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Stay Alert!

by Joanne Wiklund

My words here last week about scammers came home to me this week when I answered my phone. I was expecting a call back so when it rang I didn’t check the Caller ID, I answered  “Hello.” When I looked at the Caller ID, it said, “Unknown.”

A young man at the other end said hello, and I asked gruffly, “Who is this?”

“It’s your grandson.” 

“Which one?”

“The oldest one.”

“You don’t sound like my grandson.”

“Well, Grandma, I broke my nose this morning and I haven’t been breathing well.”

I realized it wasn’t Number One Grandson and I said quietly this time, “Oh, I’m so sorry you broke your nose.” I laughed long and hard. He hung up. He knew I was onto him. His request would be for money. I texted my grandson right away at work. He was fine. I’ve had numerous calls like this. One from a girl who said she was my granddaughter and was in jail. She asked for money to bail her out. Wasn’t her either. 

I am appalled at people who try to cheat senior citizens out of their life savings. Our parents convinced their children early on that you don’t keep things that don’t belong to you, and you don’t cheat. I hope the poster of the Ten Commandments being hung back in a school classroom will be allowed to stay there. Big ToDo over this. Kids need to learn these rules at a young age. A good memory skill to be taught at home. How many can I recite? What a difference they could make in the world just following those ways.

Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart, wait, I say, on the Lord.”

Exodus 20 The Commandments of God.