Easter Reminds Us We’re Given the Gift of Renewal

I am not wasting my chance, are you?

Apr 22, 2025

Easter Mass at St Patricks Church, Charleston, South Carolina

This year, we celebrated Easter in Charleston, South Carolina, with our daughter and her boyfriend. It was an enjoyable time, full of moments that came with the surprises that life often brings.

As we walked to the Cathedral for Easter Mass, since the Cathedral was full we were directed to the basement meeting hall, then to the church center building. Within ten minutes we realized there were technical difficulties that were not going to be resolved. So we decided to find another church.

We drove about twenty blocks to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, a beautiful church that’s over two hundred years old. We were early so we ere able to find our place. The church was in the poorer section of Charleston, but it was rich with the warmth of its parishioners. We found a home for the next hour and a half.

The priest welcomed the parishioners, the traveling Catholics, and those who only attend on Easter and Christmas. As I sat there, I reflected on my journey that brought me to the Catholic Church.

My father was Catholic, and my mother was either Lutheran or Methodist. By the time I came along, the church was no longer a part of our lives—God had been replaced with Martinis and Manhattans. By middle school, I considered myself agnostic—believing there was a God who created the world who then walked away, leaving religion to divide people. Despite this, I found myself drawn to women with deep faith, even though it didn’t make sense to me at the time.

At Oregon State University, I met Marion our freshman year. We lived in the same dormitory complex and attended the a couple of math classes together. We didn’t start dating until our senior year, but by then, I was hooked. She was smart, cute, had a great sense of humor, and radiated a sense of peace. After we graduated, we maintained a long-distance relationship that, at times, spanned coast to coast that was held togehter with letters and quarterly vactations. This lasted five years until we were married at St. Endedict Lodge Catholic Church up in the Cascade mountains.

A few years later, we started a family, and I became a Catholic. I started a construction company, and we bought our first home—the American Dream. But then, my sister called and after a long conversation said, “You know mom is an alcoholic.” My world fell apart, I quit drinking until I could figure out what it all meant. A few months later, the old memories returned, and I finally understood why I had believed that God created the world and then walked away.

It took years for me to realize that God had not abandoned me. I was never truly alone. He had placed people in my life—Allen & Lynn, Ray & Loree, Walt & Martha, Mr. Simms—people who believed in me, even when I couldn’t believe in myself. Most importantly, He put Marion in my life, so she could share her deep faith with me until I could find my own. My childhood experiences prepared me to help those who are struggling and do not have the strength to defend themselves.

This Easter Holly Week when the Lord’s Passion is read. I think of Peter and Thomas, who questioned their faith and were forgiven. Like them, I will be forgiven, too. Christ suffered on the Cross for us, and my early experiences has given me empathy and compassion for those who struggle. Christ was not abandoned by God in His darkest hours, and neither was I.

I never aspired to have biggest construction company in New Mexico. I believed my construction company was support my family and those who I worked with at Mick Rich Contractors. When I ran for the US Senate I aspired to make New Mexico a state where families could flourish, but my vision was not that of the party leaders or voters. It is time to move on and help those I can and who want my help.

For six years I have provided solutions to the crime epidemic in New Mexico which included everything from the homeless extoration racket to the multinational crime organizations (cartels). The Albuquerque DUI scandal is only the tip of the iceberg which paid thousands in bribes while the cartels have hundreds of thousands to payoff the criminal justice system and elected officials. This weekend we saw one of the worst of the cartels was living on the premisis with a Las Cruces judge.