Mary the Turtle, Jesus the MRI, etc., etc.

Happy Labor Day to everyone in the States.... Given the holiday, it seems we need a light story -- that is, if this could be considered light.

Much as I love 'em, the Evangelical branch of my family keeps maintaining that, indeed, the Rapture is six seconds away. Always. Usually, we don't buy it -- after we gave in, stocked up an arsenal and Y2K ended up going nowhere, it's all become a tough sell -- but given some recent doings, you can't help but be led to wonder what's going on, whether it's The End Times or people are just at Their Wit's End. Whatever it is, it's too draining to think about and it's best to just let it happen.... Not for nothing, after all, is "Che sera', sera'" an Italian idiomatic phrase.

To business, one woman in Chicago claims to have found Our Lady on a turtle. A Pittsburgh woman says she saw the crucifixion in an MRI. And, not to be outdone, the Lord again -- as if He wasn't busy enough -- has made a cameo appearance in a dental X-ray, a Florida man believes.

Poor St Joseph; would anyone get excited about seeing him?

This strange confluence of events evokes memories of the traveling visionary I heard about in my younger years whose claim to "fame" (if you could call it that) was seeing Dean Martin in purgatory. And the alleged apparition of Our Lady of the Windows in Florida. And my personal favorite: the Mother Teresa "Nunbun" (pictured at left).... And millions more. But I digress.

So what is all this: Fluke? Stunt? Sign? Excess of visionary complex? Would love to hear your thoughts....

-30-