MY REVIEW OF GUAM'S MOST POPULAR COFFEE SHOPS

By Tim Rohr

The following was published as a Letter to the Editor in the Guam Pacific Daily News on Oct. 15, 2026. It was also published on my Substack. 

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Having been in business for 40 years, with most of those years in sales, coffee shops, like for most people in my profession (especially if they are self-employed as I am), are our second offices.

We meet clients there, meet business partners there, transact business there, grab wi-fi there, and even drink coffee there.

So, over the years, I’ve been in a lot of them. I’ve even done business with some back in the day, when one of my companies was a distributor of food-service cleaning supplies.

I’ve seen several coffee shops come and go, and I’ve learned to spot “the signs” of decline.

Today, given my daily routine, I frequent three coffee shops, each with multiple locations. I won’t name them for now. I’ll just call them Coffee 1, Coffee 2, and Coffee 3.

Coffee 1 is the oldest of the three. Their product is always good. Their atmosphere is very “coffee,” meaning “pleasant.” Their locations are good. However, I give them about a year before I think we will see them downsizing, and maybe closing altogether. I’ll explain in a minute.

Coffee 2 is the newest. It’s Asian, very modern, with amazing attention to detail and ambiance. They appear to be part of a large Asian chain, so they will be around a while.

Coffee 3 is neither new nor old. Of the three, they are doing it right. Their product and coffee ambiance aren’t any better or worse than the other two; however, they pay attention to something the other two don’t: the people behind the counter.

Coffee 1’s people behind the counter are dressed in everyday clothes, even “home clothes” looking. And other than taking your order, they don’t engage the customer. They are more interested in carrying on conversations (in their own language) with the other employee(s).

Coffee 2’s people are similarly unengaged but dress better. There appears to be a uniform, even if it’s only an apron. But at least there is some attempt to look like they’re on the job and didn’t just roll out of bed.

Coffee 3’s staff are dressed in coffee-shop-appropriate attire. I would say that it’s a uniform. More importantly, they are very engaged with the clientele. They look at you, smile at you, and say your name. Plus, they’re hustling. They don’t act like you’re interrupting them when you walk up to the counter.

Standing straight, moving quickly, smiling, engaging the customer in conversation. If they keep that up, they’re going to be around for a while.

My only recommendation is to address the bathroom key issue at one of their locations. The key is tied to a large, heavy piece of coffee equipment. I don’t know what it’s called. It’s a thing with a handle. And a zip tie is used to attach the key. The zip tie has a sharp edge where it was snipped, and it scratches your hand if you’re not careful when you try to use the key to open the bathroom door. Plus, you need two hands free to open the door because the coffee thing the key is tied to is so heavy.

Oh, and the wi-fi at that location is hardly ever stable. Other than that, I’m a supporter and customer, not because their coffee is better, but because their people are.

APRIL: LACK OF AWARENESS MONTH

By Tim Rohr

Every year, we mark April 1 as Autism Awareness Day with proclamation signing, photo-ops, community fairs, display booths, fun and games. For kids, these special kids...Children grow up, but "autism awareness" campaigns don’t mature beyond pomp and circumstance. “Awareness” ceremonies fail to highlight the challenging realities that await children as they transition to adulthood. - Mar-Vic Cagurangan

There are two important articles in the Pacific Island Times this month: "Lack of awareness month: The abandoned end of the spectrum" by the Publisher, Mar-Vic Caguangan, and "Navigating the DISID labyrinth" by me (Tim Rohr)

Functionally, both Mar-Vic and I make the point that the very system which is constituted to provide for and protect special needs children like ours, is systematically and neglectfully abusing these same children while said providers celebrate themselves with banners, proclamations, and ever more funding and paychecks for themselves. 

Thanks for reading...and caring. Something CAN be done. But it's going to take the same effort as it took to expose the corruption and filth in this archdiocese. 

THE EPSTEIN THING

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Putting my “false allegations” series on hold for the moment, I want to address the Epstein thing.

I don’t have a problem acknowledging that Jeffrey Epstein was most likely a deep state intelligence operative. Nothing else explains how he got away with so much for so long. It also explains why the so-called “client list” remains elusive.

I am also quite on board with the assertion that Epstein rose mysteriously to unprecedented wealth and influence because he was extraordinarily adept at supplying a steady stream of sex-workers to powerful people.

I call them “sex-workers” and not “victims” on purpose.

Hardly an Epstein story goes by without the requisite media sobbing about his “victims.” There are two problems with this. First, they weren’t victims. Second, it’s a distraction from the real matter: uncovering Epstein’s deep-state connections and activities - in short, who Epstein was really working for and why.

His “girls,” minors or not, was just the currency he trafficked in to do his job, a job that made him a billionaire since no other business activity or financial venture can be identified as the source of his voluminous cash flow.

They weren’t victims

According to the court papers I have read, all of Epstein’s “girls” arrived at his many mansions willingly and were well-paid for their services. They were sex-workers, not victims, and it appears the majority of them not only liked their “jobs,” but recruited others for similar employment.

I saw and worked with real victims of sexual abuse in the Apuron case. At the time of their being victimized, they were young, trusting altar boys who thought they were only helping their pastor when he invited them to his house of horrors. They weren’t expecting to be molested, raped, and then threatened to keep their mouths shut for the rest of their now ruined lives.

That’s what a victim looks like. That’s what abuse looks like.

Underage?

Court papers say some of Epstein’s sex-workers were as young as 14. So? What’s all the fuss? Being less than 18 years old might keep you from buying cigarettes, but the law in most states, including Guam, says it’s okay to engage in consensual sex at 16.

Meanwhile, while the majority of Americans are all riled up about Epstein and his clients, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry that same majority of Americans (67%) supports distribution of free contraceptives in schools. Ummm, what do you think these little girls and boys are going to do with that stuff?

Here in Guam, as advertised on the website for the Bureau of Women’s Affairs, contraception is free at all public health facilities. Apparently there is no age limit. Hmmm. Kids can’t buy cigarettes until they’re 18, but can help themselves to condoms and birth control pills as soon as they’re tall enough to peer over the counter and say “Please Sir, I want some more.”

Those who think “they’re just going to do it anyway” are probably thinking their teens are having sex with teens, so they might as well be “protected.” But as the Epstein story (and many others) demonstrates, why would a fourteen year old girl want to have sex with a broke fourteen year old boy when she can score thousands of dollars off an older man with means?

So don’t give me that “they were only 14 and didn’t know any better.” Parents (67% anyway) are practically handing their minor children contraceptives and signing a permission slip to have sex with whoever they want. Should we now be upset when those same kids figure out a way to make money at it - as Epstein’s girls did?

Pedophile?

It’s a useful word because of its “disgust” level, but Epstein was no pedophile - a pervert yes, but no pedophile. Pedophilia is clinically defined as a sexual preference for prepubescent children. While the record shows that Jeffrey liked them young, he didn’t like them that young.

The same with Apuron and just about all of the clergy sex abuse cases nationwide. The record (the John Jay Report) shows that the sexual preference was for adolescents, i.e. sexually mature, and in the clergy cases, overwhelmingly male. So pedophilia was not the operative perversion. I’ll let you figure out what was.

Given the filth and perversity we as a society unthinkingly accommodate daily, it’s hard not to see that all this righteous fixation on Epstein’s “list” isn’t a collective Freudian conscience-swabbing exercise in projection.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com 

HOW TO HANDLE FALSE ALLEGATIONS - PART 2

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To review, this is a series of columns in which I am addressing how to handle false accusations of domestic violence (or worse), especially if you are a husband and/or father.

In Part 1, I laid out the “pit” I found myself in in May 2018 and how false accusations led to the loss of my minor children for five years.

I ended that first column by urging the reader to not leave your interests to your lawyer and to at least get a fundamental understanding of legal procedural basics.

There’s a lot to know, but the most important procedural thing to know is this: Motion-Opposition-Reply.

After the legal proceeding is initiated by a complaint or petition, there will usually be a number of motions. A motion is when a party moves the court to do something. The important thing to know is that you have a right to either oppose the motion or reply to the other party’s opposition to your motion. Not knowing this is what cost me my children and five tragic, damaging, and expensive years.

In my case, I had moved the court for custody of my children. The other party opposed my motion on grounds that I had sexually abused my children and supported her opposition with declarations from two of my adult daughters.

My then-attorney failed to file a reply which left the court no option but to assume the allegations were true and deny my motion for custody. But that was only the beginning of the damage because those unanswered allegations became headlines in May 2018 when for a full week I was smeared in the local media as a wife-beater and a molester of my own children.

Had my attorney filed a reply, I could have presented evidence disproving the allegations, and, while the press may have still done the story, at least my side, and maybe even a court decision in my favor, would have been in the record. Years of damage might have been avoided.

The problem was that at the time I didn’t know that I could have filed a reply because I completely trusted my attorney who not only failed to file a reply but chose not to inform me of her decision not to file.

Two months after the fact, and after being destroyed in the media, an attorney friend asked me if I filed a reply. I didn’t even know what that was. He told me. I called my attorney to inquire. Let’s just say I ended up firing that attorney and got my retainer back.

Bottom line is you must know your rights in court. That’s why it’s called a “justice system.” You always have a right to respond. True, there was no guarantee that the court would have ruled in my favor had I replied, but at least my reply would have been in the record.

The foregoing is critical because at the beginning of a case there is likely to be a flurry of false allegations - just mud up against the wall - in an attempt to overwhelm you and make you throw in your bloodied towel. So remember: Motion-Opposition-Reply.

Just to be clear, this isn’t legal advice. Just my experience. So going on.

The next thing to know is never - I repeat - never speak to the other party once legal action is initiated - or even once it looks like legal action is coming. Keep everything in writing, preferably email as email is easier to authenticate than texts or even physical writings.

However, if you must communicate orally, record your communications. It doesn’t have to be a secret recording. You are in a legal battle at this point and it should be understood that “everything you say can or will be held against you in a court of law.” So record, record, record.

The next thing is to gather, gather, gather. Search everywhere for anything and everything written: cards, letters, notes, emails, texts, messages, everything. You are going to need to prove - if the allegations are false - that not only was there no evidence of what you are being accused of, but that prior to your breakup, you had  mostly normal and even loving relationships with your now-accusers, and written communications are the best evidence.

Now, before I go on to the next step, there is something you should already be doing: take care of yourself, especially physically. You’re going to need your health - every bit of it.

See you next time.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com 

'WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE NEW POPE?"

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I will return to my series on “What to do when falsely accused” in my next column. But for this column, given the extraordinary moment of the surprise election of the man who took the name Leo 14, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on the new man in Rome. 

“What do you think of the new pope?” is a question I’ve been getting since the day the American, Robert Prevost, walked out onto the loggia as “Leonem Decimum Quartum.” 

First, I think he is a very smart man, and being smart, I predict he will be very careful, much more careful than his predecessor - who didn’t seem to care about being careful. In fact, you might say Francis’ order to “make a mess” at World Youth Day 2013 became the modus operandi  of his entire pontificate. 

During Francis’ reign, I had friends who went so far as to claim Francis was an anti-pope, an imposter to “the chair.” Some joined groups and movements to militate against him. 

Me…not so much. After every new discombobulation of the faith, from “Who am I to judge?” to the fabrication of “synodality,” I just shrugged my shoulders and repeated my usual refrain: “God gives us the leaders we deserve.”

And why wouldn’t God give us a discombobulating pope, given that for the better part of a century now, most Catholics have rejected Church teaching on everything from contraception to transubstantiation?

In fact, the election of the subdued and little known Robert Prevost is - I think - a quiet admission by his electors that Francis made too much of a mess, even for the progressive cardinals, many of whom were anointed by Francis to make more of a mess.

And speaking of “synodality,” this appears to be Leo’s first test. And how he handles it will bear witness to the remainder of what appears will be a long pontificate. 

While Francis flirted with blessing same-sex unions and permitting communion to adulterers, it really was just flirting. Of course flirting is dangerous, but with “synodality” Francis was “all in.” 

Synodality is the disturbance that it is because it functionally changes the nature of the Catholic Church. Let me explain. 

Earlier I referred to "synodality" as a fabrication. In fact, as I type “synodality” into my current draft, it keeps showing up with those squiggly underlines indicating that the word is misspelled or doesn’t exist. 

It doesn’t exit. The words “synod” and “synodal” do exist, but not “synodality.” Francis made it up. In fact, Cardinal Cupich, one of Francis’ “make a mess” boys, admitted “synodality” is a made-up word in a 2023 post titled: “‘Synodality’: a new word for an ancient reality.” 

Etymologically, “synod” means “assembly” or “meeting.” Okay, an assembly of who? Because the term has been hijacked by those who want to change Catholic Church governance, let’s take a look at an unadulterated definition in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Synod: an ecclesiastical governing or advisory council: such as a): an assembly of bishops in the Roman Catholic Church; b): the governing assembly of an Episcopal province; c): a Presbyterian governing body ranking between the presbytery and the general assembly; d: a regional or national organization of Lutheran congregations.

Up until Francis, a “synod” in a Catholic context meant “a): an assembly of bishops…” And as you can see, it means a different sort of assembly in a non-Catholic context. With “synodality,” Francis appears to have adopted “c,” the Presbyterian model: a meeting of “the presbytery (clergy) and the general assembly (laity). 

Suspiciously, Cupich’s blurb about an “ancient reality” conveniently avoids the actual “ancient reality” that was in fact the first synod: the Council of Jerusalem as described in Acts of the Apostles (15:2-35). Cupich skips it because, per the scriptural account, the only attendees were “the apostles and the elders” - in other words, the pastors or overseers (clergy). There is no mention of the “overseen” (laity) being present.

The motivation behind Francis’ fabrication of “synodality” was the creation of a so-called “listening church.” And that’s the problem. Jesus didn’t command his apostles to “go and listen.” Jesus commanded the apostles to “go and teach.”

So how will Leo handle this? He has already said at the outset “We are a synodal church.” It was a careful thing to say at the moment. But because the Catholic Church is first and foremost and always will be an Apostolic church, I think he’s going to let the whole thing die quietly.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com    

REPOST: MARTIN HENRY ROHR - A FATHER'S DAY REMEMBRANCE

Today, while searching for something else online, I came across this article I wrote in 2021 about my Dad for Father's Day. I'd like to think my finding it just now is a message from my Dad - or about him - since I wasn't looking for it, forgot I had ever written it, and it's Father's Day. The story was published in the Pacific Daily News on June 20, 2021.

Martin Henry Rohr had a tough Ohio upbringing

Dad was a big strong man with a big strong name: Martin Henry Rohr. He was born in the 1930s during the Great Depression and grew up in what was already a hundred-year-old farmhouse outside of Massillon, Ohio, on what is still called "Mudbrook Road." 

Martin Henry was the 10th of 14 children born to Elmer Rohr, a veteran of WW1, and Helen Lindberger. ... The Ohio Rohrs were farmers who carved their life out of the tough Ohio climate, a life that hammered my Dad into a tough, massive man at an early age.

During the Korean War, Dad joined the Navy. And while stationed in San Diego, Dad met a Mexican señorita through a Navy buddy who was my mom’s first cousin. Eight children were born of this union, starting with me.

It was not an easy life. One of my earliest memories of Dad is seeing him trudging into our flooded backyard in pouring rain with a bicycle on his shoulder. Dad couldn’t afford a car so he rode a bicycle to work, and that day his bike had a flat tire.

I never knew we were poor then. Mom and Dad never talked about it. They worked and worked and worked. Dad was a milkman, a paperboy, a lineman, a ditch digger, and finally a “rod buster” - the equivalent of a human mule who carries rebar on rough and bloodied shoulders down into a ditch or onto a bridge deck.

Today, most of the freeways in and around Los Angeles are stained with Dad’s blood and sweat — and pieces of his shoulders. 

In memory of Dad’s brother, Albert, who was killed in 1934 when he fell down the cellar stairway, Dad named his second son after him. Albert, my brother, was killed in 1989 when he fell down a different stairway in Irvine, California. Dad never got over it.

Martin Henry Rohr died in February 2014. He left his body to science and there is no grave to mourn at. I believe he wanted it that way. But I don’t need a grave to mourn at. I only need to look at your picture.

Requiem Aeternam (Eternal Rest), Dad.

Your firstborn, Tim 

HOW TO HANDLE FALSE ALLEGATIONS - PART 1

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On Father’s Day 2014, this paper ran a feature titled “The Ultimate Father.” The article was subtitled: “Tim Rohr knows the definition of the word ‘father’ very well. He is the father of 11 children.” The article featured a big picture of my wife and I with our 11 children.

Four years later, in May 2018, I was smeared for an entire week in local headlines as a wife beater and a sexual molester of my own children.

The allegations were false, and according to credible estimates, such allegations against men in particular are false 55% of the time. But I couldn’t rely on estimates. I had to prove those allegations false or lose everything.

So how does a husband and a father defend himself against those kinds of allegations coming from his own family? And just as important, how does a man, a husband and father, recover from the angst and despair wrought by such a malignant situation?

I’ve been hesitant over the years to share any of my personal story relative to this drama for two reasons: 1) I didn’t (and still don’t) want to hurt any of my children by dragging any of this into the present; and 2) I wanted (and still want) to leave my door open for reconciliation. So other than the foregoing, I will be reserved about further details.

However, because my aim in this series of columns is to give some hope to other husbands and fathers (and even wives and mothers), who may find themselves in similarly desperate straits, it is necessary to describe the “pit” I found myself in in 2018 so I can share how I clawed my way out of it, and how, if you find yourself in the same pit, you can too.

Why and how those things happened to me at that time is not unrelated to my role in exposing the largest clergy sex abuse conspiracy and scandal per capita in the whole Catholic world. In order for the “bad guys” to “save Apuron,” it was critical that I be “taken out” before Apuron was taken down.

But I digress. I’ll get to that story another time.

So back to the point: what to do if you find yourself falsely accused of abuse by your spouse or even your children - and I should add: formally accused in a legal proceeding.

I suppose there is no shortcut through the grief, so the first thing to do is to just suffer it. Your grief will probably go through the well-known Kubler-Ross pattern of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

You don’t have to get to “acceptance” before taking the next step though. In fact, this pattern of grief can repeat many times. And there is never any predicting when that “jab of red-hot memory” - as C.S. Lewis described it - is going to erupt out of your heart and into your throat. So just accept it. Cry as much as you need.

Ultimately, though, especially if you find yourself in court, you must get your wits about you because it is very likely if you have been thus accused - falsely accused - that your accuser is hoping you will break before you can turn the tables. The idea is to accuse you of violence to make you react violently so your accuser can say “See, Your Honor. There he goes again!”

The next thing to do is get an attorney, especially if the other party has already initiated legal action. Due to court rules which set out timelines, you will need to immediately file whatever you need to file to initially protect yourself.

However, and this is a big “however,” do not - I repeat - do not leave it to your attorney to see to your interests. You must - I repeat - you must educate yourself as if you are your own attorney, at least on the procedural basics.

The failure of one of my attorneys (I had six - not including myself) to file a reply to the most damning of the allegations left the court no option but to take my children away from me - a situation that persisted for five terrible years and caused untold damage to those children.

The problem was that I didn’t even know - at the time - that I could have replied, and that had I replied, I might have put a quick end to that traumatic mess. But because I left my interests to “the professionals,” I lost my children.

More next time.

Note: For the readers of this blog, I share more details and resources at a link in the side bar: "Keep Breathing."

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com    

SOMETIMES DOCTORS DON'T KNOW BEST

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Belle’s Law, aka “Guam’s old abortion ban,” (P.L. 20-134) is back in the news after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the Attorney General’s appeal of the Guam District Court’s decision to not lift the injunction on the ban which has been in place since 1990. 

The law has a rather frazzled history and maybe I’ll recount the whole mess in a future column, but for this column I am resurrecting the testimony of the late Shirley A. Terlaje who wrote in support of Bill 848, the bill that became Public Law 20-134, or “Guam’s old abortion ban.”

For those who don’t know, Shirley A. Terlaje was the wife of the late Eduardo S. Terlaje, who was a respected attorney, a four-term senator, and vice speaker of the Legislature. 

Mrs. Terlaje is also the mother of Guam’s newest Superior Court judge, the Honorable John C. Terlaje, and in the following excerpt from her 1989 testimony, Mrs. Terlaje tells us of how John came to be.

“Since the Supreme Court legalized abortion on Jan. 22, 1973, more than 14,000,000 babies have been killed at the request of their own mothers. The unborn child has become a helpless victim, left to the ruthlessness of doctors who are using their medical skill to destroy and to murder, rather than to care for the innocent unborn child. 

Certainly, it is time for us to come to the defense of all those who are being discriminated against. People who would never dream of discriminating against another on the grounds of color, discriminate against the unborn child on grounds of size, because that child is so very small that he (she) cannot in fact make its voice heard. Therefore, it is brushed aside as being of no importance. 

During the pregnancy of my sixth child, I experienced exactly this type of discrimination against my unborn child. During the first two months of my pregnancy, I had been quite sick and the doctors had done a large number of X-rays in an attempt to determine what was causing me to be so sick. 

When it was later discovered that I was pregnant, the doctors told me and my husband that in all likelihood, the child would be born deformed and brain damaged. (This was before the use of ultrasound to determine such things.) 

The doctors tried to convince us that I should go to Japan to have an abortion. Abortions were then legal in Japan, but had not yet been declared legal in the United States. My husband and I were both appalled at the idea of killing our own child, so we refused to follow the doctors' advice. 

Six months later in that year, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy, our son, John. John is now 23 years old, and is still healthy, and a great joy to all those who know him. He was born without any perceivable physical or mental defects, and tests have revealed that he has the highest IQ score of any of our 11 children. 

Regardless, of what his health or intelligence had been, I cannot imagine casting him aside, not allowing him the chance to be born. In just these few years, he has had a great impact on our family and on the lives of all who know him.”

(The full testimony can be found in the bill’s committee report dated December 22, 1989.) 

My family and I have a few things in common with the Terlaje’s. Like the Terlaje’s, we also have 11 children, and our ninth child had a diagnosis similar to John’s. And like the Terlaje’s, doctors heavily suggested that we abort him.

It was a very stressful time. In those years, Guam’s economy was in decline and our income with it, and this was our 9th child. We spent the last of our money traveling to the states to seek other medical opinions, but none were hopeful. Abortion was never an option, but the stress to do it was immense. 

Our baby was born healthy and strong, and today he is a tall, handsome, intelligent, and productive young man, who, among our 11 children, is the only one who has chosen to make Guam his home and raise his own family.

And there is a Guam-sort-of-ending to the story. Shirley Terlaje’s daughter, Maria, John’s sister, became our son’s godmother, long before I learned that doctors had told the Terlaje’s to abort their son too.

Sometimes, doctors don’t know best.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com   

APURON, THE POPE, AND MOTHER'S DAY

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In this column, I have three topics: The Apuron Fiasco, The New Pope, and, on a happy note, Mother’s Day.

The Apuron Fiasco

After nearly ten years (and little to no action), Apuron’s accusers (the plaintiffs) voluntarily dismissed their complaints. From the news reports, it appeared they were convinced to do so by their attorney because - as their attorney was reported to have said - Apuron had “very little financial resources.”

As this was a civil liability case and not a criminal case, and Apuron had no money to sue for, there was no point in continuing the case.  In fact, it’s safe to speculate that the plaintiffs agreed with the dismissal out of  mercy towards Apuron since they were constantly told that he was too old and sickly to continue.

But being “old and sickly” didn’t keep Apuron from immediately running to a camera to slam his accusers and proclaim the dismissals as evidence of his innocence - even though the cases were never about his guilt or innocence, only his liability.

Archbishop Jimenez jumped on the matter right away. In a letter to clergy a couple days after Apuron’s video victory romp, Jimenez put the slap down on Apuron stating: “our counsel has confirmed that a dismissal under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(ii) does not operate as an adjudication about the merits of a particular case.” In other words, nothing was proved, either way.

More importantly, Jimenez reaffirmed the Vatican’s clear verdict on Apuron in a true innocent or guilty trial: “…it remains the fact that on 07 February 2019, he was found guilty of committing abuse against minors…Nothing about that determination has changed.”

Actually, Apuron was first found guilty on March 13, 2018, but the verdict only stated that he was found guilty of “certain accusations.” After Apuron lost his appeal, Pope Francis personally clarified the verdict: “guilty of delicts against the Sixth Commandment with minors. 

I’d like to say “end of story,” but it’s not. The story is about far more than just Apuron who has always been nothing more than a puppet in this horror show. It remains to be seen what the new Archbishop will do about the puppet masters.

The New Pope

Everyone who bet on this election lost. No one expected this guy. And for sure no one expected an American. Given the surprise, some believe it was a posthumous Francis punch at Trump.

There could be some truth to that given that Francis had appointed nearly two-thirds of the cardinals who elected the American, a man Francis had personally and rapidly promoted to the top of the Vatican apparatus in a very few years.

I won’t speculate further. I’ll just copy here what I posted on Facebook when I learned of the election:

“It doesn’t matter who the pope is. His only job and the only authority he has is to protect the deposit of faith as handed down by Jesus through the apostles. He can’t change a thing in that regard. That’s what Jesus meant when he promised “the gates of hell will not prevail.” And we certainly have had some popes who were right out of hell. So go on with your life and be concerned for your salvation and the salvation of your family.”

Mother’s Day

My brother Albert, a year younger than me, died in 1989. He and my mom were very close. Since his death she has often shared how she gets little messages from him, little awareness-es, you might say. Many of you who have lost a loved one, especially a child, know what I'm talking about. 

 In 2009, I sent my mom (who lives in California) a dozen roses for Mother's Day. My mom received two packages of roses, both from the same company, both sent from me. However, I had only ordered one package. She called to let me know. I checked my billing. I had only been charged for one. Apparently the flower company, FTD, had made an error.

 However, the second package had 13 roses, not 12. Even if FTD had made a mistake and sent an extra order of a "dozen" roses, it is quite unlikely that they would have made the additional error of adding an extra rose. But it was in fact 13 roses, and "no one" had ordered them.

Albert was born on the 13th of November and died at age 31. Another message from heaven? We'd like to think so.

Happy Mother's Day.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com     

MEMO TO CATHOLICS IN THE PEWS

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When I was first asked to be a guest columnist for this publication, the request was for a column addressing Catholic issues with leeway to wander into other topics. In hindsight I’ve probably written more about other topics than Catholic issues, but with this column I’m returning to my “roots.”

There is much that could be said about the current goings-on within the Catholic Church: the clergy sex abuse scandal, the U.S. bishops skirmish with the new president, the pope’s health. Instead, I’m going to share a few thoughts about us regular Catholics in the pews.

Let’s start with dressing better. This is weird coming from a guy who used to lead the "Folk-Mass" in his teens and twenties dressed in jeans and Birkenstocks, but, at least for Sunday Mass, I have now made an effort to put on what was once called “our Sunday best.” I mean, come on, some of us dress nicer to go to the movies than we do to go to Mass. Sure, it would help to have some encouragement from the pulpit, but in the meantime, we can do this ourselves.

Next, we might try spending some old-fashioned “thanksgiving” time after Mass instead of erupting into a meet and greet.

I was brought up to believe that Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, in the consecrated bread I just received at Holy Communion, is uniquely present in me “and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist" (CCC 1377), or in other words, until the “species” (consecrated bread and/or wine) is fully digested - about 15 minutes.

In the “old days” this 15 minutes formed the basis for “prayers after communion.” I mean think of it, we Catholics believe that Jesus Christ, who suffered, died, rose again, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, is uniquely and substantially present in our very bodies for an ultra-sacred 15 minutes. Maybe we should visit with Him for a bit before the others.

Related to this, when we visit after Mass - which is a good thing, let’s take it outside. Our Catholic church buildings are unique. They are not meeting places - as are non-Catholic houses of worship. It’s why our parents and the nuns of yesteryear taught us to be quiet in church, even if it was empty.

And that’s because it’s never empty. Unless for an exceptional reason the Eucharist has been removed from the tabernacle - Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, is always present. And it’s His house, not ours. So “Shhhhhhh” - as Sister would say.

Speaking of “Shhhhh” - take noisy children outside. I know, I know. Those are fighting words. But before you trash this column, know that I am a father of eleven children, two of whom are special needs, and all of whom we brought to Mass every Sunday from about the first Sunday after they left the womb.

We had a system. Our family sat near the rear entrance of the church or chapel, and while Mom usually held the infant, I held the next eldest - usually a two year old and the child most likely to make noise. As soon as the child got loud enough to distract others, I took the child outside.

Occasionally I’d end up spending the whole Mass outside, but usually the child would calm down enough to return to Mass without incident. I’d say that about age three, each child got the idea and was rarely a problem after that.

Also, we didn’t bring toys, books, games, gadgets, or munchies to occupy the children. They simply intuited through our behavior that there was something special about attending Mass and that it was a time for quiet and reverence.

P.S. It helped that we would attend Masses that were quiet and reverent. I think “solemn” is the word. Our kids, like most kids, responded more to the environment than to any of our “shush-ing.”

One of our children with disabilities, a son, and the tenth of our eleven children, was particularly rambunctious. I spent a lot of time outside with him in his first couple of years. Eventually he figured it out and would just sleep through the Mass.

The only problem was that he was born with a nasal issue and his snoring echoed through the whole church. We learned that he didn’t snore if he slept sitting up. So we propped him up in the pew and all was well.

I miss those days.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com    

DEALING WITH DISABLED WEBSITES FOR THE DISABLED

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March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. There was the usual proclamation signing, a nice letter from the congressman, and a list of events sponsored by the Guam Legal Services Disability Center.

We have a plethora of agencies and services for the disabled, or should I say a “maze.” As the father of two disabled sons, both of whom are now adults, and one of whom lives with me, I have found it challenging to navigate these agencies and services for my sons.

Thanks to friends who have been down this road ahead of me, I am managing, but it would help if these agencies updated their websites, which is where most people, like me, searching for information, will initially land.

I was hesitant to use the names of the following agencies in this column, but decided it would be confusing if I didn’t.

Starting with the Guam Legal Services Disability Center under Outreach/Events, there is the current list of activities for March 2025. Following this list is an advertisement for a “Public Input Session.” I got interested, especially since it said “breakfast will be provided.” But then I saw the date: March 18, 2024. I guess I missed it. It would help if past events were deleted from websites, or at least labeled as “past events.”

Continuing my web search, I came to the page of Guma’ Mami, Inc. The headline read “March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month!” - and there was a nice picture. I thought, great, I have found some real information, but then read “Date Posted: 03/03/2022.” Three year old information. Next!

I went to the website of Department of Integrated Services For Individuals With Disabilities (DISID). Under “Links” there is information about an Emergency Registry for disabled persons. I downloaded the application and then read the instructions to drop off the form at their office at the DNA building. DISID relocated away from the DNA building several months ago.

Another link on the DISID website is to the State Rehabilitation Council. At the bottom of this page are two links to a document titled “State Plan for the State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program.” That looked interesting. However, both links lead to “No Results Found.”

In the footer of the same page, the “Contact Us” information shows Phyliss Leon Guerrero as the Director. However, “Contact Us” information on other pages of the same website lists Michelle Perez as the Director.

Under “Reports,” the latest financial report for DISID is for fiscal year 2021. Not helpful.

Guam CEDDARS is an organization I’m familiar with but haven’t visited in a while. They’re based at the University of Guam, have a very nice office, and always seemed to be pretty organized, so I headed to their website to see what’s new.

Well what’s new? The topmost post on CEDDARS’ website is titled “Guam CEDDERS Presents at 2023 MTEC.” So two years old is “what’s new,” although at the top of the page there was a link to the “latest” newsletter…dated March 2024. Because I used to know a few people on the CEDDERS Advisory Council, I decided to check out the Membership List. It was dated 2022-2023.

Before leaving CEDDERS, I thought I’d check out news and events, since I am looking for “news and events” to help my son. It seemed to be current with the top item referring to an event that happened in February. Scrolling further down, I saw that the February event was posted on September 1, 2023. Oh well. Missed that one too.

The Guam Developmental Disabilities Council appeared to be a bit more up to date. Its latest post announced a meeting on March 12, 2025. However, the next most “recent” post was dated April 2, 2022 announcing the “Autism Community Together Fair.” By the way, under the “Resources” tab…there is absolutely nothing.

I am sure there are good people at these agencies and departments who are doing good work, but you won’t find out about it by going to their websites.

As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. And today, whether you be a private company, a government agency, or whatever, your website is your first impression.

Figuring out life with a child with disabilities is challenging enough, we shouldn’t have to deal with “disabled” websites as well.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com   

IVF AIN'T MAHA

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Donald Trump is considered to be the most pro-life president in U.S. history because he delivered on his promise to overturn Roe v Wade. However, his recent support for IVF (in-vitro fertilization) has been a cause of consternation for many hardline pro-lifers.

This is the problem when we opt for euphemisms instead of exact language. Pro-Lifers don’t like the label “anti-abortion,” and Pro-Choice-ers don’t like the label “pro-abortion,” but “life” and “choice” are not the issues. Abortion is.

Trump wasn’t even really anti-abortion. He was anti-Roe. He considered it bad law and he wasn’t alone. The late Justice Ginsburg, a staunch pro-abort, thought the same.

That said, I believe Trump is wrong about his support for IVF. However, at least for the purposes of this column, I am not opposing Trump’s position on moral grounds. I’ll explain that in a bit. But first, what is IVF?

Here’s a quick AI description: 1) The patient takes fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. 2) The eggs are removed from the ovaries. 3.) The eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory. 4) One or more fertilized eggs are transferred to the uterus. 5)Pregnancy occurs when the embryo attaches to the lining of the uterus.

So what is the problem? Isn’t IVF “pro-life?” Well, yes and no. (And that’s the problem with the language.) IVF is “pro-life” in that the intent is to bring about a new human. And IVF is not pro-life in that for every baby born, there are approximately 15-20 embryonic human beings who are “discarded."

According to the CDC, in 2021, there were 238,000 IVF procedures in the U.S. At 7 to 8 eggs per try, that’s a total of nearly 2 million embryos with only about 100,000 who made it. That means nearly 1.8 million embryonic humans were discarded in 2021, a number that is nearly one million more than the number of reported abortions for the same year.

Perhaps because we are just discarding a microscopic “thing” in a glass tube, it doesn’t bother us as much as “disassembling” a baby-looking thing in the womb - which is what abortion is. But if we are going to argue that life begins at conception, then it doesn’t matter if that child is being pulled out of a womb and dumped into a bio-waste can, or dumped out of a test tube into the same can.

Most institutional religions don’t have a clear position on IVF, but the Catholic Church does:

“Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques…infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage…They dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. (CCC 2376-7)

However, according to a Pew poll, only 13% of Catholics believe IVF is wrong. So I can’t get worked up about Catholic pro-lifers criticizing non-Catholic Trump for his position. We need to get our own house in order first.

Meanwhile, though, the more tangible problem with Trump’s support of IVF is that it “ain’t" MAHA - RFK, Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again.”

MAHA is all about going beyond our band-aid medical culture, getting to the root cause of disease, and then doing something about it.

Infertility is as old as Abraham and Sarah, but it’s never been common. Today it is. The World Health Organization reports that 1 in 6 people globally experience infertility. The WHO defines infertility as a “disease” and lists IVF as a “treatment.”

Obviously, IVF is not a treatment for infertility. Just like so many medical “treatments,” it’s a temporary technological workaround. And what it “works around” is the “something else” that is wrong. And what is that?

Well we can start with the fact that women are waiting longer to have children and during this “waiting” many women are chemically altering their reproductive system (with the pill) to not to do the thing that nature wants to do (ovulate). So you might say nature is slapping back.

However, beyond that, and according to a study published in the Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is the leading cause of infertility. And, according to the CDC, insulin resistance is a major cause of PCOS. And guess what is the major cause of insulin resistance? Bad diet and lifestyle. Surprise.

Bottom line: IVF “ain’t" MAHA.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com  

GOOD NEWS!

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Good news! According to the 2024 abortion report - as compiled by the Department of Public Health and Social Services Bureau of Vital Statistics - no one identifying as Chamorro (the report uses this spelling) procured an abortion in 2024.

That’s good news because between 2008 - when The Esperansa Project began requesting the reports - and 2017, the last full year an established abortion practitioner practiced in Guam, women identifying their ethnicity as Chamorro accounted for 1,502 abortions - about 60% of the total.

After the last abortion doctor retired in 2018, no local doctors were willing to openly offer abortion services, so there wasn’t much data for a few years. However, that changed a couple years ago when two doctors in Hawaii got Guam medical licenses and now do chemical abortions via teleconference and mail-order abortion drugs.

A Freedom of Information Act request to Jayne Flores, Director of Bureau of Women’s Affairs, turned up documents demonstrating that Jayne (and presumably her boss) actively recruited the Hawaii physicians to abort Guam babies, and beyond that, to initiate a lawsuit against our own government with the help of the ACLU.

The two doctors are Shandhini Raidoo and Bliss Kaneshiro, and their services are advertised on our taxpayer funded Bureau of Women’s Affairs website. The medical practices of Raidoo and Kaneshiro are private businesses and they are getting free advertising thanks to Jayne and our tax dollars. What a deal!

Moving on.

The thrust of the suit from these two doctors was to get rid of Guam’s in-person counseling requirement for women seeking an abortion. The Guam District Court initially ruled in favor of Jayne and her abortion friends, however, the Ninth Circuit vacated the District Court ruling and upheld Guam law.

The short of it is that these doctors can oversee chemical abortions in Guam from Hawaii so long as women seeking abortions get the required local counseling first. According to the 2024 report there were 36 abortions in Guam but no information about who is providing the required in-person counseling.

Meanwhile, whoever is providing the counseling is very probably counseling local women to identify their ethnicity as “Pacific Islander” and not “Chamorro.” This appears to be the only explanation for how Chamorro abortions went from 60% of the total for at least a decade down to nothing, and Pacific Islander abortions, since 2017, jumped 625% and now account for 80% of the total.

The dramatic shift in the ethnic numbers appears to be a response to the increasing cries of “Chamorro genocide” by myself and others. What else can it be called? According to census numbers, Chamorros account for only 30% of Guam’s population, yet the abortion reports, at least up until the latest report, show Chamorros accounting for 60% of all abortions.  

So, the response to our cries of “Chamorro genocide” from the pro-aborts appears to have been “stop checking the Chamorro box and just check Pacific Islander.” And voila! No more abortions of Chamorro children.

This is rather sad and laughable given that the biggest public promoters of abortion are also the biggest public promoters of distinguishing the cultural and ethnic identity of the Chamorro from the generic “Pacific Islander.”

Even the U.S. Census makes this distinction: “In 2020, Guam’s population was 153,836…The Chamorro population was the largest detailed Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander group.”

However, when it comes to abortion reporting, or at least now in 2024 and presumably going forward, suddenly the Chamorro is just a “Pacific Islander.”

Why do they want to hide? Didn’t our governor and culture warriors like Michael Bevacqua preach to us about how abortion was and is a venerable cultural practice and in fact a demonstration of a Chamorro woman’s “symbolic societal power?”

Quoting Bevacqua: “[W]omen in Guam were more than merely vessels for their communities—they were empowered to make decisions about their bodies and families…we see clear matrilineal/matrifocal dimensions, where lineage and symbolic societal power resides primarily with women…research has also found evidence dating back to the 18th century showing that women in Guam…have utilized a variety of methods to induce miscarriage or end their pregnancies, as well as to use birth control and other methods to control their fertility.”

Given that as of 2024 the number of abortions for Chamorro women was zero, women in Guam are apparently no longer interested in asserting “symbolic societal power” by exterminating their own offspring. They’re leaving that to the “Pacific Islanders.”

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com     

BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY

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Unlike Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, and the Fourth of July, all of which have identifiable origins, Valentine’s Day (like Halloween) is a holiday for no apparent reason.

Sure, there is evidence that St. Valentine was a real person who was martyred near the end of the 3rd Century. However, the Catholic Church has many saints and, but for St. Patrick, there is no secular holiday for them like there is for St. Valentine.

There is speculation that Valentine became associated with love and marriage because he was executed for secretly marrying Christian couples. And the phrase “from your Valentine” is said to have come from a note Valentine had written on the day of his execution to his jailer’s blind daughter whom he had healed.

No matter the origin of the holiday or the legend, February 14, which in 496, is the day Pope Gelasius declared as the day Valentine was martyred, has become the day we particularly celebrate “love and marriage.”

Today we take for granted that love and marriage go together, and in that order. But history doesn’t reflect this. Historically, marriage and children went together and love came later, if at all.

I am reminded of the lovely song in Fiddler on the Roof where Tevye asks Golde: “Do you love me?” Over the following verses, Golde avoids answering, saying (singing) that for 25 years “I washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked your cow…”

But Tevye insists: “But do you love me?” Finally Golde relents and responds “After 25 years…I suppose I do.” Then the two end in a sweet duet singing: “It doesn't change a thing, but even so. After twenty-five years…it’s nice to know.”

For most of history (and still in some parts of the world), marriage was about the survival of our species, not love. Our laws still reflect this reality.

A few years ago when Guam’s marriage laws were being challenged on the basis of “love is love” and we should be able to marry whomever we love, I did a study of the marriage laws in every U.S. state and territory, and the word “love” did not appear.

Here’s the relevant part of Guam’s law:

10 GCA § 3101. What Constitutes Marriage. Marriage is a personal relation arising out of a civil contract, to which the consent of parties capable of making that contract is necessary. Consent alone will not constitute marriage; it must be followed by a solemnization authorized by this Title.

10 GCA § 3206. Particular Form Not Necessary. No particular form for the ceremony of marriage is required, but the parties must declare in the presence of the person solemnizing the marriage that they take each other as husband and wife, or as spouses.

The phrase “or as spouses” was added after the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, but still no mention of “love.” So much for the argument “love is love.”

Even the famous case, Loving v Virginia, which formed much of the basis for the argument for same-sex marriage, never mentions “love.” (The plaintiffs’ name notwithstanding.)

The Lovings were a biracial couple who were denied married status in Virginia in 1967. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that marriage between two people of different races could not be denied because marriage “is a basic civil right of man fundamental to our existence and survival.”

The Court did not spell out what “survival” meant because it was referencing a precedent case, Skinner v Oklahoma, wherein the Court spelled it out: “We are dealing here with legislation which involves one of the basic civil rights of man. Marriage and procreation are fundamental to the very existence and survival of the race.”

Of course this is a reflection of what God himself says to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1: 28. Upon creating them “male and female,” God doesn’t say “go and love each other.” Instead he orders them to “be fruitful and multiply.”

So where does love come in?

It really didn't enter marriage until the advent of Christianity. Prior to Paul telling men to love their wives “as Christ loves the Church” (Eph. 5:25), a wife was nothing more than a man’s property.

So it is fitting that a day dedicated to “love and marriage” is founded on a Christian martyr, a Catholic saint, who lost his head for marrying Christian couples, even if it's only a legend.

Happy Valentine's Day. Be fruitful and multiply. 

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com     

HANDLING ESTRANGEMENT

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In my previous column, I addressed what a Time magazine article calls the “epidemic of estrangement.” According to the article, one in two Americans is estranged from a close relative with estrangement usually occurring between a parent and an adult child.

I shared how I had personally experienced estrangement with multiple adult children and promised to share how I dealt with it.

At first, I didn’t. I was in shock. Without getting into personal details, I’ll just say it was sudden and incomprehensible. There was no fight, no disagreement. After many years of a normal and mostly warm parent-child relationship, there was a sudden “I never want to see you again.” And then I was blocked, cancelled, erased. It’s been nearly eight years.

A couple of my daughters actually did their “I never want to see you again” message on social media and included some pretty terrible accusations. As horrible as this was at the time, it turned out to be helpful.

Friends who saw those postings - even though they were as shocked and saddened as I was - reached out to me. One of those friends was a social worker who recognized the elements of the associated phenomenon of “parental alienation.”

I say “associated” because alienation and estrangement are two different things. Alienation is the manipulation of a child (adult or not) by one parent to turn on the other, whereas estrangement is the adult child (or other relative) acting on his or her own. In either case, the end is the same: the sudden and baseless isolation and estrangement of the “target,” who is usually a loving parent.

Thanks to the article that my social worker friend sent me, I quickly recognized that I was not alone. Understanding you are not alone is probably the most important thing since the sudden shock of being cut off, cancelled, and erased by a loved one can lead to a most intense loneliness that can quickly descend into self-harm.

So that’s one of the reasons I am writing this column: to let you - if you have experienced this - know that you are not alone.

In my case, the shock was exponentially intensified by my daughters trashing me on social media, and later, some very hurtful accusations filed in court which the local media picked up and blasted all over the news for nearly a week in May 2018.

It is coincidental (?) that all this happened just weeks after the Vatican had found then-Archbishop Apuron “guilty of “sexual abuse of minors,” a matter in which “Tim Rohr and his associates” (Apuron’s words) had played a "conspiratorial" role. But said “coincidence” is a topic for another column.  

Through it all, though, I was surrounded and supported by people who had known me for many of the thirty years I and my family had thus far lived in Guam.

Part of this support was a result of my own action and I would recommend you do this. I immediately contacted friends and neighbors and calmly assured them that the accusations were false. The fact that I didn’t hide or run away had much to do with my own self-confidence and also brought relief to those who wanted to have confidence in me.

It helped that I had no history of being or acting anything like what I was being accused of, so, as the saying goes: “don’t do in the dark what you wouldn’t do in the light.” You never know when you are going to need your “history.”

So, establishing support is number one. The second thing is educate yourself. Starting with the article my friend sent me, I soon found ever more information and support in every possible format - especially on YouTube where I heard the stories of other parents who could have been telling my exact same story.

The third thing - and this was hard - was for me to go “all business” - to see the whole affair objectively and to deal with my accusers as accusers and not loved ones. In a way, the absurdity and falsity of their accusations helped. They left me no hope of reconciliation, and it’s the false hope of reconciliation that keeps you paralyzed and leads to self-harm.

Lastly - and I’ll have more to say about this in another column - was understanding that once my children reached age 18 I had no right to them. My job was done. So I forgave them, gave them back to God, and moved on. I recommend you do the same.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com