Who is Basura? The picture is from long ago. In the words of the great Delbert McClinton, “I’m not old, but I been around a long time.”

Some of the jobs that I’ve done have put me into court in various capacities. My efforts were not always appreciated. Most people thought I was fair, some even thought I was kind, but there were times of conflict.

Once my wife and I went into a bar in Grand Rapids, hungry for enchiladas. There were four couples sitting at a table near us. The men approached. “Aren’t you the guy,” I was asked, “that sent our brother T. to prison?” I stammered an answer, something about having recommended prison, but only a judge can sentence. I was quite ill at ease, as was my lovely and talented wife.

“That’s OK.,” one guy said, “He needed to go.”

That’s why I use the pseudonym. And the old picture. I try to keep my address out of the phone book.

I attended Grand Valley when it was still a college. After my freshman year, I joined the U.S. Marine Corps. I went to Hawaii, then Vietnam, then to Great Lakes Naval Hospital for nine months after being severely wounded in combat.

I returned to Grand Valley. I met a girl there, and we’ve been married now for 44 years. We have a son, a successful musician living in another state. He’s married to our much loved daughter-in-law. We have a grand-dog and a grand-cat. So far.

Any updates in family structure would no doubt be part of this column. I’m retired. I have time to do things I enjoy — reading, traveling, snorkeling, cycling, and kayaking.  In the past I’ve enjoyed racquetball, tennis, softball, and baseball.

Now I play pool. I go to the gym, I tap out words. I think I’ll enjoy writing some words for you.

‘Perpetual Prayer’ threatened with decline

Grand Rapids Press (Religion, 11/12/15) reports that nuns in Wisconsin have been continuously praying since 1878. That’s a lot of prayer. It’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The nuns take two-hour shifts, and then fresh pray-ers take their places. They’ve kept this up through fires, storms, flooding, influenza outbreaks, but never wavered in the 237 years of constant prayer.

Unfortunately, there are fewer Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration than there were, due to declines in new members of the order. The nuns are getting older, and dying faster than replacements come aboard.

In 1997, the dwindling numbers got to be problematic. The solution has been to allow for lay members to take up the task. Now there are pray-ers that are from the laity that come to the convent to take shifts so that the prayers can still continue non-stop.

The efforts of these nuns and lay people continue, despite a world rife with war and poverty and criminality and dread disease. One can only imagine in horror the idea that things will get worse if the pray-ers stop their prayers.

I have developed a perfect solution to the dilemma. The nuns need to pray for more new nuns. I don’t know why they didn’t think of that. Young women full of enthusiasm, who can help pull the load for years.

This would solve the nuns’ problem of dwindling membership, and might be seen as a spiritual blessing by those young women devoting themselves to Religious Life. It’s a win-win.