mymother and father and my little sister, Monique, all sat and talked in our chateau here

today. After I had embarrassed Mario by not hearing what he had said to me for about

the umpteenth time, he asked if he could speak with me alone.

We went outside and strolled together in silence on the spacious grounds outside our

chateau, amongst the late fall flowers, trees, shrubs, statues and fountains. He finallycame right out and asked me what the hell was the matter with me. He was angry. He

said that he did not wish to waste his time talking about my future concerts with me, if I

could not at least be courteous enough to pay attention to him. I told him that I was sorryand that I did not feel well and that perhaps it would be best if we talked together at some

future date. He bid me a very caustic farewell and departed immediately.

I told everyone in the chateau that Mario had left unexpectedly and that I was going for a

walk on the paths that lead through ourvigne and that I wished to be alone. I walked by

myself the rest of this afternoon.

It is evening now, of course. I spent the whole afternoon, thinking of only you and me.Your handsome face and your masculine physique continued to drift in and out of my

mind, as the waves continue to roll onto the shore and then roll back out to the sea again.

Since returning to my room, I have been musing about the things of which I was thinkingduring my afternoon walk. Everything that I looked at as I walked through our

picturesque vigne appeared so much more beautiful to me. The partly cloudy sky was

more azure. The sun was an aura of celestial brilliance. The late, fall flowers were

brighter, their perfume more fragrant then I had ever experienced before. The landscapewas iridescent in the alternating bright light of the sun and in the shadows of the clouds.

The songs of the birds, as evening came, were a symphony of ethereal splendor I felt asif the angels of heaven were singing especially for me.

I could not eat dinner tonight. I excused myself and said that I wished to be alone. I havebeen lying on my bed in my nightgown, thinking only of you. I am playing music on my

stereo, but even the joyous music seems sad to me, because you are not with me. The

beautiful duet, Presentation of the Rose, from Act II ofDer Rosen Kavalier,by Richard

Strauss, is playing just now. Your portrait is on the nightstand, next to my bed. I ampropped up on some pillows, clutching another pillow to my bosom, wishing that it were

you in my arms, instead.

Sleep has not come easily since I have arrived here. The hours of each lonely night passby slowly, as I reverie only of you. The rising of the sun at dawn touches the landscapewith a magical brush that produces those subtle shades of light and shadow that only

God can create and which no artist has ever captured fully on his canvas. It is at the

rising of the sun that my reverie of you finally fades from my mind, as I drift off, finally,

into restless sleep. And, as I sleep, clutching a pillow to my breasts, your enchantingimage and the memories of the ecstasy of your spirit that has enraptured the spirit

within me with an ardent, euphoric, mesmerizing, electromagnetic vibrato drifts back

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into my mind and into my dreams, to replace the image of you that only seemingly

moments ago faded from my reverie. I awaken later in the morning, feeling languid

because of lack of sleep and then the memory of my dreams of you fade from my mindlike a vapor, to be replaced again by my reverie of you.

You are still with me throughout the day, with each beat of my heart, with each breaththat I take, with each sip of wine, with each morsel of food, and with each step that I take

as I wander around our chateau or out on the adjoining grounds, or as I walk the paths

of ourvigne.

Now, as I lie upon my bed, I hear the whispering of the breeze that tickles the dry, deadleaves of the trees outside my window. The whispering of the wind in the leaves is as

ethereal as your melodic, tenor voice. But, listen intently as I can, I cannot fathom a

single word of your gentle whispering, which I hope is only for my ears alone and not forany other woman in the whole world. What are the words that you are whispering to me

in the subtle caressing of the wind, in the leaves outside my window just now, my

beautiful Gianni that tickle my ears and set my whole being in vibrato?

[GIANNI]:

Hmm. I think that I must be whispering to you that you should get yourself some pure

melatonin at your local health food or nutrition store for your sleeping problem. That is,you should take melatonin, unless you have a serious insomnia problem for which in

that case, you should see your doctor.

[MICHELLE]:

What?! You big ass! I have poured out the words of what I am experiencing in my

heart and soul because of you. And I ask you what you are whispering to me and your

only consoling words are that I take some kind of a sleeping pill?!

[GIANNI]:

I apologize, but I am serious. Melatonin is a neurohormone and an antioxidant thathelps regulate the circadian rhythms. It should solve your sleep problems and you will

not feel any of the lingering effects the next morning, as you may with regular sleeping

pills. Also, melatonin is widely used by people who fly a lot, because it helps reducejetlag.

[MICHELLE]:

Thanks for the help! We are going intoBordeaux tomorrow, I will pick some up then.But, I still think that you are a big ass for not telling me what the gentle breezes of your

voice are whispering to me, in the quivering, dry leaves outside of my window. Please

tell me, oh inspiration of my song! I must know!

[GIANNI]:

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Well, if you must know, I will acquiesce to your wishes, though the whispered words

may not tickle your ears, nor set your heart and soul in vibrato. They are speaking thus:

You are as beautiful to behold as the majestic white moon that glides mysteriously across

my sky at night. But then, the moon either disappears below the horizon in the west or

fades from my view with the dawning of the sun.

You are the rapturous, haunting image of loveliness that I espy as I walk through thedesert of life. I gaze upon the dancing shape of the loveliness that is you, in the rising,

dancing vapors. But as I approach you, the mirage fades away leaving me only with

the burning sand and the torturous sun under the empty skies of my world.

You appear to me as a kaleidoscope of multicolored leaves on the trees in the fall. I departand return a short time later and the winds have blown the majesty of the tableau vivant

that was you from the trees. And you are gone again.

You appear again to me, as the majestic panorama of an alpine vista with leas covered

in verdant beauty and the subtle shades of multicolored, exquisitely rare and delicate wildflowers. I look away for only a moment, lest I be blinded by the rapturous vision uponwhich I have sated my poor eyes. But when I look again, the vision of the loveliness that

was you has dissipated, leaving only a vast vista of cold, drifting snow.

You appear to me at night, as the vast, mysterious wonder of the countless, twinkling

stars in the sky. But again, with the dawning of the sun, you quickly vanish from my

view, as if you never had been.

On occasion, you have materialized in my presence as a real and vibrant woman, ratherthan as a mirage, image, or vision that fades from my view. It is at these times, for the

very short time that you are near me sitting close to me with your arm entwined aroundmine, or when you are embracing me, kissing me with your soft, supple, moist lips, with

your soft face pressed against mine that I feel for a fleeting moment that you are real,that you are not a fading image in the distance a fading star. It is at those fleeting, rare

moments that you are near me, or kissing me, that I am most aware of the quintessence

that is you: your naturally curly, raven tresses, which fall in sheens of luster over yourpretty shoulders to the small of your back; your large, green eyes from which the aura of

your soul shines forth, casting an esthetic glow about your countenance, highlighting the

soft light and shadows of your rosy cheeks; your red lips, your eye shadow, your dimples,and the pulchritude of your lovely form.

But alas, even during these rare moments, when you are physically near me, while we arekissing one another and you are in my arms, then too, you began to fade from my sight.

You dissipate in my arms and like the image, the mirage, the vision of afar, you disappear

you are gone. Only the essence of your perfume which lingers on my clothes and in theair, tell me that you were truly with me, even if only for a fleeting moment. Like the

silent moon and the twinkling stars that fade at dawn; like the mirage of your loveliness

that fades away in the desert; like the kaleidoscope of multicolored leaves in the fall, thatare gone with the wind; like the panoramic alpine vista that becomes a white, drifting

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snow, you continue to be with me only for a few, brief moments. Then you fade from my

view and alas, are gone. You are off to perform in a concert, to dance with me only to

leave with another man, or to fly off into the azure sky returning to your home in France.

So you see, my evanescent French diva with the voice of the spirit, that is what the wind

is whispering to you as it tickles the trembling leaves, outside the window of your elegantchateau outside the castle to which the princess has fled, to fade from my vision once

again.

[MICHELLE]:

Ah, Gianni, the allegory of your words has brought tears to my poor eyes, oh inspiration

of my song. What you have said is true. We have spent only evanescent momentstogether, but in truth, you must admit that this has not been entirely my fault, you see.

Yes, I do have obligations that take me away at times, such as my prescheduled concerts

and my trip here to France, to be with my loved ones. The time I left you in New YorkCity, with Mario, Kecia and another guy, I am not even going to get into now. I have

already explained my motivation for wanting to talk with him, so we are going to put alid on that little cocklebur that seems to be stuck to your butt; do you hear me?

Yes, I do have my obligations that have taken me away from the ecstasy of your arms.

But so also do you have your obligations, which have rent you from my embrace, thusrending the fibers of my poor heart and soul. Have you forgotten your football games out

of town? Have you forgotten about your studies that never seem to allow us but a few

brief moments at the Huddle together? And damn you, you even cheat me out of thosefew brief, precious moments because you are constantly with that bitch, Juliet, whom

Kecia and I think quit her cheerleader obligation simply so that she can cling to you at all

times, like a cheap pair of nylons. Do you not agree that you are as much or more at fault

than I, for our all too brief and infrequent times together?

[GIANNI]:

You can put a lid on the Juliet Schaffer phobia. She is spending very little time with meas of late. She has become very close to Pete Pendleton. She told me that they were

going to the dance at the U. here last night. As for the obligations that you attested that

we both have, I disagree with you on that point of contention. A man has obligations a

womans obligation is the man. Do you see?

[MICHELLE]:

First of all, I must say that my heart leapt for joy when you told me that Juliet isspending a lot of time with Pete now. You must know that I was deeply concerned about

what your relationship with her really was. As for a womans obligation being the man,

I think that I had better set you straight on that fallacy right now, Mr. farm boy Corelli.My obligation is my professional career as an operatic singer. If you think that I am

going to sit docilely at home, sipping herbal tea and tending to a bunch of kids, while my

husband is flying around the country, getting his brains beat out playing professionalfootball, just to make the big bucks, you had better guess again. Single or married, my

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professional career is going to come first. And whomever I marry is going to know that

fact and succumb to my demands prior to putting a ring on this ladys finger. Do you

understand what I am saying?

[GIANNI]:

You are marrying a professional football player?

[MICHELLE]:

I I was just using that as a figure of speech. Or maybe I was getting ahead of things

here, I am not sure. Anyway, I want you to agree right now that you understand what Iam demanding, so that we do not have to go through this argument again. Okay?

[GIANNI]:

Why do you wait until you are thousands of miles away before we have one of the

longest conversations that we have had, to date? he queried. I would like you to

understand something now also, oh music of the spheres. It is important that youremember what you have heard me say more than once before, because it is of great

importance to me. You must concentrate on and direct all of your aspirations in life on

those things that are spiritual, on those things that concern the hereafter, rather than on

the short-term goals the here and now, the materialistic. Do you see?

[MICHELLE]:

I can see right now where this thing is taking us, oh spirit to whom my spirit sings. I see

that I am going to have to wait until I am with you again, in your arms, embracing you using all those attributes of my feminine beauty that you so poetically professed to me

moments ago, along with the scent of my perfume to charm you into acquiescing to mywishes. I am going to hug you and kiss you until you surrender yourself to me. Okay? Iwish that you were here in France with me now, Gianni. My kisses and my charms

would have you begging for mercy in a very short time, I think. Do you not agree?

[GIANNI]:

I guess its a good thing that I am not with you then.

[MICHELLE]:

Are you going to Kecias house today?

[GIANNI]:

She invited me, but I told her that since she invited me there for Thanksgiving, I would

like to spend the extra time home today, studying and doing some chores around the

house.

[MICHELLE]:

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My little sister, Monique, just loves that portrait of you that I gave her. The little nut has

not even let us hang it on the wall in her room yet. She carries it with her wherever she

goes and keeps it on her lamp table at night. She has a big crush on you, you know.

Anyway, we have talked for quite a spell. I am going to phone you every day while I am

here, so you had better be home! Okay? My aunt, parents and sister send you their love.My heart will be counting the seconds, until I phone you tomorrow, with each ardent

beat. Until then, goodbye, oh reverie of my daytime hours, oh dream that is with me in

the night, oh breeze that whispers incessantly in the trees outside my window in thedarkness and loneliness of my nights. Goodbye, my love.

[GIANNI]:

Give my love also to your aunt, parents and sister. I will be anxiously awaiting your

call. Goodbye.

* * *

[NARRATOR]:

[It is now Thanksgiving Day. Michelle is still at her family chateau near Bordeaux.

Gianni is in South Bend at the home of Kecia Kelly]:

EXTRACT # II: FROM VOLUME I, CHAPTER 18, PAGES 520 537:

[NARRATOR]:

On the following Thursday afternoon of Thanksgiving day, after an ambrosial dinner

comprised of seemingly endless gourmet dishes that had been prepared by Kathryn,

Kecia and Kristy Kelly, everyone was seated around the family room, conversing.Everyone had that warm, fuzzy, yet uncomfortable stuffed feeling from eating too much

food. A crackling fire in the fireplace added a warm, cheerful ambiance for the beautiful

friends and family members gathered there. Seated in the room, besides the three Kellywomen who had just finished their dishwashing and other kitchen chores were

Patrick, his parents, Maeve and Kenneth Kelly, Reverend James J. Madigan, C.S.C.,

President of Notre Dame, Gianni and James Richards. James was Kecias fianc who was

currently attending Stanford.

Gianni had been told that Kenneth had owned the local dealership, now owned by hisson, prior to retiring. Kecia had reminded Gianni that her grandparents and Patrick and

his siblings had been poor as church mice, before Kenneth and Maeve had scrimped

and saved enough money to allow them to get a bank line of credit and backing fromsome investor friends to procure the dealership franchise. Kenneth and Maeve had

moved to the Phoenix, Arizona area after his retirement. They were both avid golfers and

the two had traveled extensively abroad. They had known Father Madigan for several

years, Gianni had been told.

Kenneth was clean-shaven, had a full head of silver-gray hair, was slightly shorter thanhis six feet one inch son, was handsome and distinguished looking, had blue eyes that

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seemed capable of quickly sizing up the people whom he met, Gianni had thought. He

was of medium build and, unlike his son, did not have the midriff bulge. Maeve had

raven black hair streaked with gray and gentle blue eyes that reflected an esthetic glowfrom her pretty, smiling countenance. She looked much younger than her years, he

thought. She had maintained her comely figure, largely because of the golf and the active

lifestyle that the two led, as well as due to the supplements they took daily and the strictMediterranean diet that the two adhered to, Gianni had been told. The two elder Kellys

had been entertaining everyone for a good share of the afternoon with colorful stories,

intermingled with anecdotes regarding their most recent trip to the Far East. They haddelighted everyone there - especially with their tales and descriptions of their trip up the

Yangtze River to the Three Gorges region of China. After a lull in the conversation,

Maeve spoke:

[MAEVE KELLY KECIAS GRANDMOTHER]:

Father Madigan, we have told you about some of the terrible storms, grasshopper

plagues, earthquakes and floods that we experienced first hand in the Far East. Other

than the scientific explanations for the disastrous weather phenomenon that is afflictingthe people of the world in recent years, what other rationale can you attribute for these

catastrophic storms? Kenneth and I have even discussed curtailing our travels abroad,until things start improving - considerably. Actually, we do not even enjoy traveling in

our own country here, for the same reason. Do you agree with the scientific

explanations?

[NARRATOR]:

The handsome, blue-eyed president of Notre Dame paused to stroke his full facial beard,

before speaking:

[FATHER JAMES J. MADIGAN PRESIDENT OF NOTRE DAME]:

Well, there are, of course, scientific explanations for almost everything that happens in

this world, as well as in our universe, Maeve. However, we must take into account alsothat there is a Supreme Being, who not only created this world and this universe, but also

has the omnipotence to take direct control of a single molecule anywhere in the universe

or the whole universe itself at any time that it pleases Him to do so. It never ceases toamaze me that so many of the intellectuals of this world believe in the power of the

human mind to control and to move matter, but yet they cannot fathom the truth that there

is a Supreme Being who can not only move matter, but He can also create matter out ofnothingness, simply by saying His desired word.

Yes, Maeve, I do believe that there is another phenomenon involved over and above thescientific theories concerning the increase in both the number of and in the intensity of

the worldwide storms in recent times, as well as in the increase of other catastophical

events. I believe that our Almighty God, through His Spirit, is bringing about thisphenomenon, to show the people of this world that He is angry with His people because

of the wantonness of our sins. He will continue to increase this punishment, through His storm winds and through other direct interventions, which have been written in the

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Inspired Words of His Holy Bible. These catastrophic events, you all know, are the Acts

of God.

Most of us here listened to the discourse Gianni presented to the students, faculty and

parents at South High, here in South Bend recently. Gianni quoted from the Old

Testament book of Sirach, Chapter 39, verses 28 through 31, I believe. Verse 28 states:

There are storm winds created to punish, / which in their fury can dislodge mountains; /When destruction must be, they hurl all their force / and appease the anger of their

Maker.i

There are several other verses in the Old Testament that attest to the same warning, which

I will not quote for you for the same reason I am certain that Gianni did not quote them.What is this reason for not wishing to quote them? It is to ensure, first of all, that I do not

make the grave mistake of becoming a false prophet. I do not wish to lead Gods people

astray, by attempting to prophesy something that has not been given me directly, in a

vision from God. Secondly, I do not wish to have anything that I quote from the Bible,

taken out of the context in which God spoke it and, thereby, lead his beloved peopleastray. For those who are interested, I suggest that you seek these quotations out

diligently, on your own and then seek to read and meditate on each of them in the contextin which God has intended.

Therefore, I think that it should suffice to give you the one quote from Sirach that I gave

you a few moments ago, to simply make my point: that God is warning all mankind to

turn away from their sins and He has promised to punish us if we do not repent and

reform our lives.

Also, I, like Gianni, do not know for certain if what we are experiencing in our world in

these current times is the end times as prophesied in Gods Holy Bible. I am not aprophet of God. So, therefore, I cannot speak for Him. I can only do for Gods people

what Gianni and many other good people of God are doing in these times, that being: towarn people that we all must turn away from committing all of those sins that are against

Gods Holy Will and which are not in accord with the keeping of Gods Holy

Commandments, mandates, jurisdictions, laws, decrees and His holy covenants.

Also, I, like Gianni and many other people of God in these times, wish to warn the people

of this world not to make up their own set of laws and rules to follow, that are not inaccord with Gods laws. We must not follow or heed those people in this world who do

not wish to adhere to every one of Gods laws to the letter. I warn as many of these

poor souls that I can reach not to listen to or follow any of Satans slaves, nor anyantichrist who would induce them to follow It to another gospel, belief, sect or faith that

deviates in the least from even one Word of God in his Holy Bible.

I will give you a couple of quick examples of how one word can change the entire

perspective of Gods Holy Bible and thereby falsify Gods Word. Our beloved brothers

iNew American Bible, O.T., The Book of Sirach, 39:28, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD),

Washington, D.C. (1969, 1970, 1986, 1991) pg. 809

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and sisters of the Islam faith are taught that Jesus Christ is not the Begotten Son of God

that God begets no one. The definitive word here is quite obviously, begotten! The

Mormons are taught that Jesus Christ is the Begotten Son of God, but that He isnot theonly Begotten Son of God. To the Mormon, consequently, Jesus Christ is only the first

of a myriad of begotten sons of God in the spiritual sense. The definitive word here is, of

course, only! Therefore, all mankind must be taught the truth. And the truth inScripture is that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God! Always bear in mind

that the antichrist is the evil spirit that resides in all those who would deny either theFather or the Son, or who denythat Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God.

All of you beloved people here with me this day understand that when I speak of a truth

regarding another faith or religion, I mean nothing derogatory, nor do I wish to offend somuch as one beloved brother or sister in any way. I say these things that they may learn

of the truth that is available for all mankind to seek and to discern. I say these things so

that the devious deceptions and snares of Satan may become manifest to all people, thatwe may turn away from and avoid them. All of the pagans, Gentiles and other non-

Christians throughout the ages, since the coming of Christ, have had to overcome the

false ideals, worshiping rites, decrees and idols of our previous faiths and religions before seeing and accepting the Truth and the Light of the One True God who Lives and

of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Many people today are leaving not only the Catholic faith, but they are leaving other

Christian faiths as well. Some of Gods poor souls are leaving their particular Christian

faith, to join another Christian faith. Why? Because in many instances they wish to beassociated with a Christian faith, a minister, priest, or other clergymen that allows for the

transgression of one or more of Gods laws with which they disagree. They turn away

from their initial faith, solely because that faith adhered to the Truth and the Light ofGods explicit teachings and Commandments and because their initial faith stated clearly

that what that person is doing, or wishes to do, is a sin against Gods law. As always,these poor souls have become ensnared by the changing of - and misinterpretations of

Gods Holy Word.

What fools we poor humans are! We allow Satan to dupe us in so many ways. Many ofus try to tell ourselves that if we do not learn Gods laws, we will not be held accountable

for our transgressions of his Laws. This is no more true than it would be for a person to

purposefully not learn all of the laws required to drive an automobile, so that he couldrationalize to himself that he would not be held accountable for not adhering strictly to

the law such as in the case of running a red light and killing another human being.

Myriads switch faiths, or become a member of a particular faith because it is more

lenient, or does not regard as sin those transgressions of Gods law such as a divorce, orabortion. We allow ourselves to be driven by the winds, in whichever direction Satan

wishes to drive us, rather than to get tough, to repent and to learn Gods laws and all of

those things of which He wishes us to know that are recorded in the Inspired Words ofHis Holy Bible.

Many Catholics today, especially in the Western world, are just as lax in keeping Gods

Commandments as many of those poor souls of other Christian faiths. Catholics who

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have been properly educated and nurtured in our faith will be held more accountable for

their transgressions because we know, or should know, Gods will. Again, changing

faiths or the ignorance of people of any Catholic or Christian faith will not help anyof them on Judgment Day, for Gods Commandments and His Word are available and

accessible to all of us of a sane mind in the free world.

I apologize for digressing from your initial question, Maeve, which was simply: other

than the scientific explanations for the recent weather phenomenon, what other rationale

can I attribute for these catastrophic storms in recent times? I felt compelled to digress,in order to answer your question more fully. If I tell people that God has promised in his

Holy Bible to punish us for our sins by his storm winds, I must also give people an

illustration or two of what we are being punished for. If we tell our children when theyare infants that a match, fire, or a kitchen range burner is hot and that they must not touch

it, we must also explain to them what the consequences of touching something hot are

which are mainly getting burned and suffering from the pain. Do you see?

[MAEVE KELLY KECIAS GRANDMOTHER]:

Of course I do, Reverend, and thank you for elucidating your answer for me. However,in the future, I am going to specify that you answer any question I wish answered in 50

words or less, Maeve chuckled.

[NARRATOR]:

Everyone in the room, including the good Father Madigan, laughed heartily along with

Maeve.

[KENNETH KELLY KECIAS GRANDFATHER]:

You touched briefly on two transgressions in our society that are probably the two mosthighly debated in modern times, Reverend, affirmed Kenneth. These, of course, are

divorce and abortion. All of us here know countless people who have been involved ineither one, or both, of these transgressions of Gods laws. Do you not think that the

current Catholic Church, under the leadership of Pope John Paul who is overtly and

extremely outspoken against both abortion and divorce is the cause for some of thedissension in our Church? Do you agree with the strong stand that he has taken against

these current trends? It would seem to me that in the light of the high numbers of both

divorces and abortions in the world, especially here in the U.S., a softer, perhaps morelenient approach is necessary, in order to keep the people from rebelling. Would a more

lenient decree and a relaxing of Church canon keep more young people from falling away

from the teachings of the Catholic or Christian church to which they once belonged?Would not a more permissive approach benefit exceedingly, to deter the youngergeneration especially from establishing their own set of laws their own moral code, so

to speak, as a myriad of them are already doing?

[NARRATOR]:

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Father Madigan had listened intently to the words of his good friend, Kenneth, and to his

questions. When Kenneth had finished speaking, Reverend Madigan scratched his beard,

as he contemplated his answer. His eyes and countenance portrayed the grief in his heartand in his spirit as the inspired, tenor voice of that beautiful spirit, Andrea Bocelli, was

heard on the stereo singing with chorus, in Italian, the romantic, yet plaintive, Sogno

(dream), by G. Vessicchio and G. Servillo. He then spoke thus:

[FATHER MADIGAN]:

I thank the good LORD, our God and Father, that He has given the people of thismodern world His beautiful saints to set the example and to speak words of wisdom to

those of us who listen. They have helped steer many of Gods people to that narrow path

in life that leads us to the Gate, Jesus Christ who, in turn, will one day lead us to his

Father in Heaven. There have been many of these saintly ones, but those that come tomind first are Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham and Martin Luther King,

Jr. If all of the people of the world would read the words, listen to the words and follow

the example of these beautiful saints along with all the words of God we would not

have the terrible afflictions of divorce, abortions, racial prejudice, poverty, starvation andunrepentant sinners that abound in this world today.

I have a story that I wish to relate to each of you here, which I sincerely believe will give

all of you a greater insight into the tragedies of both abortion and divorce.

In the early morning hour of each day when I arise to kneel and do my meditation it is

at this time when I am in the spirit, that I hear the cries of despair, loneliness, anguish andthe screams and pleas for help from the children of the world those little ones of God,

who are most dear to us all. It is at this time that I come the closest to understanding the

grief that our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ underwent when He suffered the agony in

the garden and his sweat became as droplets of blood. My own heart and spirit cry out inanguish, when I hear the cries of seemingly myriads of Gods little children, wailing so

pathetically and forlornly for our help, like the ethereal music of the spheres.

Years ago, when I first began to hear these cries during my meditation, I did not

understand from whence they came, nor did I understand the reason for the anguish ofthese children. But over a period of time, and after much prayer and meditation, I was

given wisdom and understanding to help me discern the answers I so diligently sought. It

seems that the cries were coming from two distinctly separate groups of little ones oneof the living, and the other of the dead.

It was the cries of those who were dead that I first meditated on. These cries were thefaintest to my ears and I came to understand that I only imagined these cries, because

only God Himself can in actuality hear them. But they are real, nonetheless. These are

the pathetic, soul rending cries of all of those victims of what Pope John Paul so aptlytermed, the slaughter of the innocents! These are the babes of the world who have

been aborted! The reason for the wailing, the grief, the despair and the loneliness of

these poor little babes should not be a mystery to any of us here, who have experiencedlove.

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Once, in a dreamlike state of my meditation, the spirit of one of these precious souls

appeared to me and spoke thus to my spirit:

In horror, anguish and in the silent screams of my soul, I was torn from my mommys

womb prior to the time that I had been designated to be born! Since that tormenting

moment, my wailing cries, unheard by mankind, have joined the chorus of countlessothers like myself, who rail in anguish all of our days and nights without end. I wail in

anguish for the same reason that the others do because I am in darkness, whether you

on earth are experiencing day or night and because I am unloved.

I cry out to my mother and my father over and over again, asking them to tell me whythey did not want me! How could they not want me, when they did not even know me?

But my question goes unanswered and the darkness of confusion continues to enshroud

my poor soul, days and nights without end. Myriads of others like me continue to ask "why?" I myself am overflowing with a love, which I was destined to give to my parents,

all the days of their lives till they were laid to rest, till they were in this world never

more. I wail in the darkness, because I was never allowed to see the light of day. I will

never nurse at my mothers breast, or sit in her lap, or be in her arms, or feel her kisses onmy face as I so long to experience. I will never learn to walk, to talk and to tell my

parents how much I love them with hugs, kisses and words all the days of my sojourn

on earth.

Before I was torn from my mothers womb I thought that I was going to be a veryspecial person someone unique to bring joy and happiness into my parents' lives, to

light up their whole day with my smile. I have special talents, which would have made

them both so very proud of me, you see.

I cry out in anguish for the brothers and the sisters that I never had the chance to get to

know - the brothers and sisters with whom I would have grown up and shared in theirplay, their joys and their sorrows the brothers and the sisters that I never had the chance

to show my love and to experience their love all the days of our lives without end. I cry

out in anguish for all the little friends whom I will never have whom I was to play with,to share with, to grow up with and to love and be loved by all the days without end.

I cry out in anguish, loneliness and despair because I will never experience falling in loveand marrying that special person whom God had created to be my mate, for the children

that I never will have, for the grandchildren that I will never have, for my childrens -

childrens - children that I will never have, even to the thousandth generation 'til the endof time. Even in heaven, I will be heartbroken still, because I will not have the children

or the descendants that I might have had, to take into my arms, to love and cherish for alleternity without end and forevermore.

And so, good Reverend Madigan, whose tears, love and kindness I have felt though I

cannot see you that is why I and other poor babies like me cry out in anguish,loneliness and despair all our days and nights without end. We are in anguish and we rail

in our loneliness, despair and sadness because we have all this love within us to give, but

no one to bestow our love upon. We are in anguish, because we ourselves are unloved all

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of our days and nights under the darkness of the sun. I repeat, our days and nights are the

same, because all is darkness to us! We do not understand. We do not know why we are

unloved. We were never given the chance to show our mommies and our daddies howvery special and precious God has created us to be.

So, now, in our loneliness, we will continue to cry out in the darkness, in despair nowand forever until Jesus Christ returns at the end of time. For it is in Jesus whom all of

us poor babies will be Resurrected and carried by Him into heaven, where we will live in

the love and the light of the Blessed Trinity for all eternity without end.

What am I to say to my mother and father, when I meet them face-to-face in the hereafter,Reverend Madigan? I think that I will take each of them in my arms, kiss them and hug

them and tell them that I still love them and that I will love them throughout all

eternity and forevermore.

The precious little spirit then disappeared, as I meditated in a dreamlike state and I have

not seen it since, Father Madigan related. But sometimes in my meditations late at

night, in the innermost recesses of my private chambers where not even the light of themoon or the stars can penetrate, where the only light is that which comes from within me

I can still feel its precious presence and hear its lonely wails, which join in a choruswith myriads of other aborted babies, like the faraway music of the spheres, as they cry

out in the darkness for the love and the life that they have been denied for all their

lonely nights without end.

[NARRATOR]:

Father Madigan ceased speaking at this time. He took a handkerchief out of his pocketand covered his face with it as he sobbed audibly with tears of grief. Everyone in the

room had to reach for a handkerchief or a tissue, as they all shed their tears copiouslywith the good Priest. After a short time, Father Madigan regained his composure and

apologized for shedding tears in their presence, for he was quite embarrassed. They allthanked him and gave him words of praise and love for sharing his precious experience

with them. Then, a few of them urged him to continue with his discourse, which he then

did, as he spoke thus:

[FATHER MADIGAN]:

I previously stated that the cries of the children, which I hear sometimes in my

meditation in the early hours of the morning, come from two distinct groups. I have toldyou just now of the source of the first group, the little lost souls of the aborted babies. I

will now tell you of the source for the second group, which are poured out from the heartsand souls of the living. These cries for help these cries of loneliness, sadness, despair,confusion, anguish and disillusionment are much louder and more discernible to me.

And I hear these mournful cries not only in my meditation, but in my wakeful hours as

well. They come from the myriad of poor little souls in this country, who are the

innocent victims of the parent, or of the parents, who have been divorced one or moretimes. I have been involved in talking to, praying with and counseling parents and

children caught up in the throes of divorce on countless occasions. Most of these

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occurred before I took over as President of Notre Dame, but I still work and pray with

those people, whenever I can.

There was one particular family that came to me for help several years ago, when I was

the Pastor in a city that I will not name. I will not name the city and will use only

fictitious names of these people, to protect their privacy.

One Saturday, in the fall of the year, when I was in my private office engrossed in thefinal preparation of my homily for that particular weekends masses, I was buzzed on the

intercom by my administrative assistant, Kathleen, from the front office of the rectory.

She informed me that a mother, father and their four children wished to speak privatelywith me. I immediately went out to the front office and was introduce by Kathleen to a

young, handsome and successful appearing couple, whose names were Bill and Ruth

Ann.

Ruth Ann quickly explained that she and Bill were on their way to their place of business,

which they owned and managed together. She went on to explain that they were having

problems with all four of their young children and that against their will the schoolcounselors had intervened, but been unable to rectify even one of their childrens'

problems and that the children were getting progressively worse. She explained thatneither she nor her husband had been able to help the kids either, because of the long

hours that they both worked six and sometimes seven days a week and for other

extenuating circumstances.

I asked her what sort of problems their children were experiencing. Bill quickly

answered for her that the children were all unruly, rebellious and disobedient, at bothschool and at home. He also said that they fought with one another all the time and that

all four of them cried a lot even at night, after they had been put to bed. He asked if I

would talk to the children, see if I could find out what was bothering them and help themif I could. He said that both he and Ruth Ann were presently both on medication because,

between their business and the children, they were becoming nervous wrecks.

I explained to Bill and Ruth Ann that the problem sounded very deep rooted and

complex. I suggested that they talk to a local Catholic counselor about counseling for

their whole family for both the parents and the children. Ruth Ann quickly snappedback at me that neither she nor her husband believed in psychiatrists, that no one in the

family was crazy and again asked if I would talk to the kids for awhile, as they intended

to leave the children with me for a couple of hours. I suggested that it would be best if Italked to Bill and Ruth Ann as well as the children, to best get to the root of their

problems so that I could recommend the necessary course of action for them to pursue.Ruth Ann snapped back at me again, restating that she and Bill had to go to their place ofbusiness and just did not have the time.

I saw that their minds were made up, so for their peace of mind, I explained to them thatwhenever I had private counseling sessions, or private meetings for any purpose with

young people, or minors of either sex, my strict policy was that my assistant, or one of

her aides, must be present at all times. I assured them that my assistants and I were

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me her love when I need it most. I have Ruth Ann as a mother, but she does not love me

at all. I cry because my sister does not have anyone to love her either. And I think that

she needs love even more than I do, because she is only nine and she is a girl. I crybecause I dont give Arlo the love that I know a brother should give his sister probably

because I am not loved myself so I dont want to love anyone else either.

I think that I have figured out one of the real reasons why parents dont spend much time

with their kids, Father Madigan. Its because in most families both the moms and the

dads work most of the time, because money is more important to them than their kids are.Even though my parents pretend like lots of parents do that they are sacrificing and

doing everything for us kids, we know that they mostly do it for their own greed. I guess

thats about it. Life really sucks, Father Madigan!

The next child to speak was Alans stepbrother, Anthony. He introduced himself andspoke thus:

My name is Anthony, Im ten years old and I think that life sucks too, Father Madigan. I

dont know what Alan is complaining about, saying that he does not have his mom tolove him. Ruth Ann is my mom and even though she treats Amy and me a little better

than Alan and Arlo, buys us more things and stuff, I dont think that she really loves us.My real dad did not love Amy and me very much, even before he and Ruth Ann got

divorced. He lives in another town too and we hardly ever get to see him. He is in sales

and he is gone out of town all the time. I think thats probably why mom and he gotdivorced.

Anyway, I play in sports a lot too and I never have a mom or a dad to watch my gameseither, like most of the other kids do. Bill and Ruth Ann hardly ever even bother to ask

who won the game anymore, or how I did. Sometimes I am just bursting inside to tell

them when I had a real good game, made some good plays, a lot of baskets, or got severalhits. But, when they dont bother to ask me, I dont feel like telling them anymore,

because they just dont care.

I dont cry much either, because boys arent supposed to cry. But, when I do, its usually

like Alan said. Its when Im alone or in bed at night. I cry because I never really had a

dad, even before the divorce. My friends and coaches always had to show me everythingabout sports, because dad would not even play catch with me, or shoot buckets in our

driveway with me. I cry because Ruth Ann does not show me in those special ways that

she loves me, like Alans mom did for him and Arlo. She never does anything special toshow that she loves me, like some of my friends' moms do, or like the moms on the TV

shows do for their kids.

I cry because I think that there must be something wrong with me because I have never

had a mom, a dad, or a step-dad to love me and to do special things with me all the time,

like most of my friends do. I wish that someone would tell me whats wrong with me, soI could try to be a better person so that people and my mom and dad would love me.

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I guess that us kids do argue and fight a lot, Father Madigan. I dont know why, even. I

guess it must be because we have hate inside of us, instead of love. Like Alan said, "life

sucks", but what can we do about it? We are just kids, you see.

The next child to speak was Alans biological sister, Arlo. She introduced herself, told

me that she was nine years old and then spoke thus:

I miss my real mom, Charlene, so much that I dont know how to describe the terriblehurt that I feel inside of me, Father Madigan. I call her a lot on the phone and Alan and I

take turns talking to her. That helps a little, but its not the same as having her there for

me almost all of the time, like before the divorce. I miss the special way that she smiled,looked into my eyes and touched my face or brushed my hair. I miss the special way that

she treated me all of the time, even when she was tired or was not feeling very well. I

miss not having her around to give Alan and me a ride to school and to wish us a happyday. I miss not having her there to attend some of my school functions, like band and

chorus, especially when a lot of the other kids seem to always have one or both parents

there. I miss not having her there after the band or chorus performance, to hug me and

tell me how proud she was of me and to tell me that I did real well.

My heart is so very sad, Father Madigan. I cry out on the phone for my mom to comeand see me, but of course she cant she lives too far away. I cry out on the phone and

tell her that I miss her so very much and that I have no one to love me, like her. I hear

her crying on the phone when I say this, then I feel bad for saying it. After all, I knowthat she loves me and misses me just as much as I do her or, even much more probably,

because shes a mom.

My assistant had to give little Arlo some tissues at this point, related Father Madigan,

as she was crying and shedding copious tears. Kathleen gave her a hug for a couple of

moments and I told Arlo that she did not need to continue speaking, if she did not feel upto it. After a few moments, she sighed and bravely told us that she would continue

speaking. But she had to use her tissues frequently to wipe away her tears as she

continued to speak, thus:

Well, like I was saying, Reverend Madigan, my heart always seems sad, even when good

things happen to me, like in school, or at play with my friends. I cry at night too, when Igo to bed. I cry out silently in the darkness, but the darkness hears me not. Ruth Ann

never tucks me in, even when she is at home before I go to bed. She says goodnight,

but does not even give me a hug or a kiss. I cry out in the darkness of my bedroom, I cryout in my mind for help. I keep praying to God to give me my real mommy back, so

things will be like they were before the stupid divorce. I ask God why He lets moms anddads get divorced, but He never answers me. I pray to God to let Ruth Ann love me just alittle bit, so I wont miss my mommy so. But even though I pray for this a lot, Ruth Ann

does not love me even a little bit.

Not only that, but a lot of the kids at school laugh and tease me all the time, because they

say that Arlo is a boy's name not a girl's. Charlene always tells me its the prettiest

name she ever heard and that is why she gave me the name.

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What did we kids do, Father Madigan, to deserve a life like this? What did we do that

was so bad, that made God let our mom and dad get divorced, so that we could no longer

have their love when we need it? I myself do not have the answer to this, so I continue tocry out silently in the night, but no one either hears or answers. I pray silently to God,

but He answers me not. My heart is so sad that sometimes I think that its going to break.

I miss mom so much why cant I have her with me all of the time? Why cant I haveher love, her hugs, her kisses, her pretty face, her smile, her special ways of showing me

that I am special to her, all the days of my life without end?

Is God angry with me or something, Father? What did I do to deserve a life like this a

life without love forever more?

While Kathleen tended to little Arlos tears, I had to leave the room for a few moments,

as I felt that I was going to cry also, related Reverend Madigan, with his eyes nowwelling with tears in remembrance of this sad occasion. He again used his handkerchief,

before continuing.

When I re-entered my office, Arlo and the other three children seemed to have regainedtheir composure. I thanked Arlo for her special story and told her that I would try to

answer her questions, as well as those of the other children, after the last of the children,little Amy, had spoken to us. Amy was a quiet child and it took her much longer to speak

than it will take me to relate her story to you now. She introduced herself as Amy, told us

that she was seven years old, that she was Anthonys real sister and then spoke thus:

I dont know why Arlo whines so much and complains about not having Charlene there

for her all the time to love her and stuff. My mom, Ruth Ann, is with me some of thetime, but she sure doesnt seem to care for me very much, even when she tells me that she

loves me once in a while.

I am not only unloved, but I am also scared most of the time, Father Madigan, especially

at night when Mom and Bill are not home, which seems like most of the time. I amscared because of the scary horror shows, space shows and other scary stuff on TV. I am

scared that we will get into a big war and will get blown up with bombs, or by terrorists.

I am scared to be home when mom and Bill are not home and we only have Anthony and

Alan to protect us, in case some robbers or bad guys break into our house. I am scared tobe outside playing with friends during the day, because I am scared a bad guy might grab

me and kidnap me. I am scared of meteorites hitting us, like we see in the movies. I am

afraid of somebody shooting us at school or outside, like we see on the TV news. I amafraid that someone might blow up our house, or our school, or like that building in

Oklahoma was that I heard about in school. I am scared of a million different things thatI hear about, or see in movies or on TV especially the cartoons with the scary monstersin them that we watch a lot. Why dont they show more shows with real people and real

kids for us to watch, instead of all those scary monsters all the time? I just dont know

how to stop being scared.

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When I try to talk to Mom or Bill about these things that I am afraid of, they pretend to

listen. But I know that they really do not care, because they dont try to do anything to

help me not be scared, other than to tell me to stop being such a wimp.

So, Father Madigan, I not only do not have anyone to love me just like my sister Arlo

and my brothers but I am scared all the time. When I go to bed at night and lie in mybed, alone, with nobody to tuck me in, give me a kiss or a hug, pray with me, or help me

not to be scared, I get like Arlo does I get very sad in my heart. I feel like screaming

out loud but I dont. I ask God to make this world better, so all of those terrible thingsstop happening, but God must not hear me my life and the world just keep getting

worse. Those tornadoes and hurricanes that I see in the news all the time seem to be

inside my head. Why dont they ever go away, Father, like all those storms do?

Why is this world such a terrible place, Father? Does God really love us, like the Biblesays? Why doesnt Jesus come back and make the world better? Sometimes I think that

it would have been better to be one of those abortion babies. Then I would not have to

live in this terrible world, lonely, sad and with no one to love me and to be scared so

much of the time all my sorrowful days without end.

I realize that the story of these poor, dear children of God that I have just related, is nottruly typical of a divorced family, affirmed Reverend Madigan, with a deep sigh. It is

probably a composite of several of the typical problems which also can be found in many

of the families where the parents have never been divorced, as well as in the single parentfamilies. This is the very reason why I like to relate this story, even though it grieves my

heart and soul deeply, every time I tell it.

Redundant it is to say that I could not help these poor, little children in our first meeting

together. I was not able to talk Bill and Ruth Ann into taking family counseling from a

qualified Catholic psychiatrist, which is what I felt that they needed desperately. I wasable to talk them into meeting with me as a family, two or three times a week. Through

much prayer, discussion and reading of the Holy Scripture, I was able to bring love back

into that family, through the grace of God and through faith. Even little Amy was finallyable to overcome her deep-seated fears the storm winds of her mind have dissipated,

hopefully forever.

I still maintain contact with that family as often as I can. Bill and Ruth Ann were finally

able to see the light that those four precious children came before their business and all

material things. They began spending more time with all of the kids. To do so they hadto give up some of the profits from their business that they were earning, in order to hire

a couple of extra managerial people to whom they could delegate their authority, so thatthey did not have to work such long hours. They even admitted to have given up agoodly share of their social lives, that they may give the love to their children that they so

needed, that they had previously denied them, because of their chase after the

materialistic winds of this world.

As beautifully as this story ended for that wonderful family, there is still an underlying

sadness that the children will never overcome, that of course being that none of the four

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children had both of their biological parents with them throughout all of their formative

years. And sadly also, neither Bill nor Ruth Ann have their original mate their first love

with them now to spend all of their days under the sun with, to grow old together, untilthe end of their days on this earth, until their last sun sets in the western skies.

[NARRATOR]:

Everyone in the room thanked Father for sharing his special stories with them.

[FATHER MADIGAN]:

This then, is why I hear the sad, pathetic wailing of two separate groups of myriads ofGods precious children so often during my morning meditation, Reverend Madigan

continued. It grieves me terribly that so much needless torment, grief, sadness, despair

and loneliness is suffered by so many of Gods poor little children both the living andthe dead who cry out night and day for the love they do not have. These are just some

of the reasons why the Pope and people like myself will never allow one iota of leniency

concerning deviating from Gods Commandments, such as abortion and divorce,Kenneth! The Commandment, Thou Shalt Not Kill regarding abortion and theCommandment What God Has Joined together as one, let no man put asunder regarding

divorce are the Word of God and they should be obeyed to the letter. As Gianni has

stated so sagaciously, God has listed no addenda to His Commandments!

* * *[NARRATOR]:

[During her flight from South Bend to Bordeaux, Michelle had changed her mind about

spending Saturday, Christmas Eve, with her family on their vineyard. And so after firstflying to Bordeaux and meeting with her parents and sister at the Aroport Merignac

she had taken the next flight out for Rome, to surprise Gianni and to be with him instead.

Gianni had earlier flown to Rome from South Bend on a separate flight, in order to bewith his parents and to attend the funeral of his beloved friend, Maestro Tomasso

Cappuccilli, of which was to be held on that following Monday. Michelle and Gianni had

attended an operatic concert in Rome earlier in the evening on Christmas Eve, which was

performed by the Three Tenors. And as Michelle had promised her parents that she wouldbe home for Christmas Day, she was now flying to Bordeaux in the middle of that same

night in a small, private, twin-engine plane, with Gianni piloting the aircraft]:

[NARRATOR]:

A short time later, after Gianni had guided the aircraft in a long, arcing climb out over theTyrrhenian Sea, he then leveled the aircraft at cruising speed and altitude, adjusted the

trim tabs and set a west by northwest heading. He loosened his seat belt slightly andeased back into his seat in a more relaxed position. She followed his example by

loosening her seat belt, trying to relax in her seat also. At the same time, she was wishing

that she had listened to Gianni when he had advised her several times earlier that nightnot to drink so much wine, as she was feeling a little queasy. She had, in fact, become a

little tipsy at the club. And Gianni had reprimanded her for this, while they had awaited

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the cab outside, after their friends had departed. "I hope the heck that I do not get airsick

and vomit," she now thought, as she listened to the drone of the twin engines.

They flew in silence for quite some time, before she finally came out of her reverie and

glanced at Gianni. Their eyes met as he spoke:

[GIANNI]:

Oh! I have slipped the squirrelly blondes of earth

[MICHELLE]:

What is that supposed to mean? She queried. If it means that you think that you have

escaped the blonde babes back on earth, you are correct! However, do not think for amoment that you have escaped this brunette sitting beside you, my dear pilot, she

chuckled. Where did you get that phrase from, by the way?

[GIANNI]:

It is a misquote of mine from High Flight - a John Gillespie Magee, Jr., poem. Have

you ever heard this poem?

[MICHELLE]:

I am not certain. Could you recite it for me?

[GIANNI]:

Sure, but first I must qualify myself by assuring you that I meant no disrespect to the

composer by my misquote. As a matter of fact, I personally believe that the Spirit

inspired him when he composed it.

Flight Lieutenant Magee was the son of American missionaries to China. I am not certainof his parent's names. He composed High Flight while flying at an altitude of thirty

thousand feet above England. Shortly after this, at the age of nineteen, he was killed

while serving with the R.C.A.F. His inspired poem is as follows:

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

and danced the skies on laughter silvered wings;

sunward Ive climbed and joined

the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds;

and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of

wheeled and soared and swung high in the Sunlit silence,

hovring there, Ive chased the shouting wind along

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and flung my eager craft through foot-less halls of air.

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,

Ive topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

where never lark, or even eagle flew

And, while with silent lifting mind

Ive trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space,

put out my hand and touched the face of God.ii

[MICHELLE]:

That was so beautiful! I think that you are correct. He had to have been inspired to

write something as soul piercing as that poem!

[NARRATOR]: She loosened her safety belt a little more, so that she could lean closely to

him and entwined her arms around his free right arm and sighed, before asking:

[MICHELLE]:

What were you and Basil doing while I was changing clothes back at the hanger?

[GIANNI]:

He basically came along with me to converse while I conducted the pre-flight inspection

on this Cessna.

[MICHELLE]:

What were you inspecting it for?

[GIANNI]:

Each pilot is responsible to inspect his own aircraft prior to each flight. It is little more

than a cursory check off list, as there is little one can see, without pulling the cowling andinspection panels off, or crawling inside the fuselage. I visually checked the fuel tanks to

ensure that the tanks are full. I checked the tires, struts, rudders, trim tabs and flaps. I

opened small inspection panels to inspect cables, checked for fuel and hydraulic leaks. Ichecked to ensure that both engines were attached, et cetera.

[MICHELLE]:

Sure you checked to see if both engines were attached! she laughed. Gianni, whenand where did you learn to fly? You have surprised me so many different times and in so

many ways in the short time that we have known one another. You never talk much about

iiHigh Flight, Poem by Gillespie Magee, Jr., Public Domain

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yourself. And neither do any of your friends, by the way including your threeuniversita friends whom I met tonight and Basil all of whom I did everything I could to

eke even an iota of information out of, to no avail. They all say the same thing that noone really knows much about Gianni Corelli. I could just kill them when they say that!

You and all of your friends comprise a very esoteric clique, I must say.

[GIANNI]:

Most probably they all find me to be too boring to have much to say about me.

[MICHELLE]:

I am sincere in what I am saying, even though you are not. Everything that I learn about

you is like a revelation to me, because of your modesty and your laconism.

[GIANNI]:

Such as when you and Kecia learned that I spoke French?

[MICHELLE]:

Yes, that too, you I still owe you for that little ruse! Boy, I still cannot recall all of

the naughty things that Kecia and I spoke of in French when we were with you, before

you spoke in French to Aunt Louise at Kecias house.

[GIANNI]:

I recall everything that you both said and yes, some of the things that the two of you said

were quite naughty and some of the things that you both said were Well, I will not saywhat they were.

[MICHELLE]:

Some of the things that I said about you were very cruel, you were going to say. Yes, Imust confess that they were in fact cruel and I apologize for all of those thoughtless, and

callous words that I spoke, oh voice that whispers to me through the trees outside my

bedroom window at night, in my silent, wakeful hours of loneliness and tears. I do notmean to hurt you in any way, when I say the foolish words that I speak. It is just that

you are so headstrong and you rarely do anything that I ask you to do. I am used to

having my own way, you must understand. And you have been so frustrating to me, yousee.

[GIANNI]:

I cannot begin to fathom or to visualize the magnitude of the total beauty that you will

one day possess, when you become that precious treasure trove who possesses an inner

beauty which equals your outer pulchritude. By the way, in answer to your question, I

started learning how to fly when I was nine years old. I used to fly in the copilot seatwith my beloved friend, Giorgio Giaotti, before we departed on our world travels. Even

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for those three years that I traveled with him and Fiorenza, he still chartered or rented a

helicopter or a twin engine aircraft similar to this one whenever we needed to travel to the

more remote areas, or when we were in a hurry to get to an area that was inaccessible dueto fires, floods, earthquakes and so on.

When I first started flying, I was not allowed to takeoff or land. I simply took over thecontrols when we were airborne. It was in India that I first soloed at the age of ten.

When I had the time, I learned many of the more rigorous and intricate facets of flying

from the reading of manuals and other technical materials that Giorgio made available tome.

[MICHELLE]:

See what I mean! You just talked about something personal for one of the longest

periods of time that you have done so since I have known you. And, you still did not tell

me a thing about you, personally, except that you learned to fly. You told me nothing ofyour inner feelings or anything else that would enable me to know you better. I want to

know who this person is, he who has engulfed me within the electromagnetism of thequickened light of his beautiful soul. Do you see?

[GIANNI]:

I truly do understand what you are saying. I would say that there are countless human

relationships in which neither person completely ever knows the other, even though theymay spend the good part of their lifetimes with one another. These include, but are not

limited to: fathers and sons, husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, brothers and

sisters and so on. This has been especially true in these current tumultuous times, when

so many extraneous and trivial matters seem to bombard the lives of those myriads who

allow them to do so and that seem to occupy a major portion of so many peoples' freetime. People simply do not have the time, or in many cases just do not take the time, to

converse with one another to really get to know, understand and thereby, love oneanother as we should.

[MICHELLE]:

The only characteristics that I have learned about you so far have been acquired through

the conversations you have had with our friends and my relatives at Kecias home, or

from listening to you speak about religion, continence, et cetera, at one of yourconvocations, she reminisced wistfully. We have been together several times, but it

seems that Kecia or several others are invariably with us. Today is the first time that we

have had the opportunity to be alone, to talk together as we are doing now. I presumewhat I am attempting to convey to you, dearest Gianni, is that I desire so much to knowas much as there is to know about you. When someone asks me anything about you at a

future time, I want to be able to expound on an answer to their question for hours, if

possible, and not have to say with an apologetic look that, One knows so very little aboutGianni, you see, like all the other poor souls who claim to know you. Therefore, I

want to be with you every opportunity that I have to do so for the balance of my days!

Do you understand what I am saying?

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[GIANNI]:

Not really! The reason that I answered as I did is that you have already explicitly told

me on more than one occasion that your operatic career comes first in your life and that

you sincerely intend to dedicate most of your time in the pursuit of this endeavor.

[MICHELLE]:

I will find a way then, to persevere in my quest for my career and still be with you as

often as possible. After all, my music will not take up so many hours of my day that Iwill not have time to spend with you also. The problem is the fact that my profession

calls for a great amount of traveling, which you are already aware of. I do not know, at

this time, how we are going to schedule our lives in order to have time to be together,dearest. But there has to be a solution to the dilemma.

I have reflected on the idea, more than once as of late, that one excellent way for the two

of us to be together would be for you to learn how to play a musical instrument. You are

so intelligent and talented that you can do anything you set your heart on. I would haveMario pull some strings and we could travel together to our concerts. This is only onesolution to our problem for us to brainstorm.

I think that this is an opportune time and place for me to confess how I truly feel about

you, dearest inspiration of my song in spite of the fact that the magnitude of the

splendor of my ardor for you is beyond my capability to explicitly put into words thatwhich my heart wants to say to you, you see. You must know how I feel about you

emotionally, even though I have never spoken the words that my heart has yearned so

passionately to convey to you except in innuendos. The sky is so wondrously clear on

this night of splendor! The stars are twinkling so mysteriously and brightly as if they

are trying to convey to the people of this world a coded message of love from God.

Up in the heavens with you this night, they seem closer and more radiant than they ever

have appeared to me before even more so than on my many skiing trips with my family

to the Alps, I must confess! I would love so much to fly to some distant planet with you,to land there and to be together on a deserted, sandy ocean shore for as long as we desired

to stay, my dearest Gianni you who have quickened the essence of my inner being, my

very soul, from the very first moment that I met you.

[NARRATOR]:

Michelle paused for a few moments in reflection, as she searched her mind for the

appropriate words she wished to articulate to him words that would penetrate into theepicenter of his very electromagnetism - to please him - as she desired so much to do. As

she was thinking thus, their eyes met. His countenance expressed the urgency that she

had inspired within his total being, to hear the precious words that she was about tospeak. Her demeanor changed from contemplative, to an aura of beauty personified, as

she transmitted what she was feeling for him with a resplendent smile. Mysteriously, at

that moment, though neither of them admitted the fact to the other at that time, the droneof the twin engines became only a whisper. In place of the engine noise, they heard the

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inspired, rhapsodic symphonic rendition of Wagners Act I Prelude to Lohingrin, as it

ebbed and flowed from a source which they did not know - though both silently

conjectured that it could only be the music of the spheres, because of its celestial essence.The rhapsodic strains continued for several minutes, inspiring her to speak the words she

had so ardently searched for.

[MICHELLE]:

When Kecia and I were in my San Francisco hotel room together, at the time of my

concert, as we watched your football game on TV, I told her of the ecstatic feelings that Ihad experienced since the moment we met. I related to Kecia as explicitly as I was able

you must bear in mind that I was attempting to convey something of an extremely

complex and abstract nature how I had felt when you and I danced together at that club

in New York City on that enchanted night of love and ecstasy. I related to Kecia thatwhen I was in your arms dancing with you, I felt as if an ethereal electromagnetism, a

power of love, light and quickening, was surging from your innermost being.

I attempted to explain to Kecia that this electromagnetic current seemed to emanate fromyour being, to merge with and permeate the very essence of the energy and force that Icould feel flowing from my heart and soul. This great surge of power flowing from the

essence of our beings melded together in the ambiance about us and our auras became as

one. The ambiance in that entire room virtually crackled with the quickening of the

power of light and love in which we were totally engulfed. To further sate my ecstatic being, an ambient aromatherapy of lemon and exotic wild flowers wafted into my

olfactory senses, carrying me into a surreal state of semi-consciousness.

I do not need to ask you. I know in my heart that you were experiencing the same thing

that I was! I must confess that I did not tell this to Kecia at the time, but I had thought

once while we danced that if someone had turned off all off the lights, no one would haverealized it, because the quickened light radiating from the oneness of our auras would

have illuminated the entire room possibly even more brilliantly than before!

I could not begin to describe to Kecia at that time in San Fran nor can I describe to you

now the rapture that permeated every fiber of my heart, mind, body, soul and spirit as Idanced with you. I can only say that my entire being was in vibrato, from the quickening

within me, and the aura of our combined magnetism carried us out of that building we

soared high amongst the stars somewhere in a heavenly bliss of exotic euphoria. I waswhirling round and round in your arms in a blissful trance, high in the mysterious realms

of the heavens. The music of the spheres were playing the same rhapsodic music of

Wagner that I hear at this very moment music that seemed to ebb and flow with thetwinkling of the heavenly bodies that surrounded us. I became so sated with rapture, thatI verily sensed that if so much as one more spark of the energy of this quickening light

were to permeate my being, I would burst and would be viewed from earth as a vast

nebular, eternal light in the heavens. I also had a counter thought that because of theintensity of my ecstasy, if only one more spark of energy were to permeate the aura of the

mystic trance in which I was engulfed, I would be as an electrical system hit by a mega-

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power surge. My rhapsody would be transformed into an unbearable, excruciating

burning pain and anguish, I thought.

My life, since meeting you, has been filled with the ebb and flow of this same, wondrous

bliss all my days and nights without end, my beloved Gianni. I say ebb and flow, because

the symphony of the rhapsody within my being is sometimes in decrescendo andsometimes in crescendo but it is constantly there, though I am not always consciously

aware of it. The surreal, mystical trance is most intense, of course, whenever I am with

you, such as now. I I will now attempt to articulate those words I have longed to say toyou.

[NARRATOR]:

She paused again for a few moments, staring off into the glory of Gods skies, then turned

towards him with green eyes bathing her countenance in a soft glow of esthetic light, as

she spoke thus:

[MICHELLE]:

Ah, Gianni, light of my eyes, inspiration of my song in the spirit, you are the lodestar

onto which my heart is affixed

You are the lodestone that would draw me quickly to you, even though light years ofdistance separated us

You are the lotus fruit from which I eat that puts me into a dream state, a hypnotic trancein which I forget all else but you

You are thepomme d amourof my eyes. You are theDaphnis who c

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