Let’s suppose that Abe Lincoln lived in our century, and I wanted to write a letter to him. It would go like this.

Dear Abe:

  I’ve been hearing that you’ve put your hat in the ring for the presidency. Well, I know that there’s quite a lot of candidates who feel that they’re the best for the country. Problem is that only one of them including you, will be nominated to run for the Republican party.

  I would like to make some suggestions. First, I’ve seen you on television and you don’t look presidential so, I would suggest that you lose your top hat and your long coat. You need a new suit with a white shirt and blue tie, Also, take off the beard. We don’t want hippies in the president’s chair. Take off your boots and wear a Nike tennis shoe. Look cool.

  I heard about a speech you made about a house divided. Well, maybe so. Personally, I don’t like our country to be called blue state or red state. We’re not divided; we just vote differently. So, each state has red and blue dots throughout. That does not make us divided. We just go our own way like everybody else.

  Let me say something about your debates coming up soon. First you must stay true to yourself. No corny jokes. The moderators will be asking you questions about different subjects like the environment, the economy and foreign policy. You coming from the backwoods might not know about those subjects so, I’m suggesting some answers. On the economy, just answer “it goes up and down”. On foreign policy, “Let the state department worry about that, I’m not president yet”. Also, don’t make promises you can’t keep. “a chicken in every pot” won’t work. Churches and KFC will take care of that. “ a car in every garage” won’t work either. I keep my refrigerator stock with beer and sodas for my friends and I leave the car outside with a carport. Besides, my wife keeps her Christmas and other seasonal decorations there also.

  Your opponent might be trying to get you off track and taunt you. Try to stay on the subject matter. Old Mussolini face  (Trump) will insult you. Don’t you go and wrestle him like you did with other opponents. Oh, one more thing. Don’t try to imitate Ronald Reagan with “there you go again”. It won’t work now.

  Your Republican party is not doing so well now. You might want to kick some butts to straighten them out. There are too many leftists and liberals and some that don’t follow their platform and just try to look out for themselves rather the people they represent. So, I leave you with this final slogan “Give them hell Harry” I mean “Abe”.

I try not to write more religious stories but here I go again. Not because I want to but because God told me to keep on writing about him and what he says to me. What? You don’t believe that he talks to me! I thought that God talks to everybody. Maybe you don’t listen. In my case he just comes anytime. Maybe because I’m retired and sitting in my recliner and have nothing to do besides contemplating.

Well, anyway, He asks, “what about the bells”? I respond, “what bells?”  “The ones on top of each catholic church, that’s what”. So, what about them” ? He says “they’re not ringing”. “So, what”, I respond. He explained “every day those bells used to ring three times a day to pray The Angelus, once in the morning, mid-day and evening”. “Well, I said, I don’t think the neighbors didn’t like them because they’re too loud or it interferes with their business doings”. “Maybe you don’t remember the hard times you all had when war came to town, and you prayed for an end to that war and bells were ringing for the men that died and the funeral bells were rung. Also, when it’s time for Mass. Look at the middle east population. They have a man in the tower calling for prayer every day and the people respond. That’s what I want to see and hear”. “The cathedral bells ring”, I said. “That’s not enough. I want every church to start ringing those bells.”

“So, what can I do?” He says, “start wring more about me and pray The Angelus even though you don’t hear the bells. I know you’re hard of hearing and you hardly ever wear your hearing aid on your right ear. Tell me, why don’t you wear the hearing aid in your left ear?”  I respond, “ The left ear is just about gone, and I don’t want to waste the hearing aid on that one and that’s why”.