Love God's Creation

Dear Children & Grand Children,

Today we went to ‘Le Souffleur’ near Savannah Savinia on the Mauritian south coast!

I had not been there for at least 42 years! I will let the pictures tell some of the story. As for the sound, it is breathtaking to listen to the rhythm of the sea breathing loud and deep through the cliff! The long air passages carved in the body of the rock connect this giant’s lungs way below towards the foot of the cliff to its nostrils facing up towards the sky. With each wave that comes in and goes out, you can hear the snoring of this sleeping black beauty resonating through the atmosphere as it inhales and exhales its deep gulps of air! We figured that he must have a chronic cold as a powerful spray jets out of his nostril high up into the sky each time he breathes out! I was blown away by this natural audio/visual Godly production!

We walked from ‘Le Souffleur’ to another natural wonder of Mauritius. Again I will let the photo tell the story. I remembered walking decades ago across that natural bridge spanning over the ocean below. In the heart of this tumultuous setting with the relentlessly crashing waves casting a Wagnerian note through the air, I was glad to capture the soothing colors of a peaceful rainbow shining against the dark volcanic rocky backstage.


Do you like the picture of this rare sea urchin we found washed up on the beach? We used its ‘ardoise’ quills to write on our blackboards when we were young!

That part of Mauritius is still fairly wild and it is not yet flooded by the ever increasing multitude of tourists that flock to its white sandy beaches.

I am glad to share those pics with you. I wish you were here now. As you can see, I am slowly recovering from the cancer surgery and the long exhausting chemo treatment. I am thankful to God for this extended lease of life. I love every minute of it and I absorb God’s beautiful creation like never before. Indeed, the more beauty I find on earth, the better I realize that it is all only a faint reflection of the magnificence Mama is now a part of in heaven. Thus I aspire for us all to share it some day. In the meantime, in gratitude, I ask God to grant me the grace and courage to joyfully accomplish some more of the works He has earmarked for me here.

God bless you all.

Love and kisses from Bopbops.

P.S. I could not post photos. I will try later. Love you ALL.

Love Life

Dear Children and Grand Children,

I told you yesterday how in today’s world, Mauritius is a rare and exemplary model for its reverence and profound respect towards multi denominational fervor.

I told you how on the occasion of the feast of St. Louis, the patron saint of our capital, Port Louis, the bishop celebrated mass assisted by some thirty priests. Present at the mass were the Honorable Prime minister, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Mrs V. Ramgoolam, the president of the Republic of Mauritius and his wife, the vice president and a large number of ministers and dignitaries. It was edifying to see the respect with which Indians, Muslims, Buddhists etc. attended this 90 minute celebration in a cathedral packed with people covering a broad spectrum of creed and color.

On August 13th 2006 my post urged us all to pray for our ancestor Francois Leclezio on the occasion of the 155th anniversary of his death. Today at Ste. Therese church in Curepipe, the priest invited us to pray for our genealogical tree. You know that I have been doing that practically daily for years. But today I thanked God particularly for our gift of faith spanning so many generations. While praying for the Leclezios, the Adams, the Whitakers, I asked that our generation adopt the following prayer as our family’s principle:

“May we continue to sow love wherever we are led to plant it regardless of the quality of the soil. Remember that while arid soil can produce sweet fruit, fertile fields can yield bitter and sour crops. Continue to sow as best you know for it is not important to know who gets to reap what crop?”

Thereafter I thanked God for His special blessing to have allowed us to erect a monument in memory of Mama right at the entrance of Holyrood cemetery.

Considering how our family’s faith has endured through the years, although it has so often been tested and suffocated by the vast material wealth that has been at the root of many a dispute, I prayed that God willing we may be allowed to erect similar monuments at cemeteries where our ancestors are buried in Mauritius.

Indeed the love of the Cross of Christ will help us thread our way through the eye of the needle.

Much love to you all. Hugs and kisses.

God bless.

Bopbops

First American Title ...

August 23 2006

Dear Children and Grand children,

Re: First American Title To Injustice.

We were complete strangers when we first met! But having worked closely with me over the last 8 months, the editor of my book has obviously felt deeply the stirring emotions our family went through. Indeed, he understands that we have been scarred for life by the actions of First American.

Here are some excerpts from what he wrote to me yesterday:

“My dear Louis,

I have been meaning to write this letter to you for quite some time now.

Like you, I am very anxiously waiting for the book to come out of press. I don’t know if the gynecologist who delivers a baby does so with the same expectation and restlessness as the father who has begotten it,but I can assure you that I am looking forward to seeing the first copy of the book with the same intensity as its author.

My dear Louis, it’s been a real pleasure interacting with you for the past eight months or so. Complete strangers, we have now been bound by the hands of destiny in a web of friendship which I hope will last.

When I fist saw the thickness of the manuscript which your fertile brain had produced, I felt quite apprehensive. But, by and by, I have greatly appreciated your readiness to listen to my suggestions and eventually agree to have it published in two separate volumes.

In a world where vultures of the caliber of First American and Hagens & Berman are constantly on the prowl for unsuspecting victims, it is gratifying to come across souls like you who are prepared to share whatever they have with others.

This thought in itself has more than compensated whatever effort I may have put in making your book see the light of day. You see, my dear Louis, it’s been a labour of love all through, a labour of love that requires no further compensation or payment.

The book is coming out soon, and I know you are now engaged in the herculean task of marketing it. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and watch the sales grow. I pray with all my heart that it achieves a very great success, for your own self-satisfaction and vindication.

In the meantime, here’s wishing you and your children and grandchildren the best of everything in this life and above all the next. May God always shower His choisest blessings on all of you! "

I believe that the following excerpt from my book had a profound effect on the editor. May it touch all those who read the book and lead them to the light of GOD.

“There is no suffering easier to bear or to totally discount than that of others. At times we felt that like some other martyrs we had been gassed or burnt alive. Yet through God’s grace, we had refused to jump from a bridge. We had refused to yield to the devils of despair so hard at work at the anvils of evil.”

“While telling us to ‘get on with our life’ did Hagens and Berman ever wonder how easy or difficult it was for those who suffered from the Holocaust to get on ‘normally’ with their lives rendered so abnormal?”

“If not for those victims’ courage, perseverance and burning desire to expose and search for reparations for crimes of the past, would the world not be a much poorer place today?”

“In fact, enduring individual cases relating to the holocaust, some fifty nine years later, underscore the fact that human suffering has no concept as to where the dividing line lies between the suffering of individuals, of families and that of entire nations. Indeed, because suffering shares a common pain factor, human beings should never assume that there is a dividing line between the pain of one single individual and his family and the pain of an entire nation. For, when one creature suffers, all of creation suffers.”

“Fixing our eyes on yet another world, we understood that it is often in losing that we win.”

God bless,

I love you ALL.

Bopbops

First American Title

Dear All,

Some of you have suggested that it would be a good idea to post excerpts from my book from time to time.

To underscore my claims about First American Title, I include some links to recent articles on First American Title with an excerpt from chapter 5 .

"Title firm to refund $4.6 mil to customers"

"Title Insurers Agree to Sweeping Reforms"

http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/0080-2005/release069-05.cfm

http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr05-097.cfm

“Apparently the First American senior vice president for claims had endorsed that public company policy. In a letter addressed to me, dated March 24th 1998, James J. Dufficy had stated that his company had no duty vis-à-vis the public to do the ‘correct’ thing.

Some seven years later had James J. Dufficy learnt a valuable lesson from his involvement in our case? On April 27th 2005, Craig Harris of the Arizona Republic reported on yet another scam First American was involved in. Excerpts from the article read:

“First American Title Insurance Co., accused of being involved in a national kickback scheme, will refund $4.6 million to roughly 15,000 Arizona home buyers who bought policies during the past four years.

“The payment is part of a $24 million national settlement First American reached with Colorado regulators, who earlier this year first alleged the company was involved in kickbacks with home builders, brokers, lenders and real estate agents on title reinsurance policies.

“Jim Dufficy, vice president and regulatory counsel for First American Corporatio, the title company's parent said: ‘It was the right thing to do.’"

Does that imply that over the last seven years Dufficy’s sense of values has drastically improved or was Dufficy so cornered with his back to the wall that he had no other option? Because this time, it was not a lone foreigner being shammed, but rather large segments of American citizens. Was Dufficy forced, in order to save face in this instance, to do the “correct” thing?

The Feast of the Assumption

Dear children and grand children,

I am in awesome wonder! Never in my life have I seen the feast of the Assumption of Our Blessed Mother the Virgin Mary being celebrated as I saw it today in Mauritius! Yes in Mauritius! A predominantly Indian and Islamic country, freedom of religion exists to such an extent that August 15th is a national holiday in honor of Our Blessed Mother!!!

By comparison, is it not amazing how in predominantly Christian, 'In God we Trust' America, the so called 'freedom' champion of the world, this feast, as many other religious feasts, is ignored by most and by a government which has succumbed to atheistic pressures and segregated cultural forces and recriminations.

Here without grand standing, grand claims or much fanfare, the government and the population deeply and reverently respect and set time to honor ALL the various religious faiths. It is most edifying! America could learn a lot about faith fellowship, the brilliant politics of the non-discriminatory Government of Mauritius.

My introduction to Assumption day celebration began yesterday. I was surprised when the maid wished me "Happy feast day for tomorrow, Mr. Louis" before she left! Today on my way to church I quickly understood that here the feast of the Assumption shares the stage closely with Easter and Christmas! Most shops were closed. But street vendors offered gorgeous
tropical bouquets of anthuriums and roses as well as all kinds of blue and white birthday cakes (see picture of the one Godda bought) with devotional decorations adorning the cakes! The people, all dressed in their Sunday's best, were joyfully greeting each other and wishing each other 'A blessed feast day'!

There must have been about a thousand people at the 5:30 vigil mass yesterday evening at Sainte Therese in Curepipe. So I thought that there would be lots of room at the 9:30 mass this morning. By the time I got there at 9:10, the church was already virtually full! By 9:20 it was standing room only with people filling the aisles and overflowing outside! There must have easily been two thousand people there. I do not know how many were at the two previous masses or at the 11:00 o'clock mass? But judging by the crowd coming out of the 8:00 mass and the crowd rushing in to attend the 11:00 o'clock mass as I was coming out of the 9:30 at 10:40 I would not be surprised if all masses did not have a minimum crowd of 1500!!! Godda tells me that the 11:00 o'clock maas was even fuller with Cardinal Margeot present!

Neither words, nor pictures could describe the atmosphere. But I am sorry I did not have my camera to show you the crowd. It was the 40th anniversary of the priest's ordination and also the 40th birthday of the organist. So someone addressed a few words to both. The priest's goal at his ordination was: "I will make you fishers of man". Apparently during his 10 years at Sainte Therese and at other parishes he has fulfilled his ordination day commitment to the utmost. This is very apparent. It is reflected by the involvement of parishioners of all ages and the time they dedicate to the church. Ever since I have been here, I have been edified to see how from six years old up, the parishioners participate actively in the vibrant life of the church. Six year olds sing in the children's choir and sometimes join the teenagers as they mime and recite their parts of the gospel every Sunday! This deep involvement from a tender age obviously pays off. Today we heard how the organist has been consistently been involved with the Sainte Therese parish from the age of 8!!! This morning there must have been at least 50 teenagers processing up the main aisle leading the priest to the altar!

Would it not be wonderful to see such involved devotion some day in the mostly secular America of today!

I thank God for giving me this opportunity to witness how much He is still very much alive, growing and reaching out to the youth in some parts of the world!

I pray that if you never get to experience such an August 15th celebration in America, you get some day to experience it or any other feast day involving Catholics and or any other religion in Mauritius. I do not believe that atheists and or other culturally segregated groups have much room to feast here or to impose their agenda on our truly freedom committed government!

For your sake I pray that 'God bless America' again. I also thank Him to have abundantly blessed the family He gave me and my beloved country and its pro-freedom government.

God bless you ALL,

Hugs and kisses from Bopbops.

Grandpa W.'s Birthday Today

Please pray for him. Your mother would have loved it here. Tomorrow is a public holiday for our blessed mother Mary's feastday!!! And this is in a predominantly hindu society!!!

God bless,

I love and hug you ALL.

Bopbops

In Memoriam Leclézio

En ce jour de l’anniversaire de la mort de Francois Leclézio, décédé le 13 Aôut 1851 a l’Ile Maurice, cette pensée est dédiée à tous les membres de la famille Leclézio qui souffrent pour quelques raisons aujourd’hui ou n’importe quand, n’importe comment et n’importe où…

Toi qui souffre, saches que, qui que tu sois, où que tu sois:

Leclézio, tu es le sang de notre sang.
Et quand une créature de notre sang souffre,
Toutes les créatures de notre sang souffrent avec toi.

Sans ta souffrance, je souffrirais déjà moins dans ce monde.
Mais avec, par et en ta souffrance, je souffre davantage de te voir souffrir.

Alors, tout notre sang le sent si fort que tout notre sang entame ta souffrance!

Sens moi, avec ou sans toi et ta souffrance et ressens alors tout ce que notre sang souffrant sens un peu plus ou un peu moins.

Décides alors de cesser de souffrir et de faire tous ceux de ton sang souffrir avec toi.

Demandes à notre ancêtre d’intercéder pour toi.

Qu’il souffle là où tu souffres, là où nous souffrons tous par, avec et en toi.

Joins ton souffle au sien.

Souffles ta souffrance vers Dieu.

Car Lui seul est capable de dissiper toutes nos peines au-delà des plaines.

Ressens alors Son amour, Sa paix et Sa joie couler en notre sang à tous.

Laisses enfin la couleur de notre douleur passer d’un ciel noir et menaçant a un ciel d’azur combien plus accueillant.

Thank God, thank Francois for setting an example. Long before the world thought globally, Francois recognized the importance of being at least bilingual on the globe. After the British conquered Mauritius, Francois personally developed an English dictionary for his children while he also taught them English grammar!

Leclézio, do you feel better already?

Is it not amazing what our ancestors can and indeed will do for us if and when we choose to remember them?

Therefore, pray that over the next 155 years your descendants may be at least as numerous as Francois’ are today. Remember how one of Francois’ grand sons took to heart God’s command: “Go… Multiply…” Henry did in deed. Thus Henry and Jenny were abundantly blessed with seventeen children!

Pray also that some of your descendants in the year 2161 will still cherish their catholic faith as much as Francois did from his baptism day in 1771 and as much as some of his descendants still do today! Then, just as we pray to Francois today to intercede for us, let us hope that likewise some of our descendants will pray for and or to us 155 years from now!

Leclézio descendants: We must always remember who are our ascendants?

“They are that multitude of invisible souls interceding for us as we in turn pray and join them in praising the eternal Glory of God in the infinity of time.”

“Thank You dear Lord for the gift of our life, for all those who have passed that gift from You to us and bless all those to whom we may be called to pass on that gift to in the future.”

Blessed be Francois Leclézio.

Francois Leclézio, arrived in Mauritius in 1792 from Brittany. He is buried at ‘Le Cimetiere de l’Ouest’. There, looking at the inscription on the massive solid granite sepulcher, I was transported far from the individualistic society we presently live in.

The inscription read: ‘Famille Leclézio’. That said much about who our ancestor was. Francois, the pioneer of the family did not attach much importance to his personal name or his individual fame. To him, we are all one family. Therefore one word: Family, one name: Leclézio spells it all!

We are one on earth. We are one in heaven. We are one between heaven and earth. How so foreign that concept is to modern culture! In no way did Francois’ sepulcher convey the typical American message: “I am #1! This is my life!” Instead it said: Family is #1! We are one! This is our life! Our life with one another on earth! Our life as one family with God in heaven!

Now some one hundred and fifty five years later, as we pray for our pioneering ancestor ‘Francois Leclézio’, I realize that his spirit has survived over more than a century because of his founding principle of unity. How long will our self-centered modern mentality endure? Does it in fact ensure our insignificance not only vis-à-vis our neighbor but also our irrelevance over time?
As Francois’ patron saint, saint Francis wrote in the 1200s: “It is in giving that we receive…” From Francois we received one concept, one family in one word: Leclézio. May we keep it whole! May we remain undivided! May we as one family pray for unity all over the world! Amen.

Living Faith...

Dear Children and Grand Children,

If..!

This is a different version of 'If.' as written by your now distant cousin, Rudyard Kipling.

If I did not believe with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind in God the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit I would find that so spooky that I would not dare mention it! But because I do believe, I am most grateful for small miracles as they come to shore up our faith and lead us to believe even more when we need it the most!

Have you read Living Faith today!

I swear to God and to you ALL that yesterday when the Spirit led me to write what I did to you, I had NO idea what the reading would be about today!

You will then obviously join me in praising the awsomeness of GOD!

We all join together in wishing Claire a happy feast day today and Lou & Marik a happy anniversary on the 13th!

I love you ALL.

Hugs and kisses from your Bopbops.

P.S. Indeed, the title of the day's reading - One Step at a Time - just stepped out at me now while scanning!!!

Dear Children and Grand Children,

"A thousand mile journey begins with the first step!" So goes the old saying!

As I am nearing the end of my one book writing trip, I often question when, where, why and how did that trip begin?

Regardless of when, where, why and how it began, it is important to recognize that we are all on a trip that is not entirely ours. Nor do we totally control the overall length, our traveling speed, the duration and the final destination of our trip. What is most important to me is to have recorded for you and for our descendants a few of the events we encountered along the way!

As to when, where, why and how the book writing trip began - I have finally chosen to let God answer that question within our individual hearts.

As I review the influences that brought me to record a minute segment of our trip, I can see our pioneering ancestors leaving the Brittany coast to come settle in Mauritius. From there. I could go on and on and indeed begin writing a third book!

Before I get carried away, let me simply say that because your mother and her premature departure loomed larger than life in my mind, I took much pleasure seeing her, seeing you all through the various chapters, the numerous pages, the many paragraphs and the thousands of words that God and Mommy inspired me to write over the last four years!

Indeed it has been a labor of love for love's only sake.

I thank you ALL for your constant support and encouragement.

I hope that some day, after I am long gone a grand child or great grand child or great great, great grand child will discover a copy lying around, will be then curious enough to want to read it, will then actually make time to read it and will then think: "Wow! I am here today because of them, because of Him! Then the question might just pop up in that descendant's mind: "I wonder when, where, why and how did their trip/my trip begin?
At least thanks to that book, I do have some answers!

Let us all hope that, that descendant will stand still, sit down or may be even kneel down and address a remembrance prayer to our intention!

Amen. Allelluia! I love you ALL! Hugs and kisses from your Bopbops who loves you!

P.S. Sorry to keep harassing you about my book journey but I felt very much like sharing today's extra site with you! Can you believe that I created that web page alone!

Here is the link to it: http://lleclezio.googlepages.com/home

Next step will be to create links to it and do an order form with modes of payment.