Virginia Breeze

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Well we have all made it to midweek and around noontime it will be time to head back towards the barn again. Sure it may take a few days to get there. But the important thing is that we all have a barn and a horse to get us there.

Henry our Tudor friend has many barns and many horses. I hope you have been watching him on Showtime. On the last episode he dispatched Thomas More and Cardinal Fletcher to their Heavenly rewards. More was possibly his best friend and a father figure too. We can see the king screaming with pain and regret when the axe falls.

Thomas More refused to take an oath saying the King was the head of the church in England or anywhere for that matter. I was caught up in the scene where his wife pleads with him. She comes to his dungeon cell and says “Thomas, please! Just say the words. We have all done it and we will forfeit all our possessions if you remain stubborn.”

Clearly she will miss him but right at this moment she has other concerns. And he says “Yes you and the children have been my greatest concern. But I can’t endure an eternity in Hell even if it means you all become paupers” or words to this effect.

Makes sense to me. Besides shouldn’t God be the one who takes care of them? Especially since Thomas More has gone the extra mile for Him. Have faith woman and go get a job! You too kids! Let’s worry about dad because at his trial he nearly faints when they tell him what they are going to do to him.

He has this thing about Pain! And I am right there with him at this moment. He will do anything to avoid FOREVER burning in the devil’s workshop. But on the other hand the guys are going to hang him until he is half dead, cut out his bowels and burn them while he watches with interest, tear him into four pieces with wild horses and then cut off his head! Talk about being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea!

How do people even think up this stuff? But then his good friend Henry shows his soft and caring side by commuting his sentence to simple removal of the parts that have been causing him so much trouble.

Much much better! Thomas goes off after a nice speech to the crowd and Henry gets to suffer for many more years with gout and whatever else. He probably gets sexually transmitted diseases. Because he can’t control himself. He is riding through the woods with his guards when this guy and his wife come along. Immediately they are stopped and questioned. Henry goes up to the wife and sees she is young and beautiful. So he gives her a big kiss and carries her away while her husband stands there steaming.

What’s he going to do? He probably heard about what they were going to do to More! I always try to put myself in some of these unique circumstances. What would I do?

Beth! Please write when you get a chance.

I love you!

And so it goes. Human history is full of sad episodes like this. It’s a shame really. Thomas More had it about right. And so he gets to ride out the remainder of the series in his Heavenly abode in comfort and peace.

Hopefully he will somehow help his wife and kids as they struggle along the road. But they could have refused to take the oath too! I wonder what he would have said if they all came to his cell one day and said they were going with him?

Great! But I hope for your sake Henry likes you as much as he likes me?!

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