theconnectionsnj.com HOME & DESIGN PAGE 52 Mywife, Abby, visitedVenezuela frequently, beginning at age sixteen, after her aunt and uncle moved there to operate an import/export business. Through the business, they got to know Raul Leoni, the President of Venezuela from March 1964 through March 1969. Leoni tried valiantly to establish a democratic society with a strong middle class. He modernized the country and successfully resisted a Cuban-backed insurgency. In 1972, Leoni was admitted to the Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan for critical, medical treatment. Several family members, including his son, also named Raul, accompanied him. Abby’s paternal grandfather was in the same hospital, also in dire condition. Abby’s aunt recognized the Leoni family. She suggested that Leoni’s son meet Abby rather than just sit around the hospital for days on end. Raul and Abby became fast friends. Abby’s grandfather and Raul’s father passed away about the same time. She continued to travel to Caracas and did so more frequently from Miami, where she was going to college. Her friendship deepened with Raul. With the deteriorating situation in Venezuela over the last three decades, Raul and his family moved to Florida. This past January, Abby and I had the opportunity to have dinner in Jacksonville with Raul, his wife, their daughter, and her husband. Over dinner, Abby told the following story. In early 1973, Abby was preparing to travel from Caracas to Miami. She was nervous as there had been some recent aviation accidents, including a fatal jet crash in the Everglades. She expressed her concerns to Raul. He said he would consult the family’s bruja (pronounced brooha, Spanish for witch or what we might call a psychic). Raul said she spoke with the saints. Abby reminded him she was Jewish, but Raul assured her that his bruja could see the future. When Abby expressed her doubts, Raul told her the bruja was blind but somehow described ornaments that were placed in Raul’s father’s casket which only the family knew about. Raul reported back from the bruja: (1) Abby will travel with an older woman, (2) a young woman, with long black hair would sit next to them, (3) after landing safely and walking down a long hallway they would come upon broken stairs, (4) she saw Abby at the bottom with a broken leg, and (5) Abby would be met by someone who loved her. But the bruja said if Abby was careful, she wouldn’t be injured. Abby was skeptical because they would be taking a cab from the airport. Abby and the older woman, her mother, boarded the plane and were seated in a row of three. A young woman with long black hair took the vacant seat. They landed in Miami. After a long walk on the concourse, they approached a mass of people at the top of a broken escalator intended to take them to baggage claim. Abby’s mother took all of the luggage and insisted Abby take one step at a time holding onto the rubber railing with both hands. No injuries. In baggage claim, her friend, Michael, was waiting for them. He told them he knew Abby was coming back on that day. He checked, and there was only one ight from Caracas. He didn’t have any other plans, so he gured he would pick her up. Is all this a random connection or paranormal power at work? Bewitching By Dan Rosenberg “RANDOM“ CONNECTIONS Watchung Hills Regional High School Join the Watchung Hills Community as we come together to safeguard our students by supporting Project Graduation. As this year’s 2023 Senior Class looks forward to their Graduation Day and beyond, the Project Graduation Committee is planning all the end of year festivities along with an unforgettable Graduation Night celebration at Iron Peak Sports & Events. This event will be a fun-filled and substance-free celebration to give our children the time of their lives in a safe environment. We acknowledge all donors in our Graduation Program. Enter your name and/or business as it should appear in print. Please make checks payable to: WHRHS Project Graduation Mail to: WHRHS, Project Graduation, 108 Stirling Road, Warren, NJ 07059 Name: ______________________________________________ Business: ___________________________________________ Address:____________________________________________ Phone: _______________________ Amount: _____________ Parents, Community Members and Local Businesses are the heart of our success! PLEASE SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY SENDING IN YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TODAY. Thank you for helping us protect our 2023 graduates! Project Graduation has been sponsored by high schools across the nation since 1980. Its goal is to provide supervised, alcohol and drug-free celebrations on graduation night to help reduce the number of youths involved in alcohol and drug related highway crashes. PLEASE COMPLETE AND MAIL THIS FORM WITH YOUR DONATION 2023 PROJECT GRADUATION
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