Home Alone - A Different Perspective

Thirty-six years ago, Home Alone was released, giving us yet another Christmas movie to watch during the most festive time of the year. 

Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the Home Alone franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy who defends his suburban Chicago home from a home invasion by a pair of robbers after his family accidentally leaves him behind on their Christmas vacation to Paris. The cast also features Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O'Hara. 

Since most Americans have seen and know the story, this isn’t about  the overall premise of the movie. Instead, there was a different, more subtle interpretation which needs the be shared.

Some have implied it is a Christian story, or even a Catholic one. But to a keen observer, one would see the spiritual significance, no matter which faith you practice. It contains those spiritual elements we all believe which centers on Grace, Forgiveness and Redemption. 

Old Man Marley as a Christ/Type Figure: The neighbor Old Man Marley is initially feared and misunderstood, mirroring how Christ was rejected. His bandaged, injured hand visually echoes the pierced wounds of the crucifixion. He acts as a savior figure by rescuing Kevin from the burglars when Kevin cannot save himself.

The Church and Choir Scene: Kevin is drawn into a glowing church while a choir sings "O Holy Night," highlighting themes of divine presence, repentance, and spiritual turning points.

The Shepherd at the Manger: While hiding from the criminals, Kevin disguises himself or positions himself near the outdoor Nativity crèche, acting as a shepherd.

From Isolation to Reconciliation: The narrative mirrors a spiritual journey from fear to trust, and from loneliness to communion. Marley's estrangement and eventual reconciliation with his own son symbolize divine redemption and the healing of broken family bonds.

When you start to view the movie in these terms, the message is not only about the Christmas story. It follows in a similar tradition  like Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life,  A Christmas Carol and One Magic Christmas, and so many others.

While some others may have humor-laced storylines like Home Alone, such as Home Alone II, Elf or Christmas Vacation, none contain such spiritual messaging as Home Alone.

The next time you view this movie, look at it from the spiritual side presented, rather than just another funny Christmas movie.

And Seasons Change Again

​Yes, Friends. It is the last full summer weekend of 2026, thankfully finally, FINALLY with temps in the 80s. 

All summer long, since May, we had a steady diet of mid to high 90s, followed by a late afternoon or evening thunderstorm. But the humidity was unbearable.

But our saving grace was two-fold: air conditioning and no tropical storms of any kind. Truly a blessing.

This Tuesday, at 8:04 PM, we will cross over to Autumn, with the equinox. Wednesday will bring our first full day of Fall. 

By the looks of all the stores, we are well into Hallothanksmas 2026, with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas and Hanukkah decorations on full display. 

Just a note, Halloween is Saturday, October 31, Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, Hanukkah arrives the evening of December 4, and Christmas is a four day weekend, beginning on Thursday, Christmas Eve.

And there are about 102 days until 2027.

So much to do, and so little time to do it all. Yet, every year, we manage to get it all done, right?

It is time to begin revving up your engines and start getting into the spirit of the holiday of Hallothanksmas. Or soon enough, it may just pass you by.

Time to Deck the Halls, ring the Jingle Bells, and get ready for everyone’s favorite time of the year.

 

Another Promise Broken

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There are now only nine games left in the Mets’ schedule. And the end cannot come fast enough.

Since returning from Miami, where they won three straight, they managed one win since then. The embarrassing showing against the return of their superstar, Pete Alonso, in a Baltimore Orioles uniform, was pitiful, at best.

Especially when Alonso performed his magic by tying the game in the ninth with his 300th career homer. How fitting!

And then, he received a curtain call from the Mets faithful, rubbing $#!+ in the face of David Stearns for brilliantly letting him walk last off-season.

So. The best they can do (but won’t) is win seventy eight games. With a payroll north of $350MM. And another disappointing year since the Wipons sold the team to Uncle Steve. 

Now, we get to lament the old Brooklyn Dodgers end of season cry of “Wait til next year!”

Let’s Go Mets!

You Still Light Up Our Lives

​It has been three years since our beloved Sister, Kathy, died unexpectedly. She was a soft-hearted, kind woman. But as with all Sicilian women, she was a rock who was more solid than we believed.

She also had an Irish side in her which  would defend against anyone who would attack her loved ones.

Some, including my brother Tim, considered her like Switzerland, a person who would remain neutral at any cost. But I saw her differently; she would walk away from conflict rather than dive into a fight without considering all possible outcomes.

She gave us as a family, new and different perspectives to become better people than we were. She always offered sage advice, even if we didn’t ask. But she was not insulted when we would choose a different path.

She was smart that way, and didn’t become a person who would rub our noses in our failures because we may have chosen our own way. Instead, she would give comfort and tell us it would be better next time.

She was loved by many friends who miss her still today. She was always the first in to the pool or say yes to a party, as she loved fun, as much as, or more than anyone. She truly loved life.

So, on this day, which always will be a sad day for us all, instead, we will smile and remember all the joy she gave each of us, as she would light up our lives with her radiant smile.

Continue to Rest In Peace, Dear Sister.

Why I Believe in Rubio/Hunt

​Last night, I posted the following on my FACEBOOK page:

I have been thinking for a while about 2028. I like the sound of Marco Rubio and Wesley Hunt as our next President and Vice President. Any thoughts?

Let me explain my reasoning to you.

Many people have called for a Vance-Rubio ticket for 2028. On the surface, it would be a good choice. But Vance does not have the seasoning as much as Rubio, although he is the current Vice President. 

Marco Rubio was active in Florida politics before running for the Senate in 2010 and winning. He was recognized almost immediately as a strong leader when he arrived in 2011, and over the years, he has proven himself to be one of the smartest Members to serve in the Senate.

He ran, unsuccessfully, in 2015/2016 for President, but Donald Trump led all competitors even before he announced. Ultimately, he was subsequently nominated for Secretary of State and won all Senators’ affirmative votes as even they recognized his outstanding abilities to grasp the details needed to be the nation’s top diplomat.

And he has performed admirably to represent US interests on the world stage.

Wesley Hunt has proven himself to be a formidable leader in the House, given his years of military service, rising to the rank of Captain before being honorably discharged in 2012. He graduated in 2004 from the US Military Academy before his deployment to Iraq as an Apache helicopter pilot. He also did two tours in Saudi Arabia as a diplomatic liaison.

Both men came from humble beginnings and learned from the school of hard knocks. Both men are deeply religious and have strong,  conservative family values.

They each possess love of country, a keen sense of loyalty to the Constitution and have put America and Americans first.

They are the next generation of leaders, Rubio from Gen X and Hunt a millennial. They are both from a minority group but believe in the importance of ALL Americans’ rights without prejudice.

As Americans, we have claimed we had issues with race in the past, but we have evolved beyond the bigotry of a bygone era. As MLK had dreamed, it is not the color of our skin, or hereditary of background, by which a man should be judged, but rather, by the content of one’s character which should matter more.

Both these men have strong moral character and deserve our vote to be the next President and Vice President of the United States. Let’s make it a reality.

The 25th Anniversary Commemoration of 9/11

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Yesterday, at the 9/11 Commemoration at the Pentagon, President Trump paid homage to the victims in a solemn ceremony of remembrance. But he was not the person who made an impact. 

Instead, Former Secretary of State and Bush 43 NSA Advisor, Condoleeza Rice offered an apology to the nation and to the families of the victims for not recognizing the dangers in time to prevent the attacks. 

She shared she will always carry “deep personal remorse” for the pain to the families and to the trauma endured by the nation by the failure of so many by not understanding the intelligence data available at the time.

It was certainly one, powerful Mea Culpa.

In addition, the services in Shanksville was solemnly observed by PA Governor Josh Shapiro and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, along with members of the National Parks Department, and Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick.

They all recognized that the crew and passengers who sacrificed their lives certainly prevented even greater harm that day to the nation.

In New York, however, it was a huge photo op for all four living ex-Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden and their wives. In addition, a who’s who of political notables were in attendance, including Former Governors Pataki and Cuomo, along with former Mayors Giuliani, Bloomberg, DeBlasio and Adams.

They were joined by Vice President  Vance, Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani.

It was certainly a solemn event with the reading of the almost 3,000 names of the victims by their family members. But it did not take place without controversy.

Terry Strada: While reading the names of victims, she diverged from the script to call out the US government and the former Presidents for protecting Saudi Arabia over the past 25 years.

The Message: She urged President Donald Trump to tell the Saudis to "stop lying" and to hold the kingdom accountable regarding its alleged ties to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Leaders Present: Vice President JD Vance  and those former Presidents attended the New York City event. Strada directed her remarks toward the administration officials present, telling Vice President Vance to carry her message back to President Trump.

And of course, the biggest clown show during the event was Mayor Mamdani, who was seen taking pictures of several politicos, including President Bush. He was also seen yucking it up with his DSA fellow member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. It was truly a disgraceful mockery of a solemn occasion.

Quite a difference between the solemnity of the Pentagon and Shanksville ceremonies, and the irreverant manner Mamdani and AOC treated the New York ceremony.

Sadly, it showed that too many people forgot what the day means.

The Solemnity of an Anniversary, Twenty-Five Years Later

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Many of us who were alive and aware of the events which took place twenty-five years ago today can remember where they were when they heard the news. Much like when JFK and RFK were assassinated.

It is just one of those defining moments in US history. Like Pearl Harbor and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

On that day, 2,977 souls were lost. And those deaths have affected us ever since.

Breakdown by Location

World Trade Center: 2,753 deaths (including civilians and hundreds of first responders).
The Pentagon: 184 deaths (including passengers and crew on American Airlines Flight 77, as well as Pentagon personnel and civilians).
Shanksville, Pennsylvania (Flight 93): 40 deaths (not including the four hijackers, after passengers bravely fought back).

It seems we all knew someone who died. My cousin Tom and my sister-in-law’s daughter Monique were lost that day. Sadly, my sister-in-law was watching in horror through her hospital work window as the towers began their collapse.

We had all finally watched the events unfold during that day, and the days which followed. It took days and weeks to finally come to terms with that tragedy. But in the years since then, the families who lost loved ones are still haunted by those events.

Subsequently, thousands of people who lived and worked in the area, or who worked on the pile of debris looking for remains of victims in the following months, were affected with all sorts of carcinogens which affected their health. But no amount of money will ever cover the true cost to their health and/or their lives.

And the cost to our freedoms and liberties is immeasurable to that which we enjoyed prior to 9/11. Our country is not the same.

We can lay blame on what caused this tragedy, whether on poor construction to the building, the government’s neglect to intelligence leading up to the event, or to a specific ideology. All may have had a role but were not the cause.

We need to acknowledge that it were those individuals with the dark hearts and souls, filled with unmitigated hate, which caused this. We need to realize this on our own or we, too, will be enveloped and consumed by that same hate.

We need to remember this day as a sacred day, as we do with Pearl Harbor or the day JFK was murdered in front of us. And we need to remember that the 2,977 souls we lost that day, and the thousands since, did not die with hate in their hearts.

It will forever be a solemn day in American History. And will hopefully continue to be revered in the decades to come.

May they all forever Rest In Peace. Amen.