Well, here is my explanation for this week.  It has been a bad week and it’s not over yet.  I have about one hour before I have to go to a funeral, so I’m going to get as much of this out before I have to go.

Obviously, the week started out by finding out that a dear, dear friend of mine passed.

Suddenly.

His wife, who is also a great friend, is taking it very well.  We all know that he is in Heaven.  He was a staunch member of our church.  A retired fireman.  Last night at the viewing, there was a fireman standing beside the casket all night.  I could go on for hours and hours about the goodness of David.

I also found out that another couple … two of MY people … were in the midst of suffering.  This is an older man and a woman (I’m 66, so you know what I mean when I say older).  He is in an electric wheelchair and she is using a walker.  I watch for them every Sunday and when they pull up, I go outside, open their doors, help him around to the back of the van to get his wheelchair and get her walker out of the sliding door of the van, help her out of the passenger seat, grab any things that they have close up all of their doors and then hold the church doors open for them so they can get inside.  We joke with each other and they call me their personal valet.  I care about them deeply.  Jerry and Faye.  They are two of MY people.  There are other people that are MY people, too.

They were missing last Sunday, but as bitterly cold as it was and as much sickness as there is in the church right now, it wasn’t really surprising.

But no.  Faye was in the hospital.  She needed medical care and then developed worse problems that I don’t want to go into because it’s not my place.  Suffice it to say that I found out on Thursday through a passing remark by the Pastor while I was at FBI that she was now in hospice and not expected to live through the night!  One of MY people and nobody told me!

Well, I was a little annoyed.  I had already run around from pillar to post (as my mom used to say) all week long with dentist appoints for Izzy and post exercise appointments and meetings and all kinds of things, and I may have gotten a little snippy with Pastor.  “Where is she and what room is she in?”  He told me, but said before I go over, to text him and he would let me know “her status”.  In other words, if she was still alive.

Friday morning I had an important meeting that I rushed through and then went out to see her.  Jerry was tired.  Family was all around her and she looked awful.  She could barely breathe.  Jerry told me that he was ready, that if she took her last breath right then and there it would be fine, so he was ready.  We all knew where Faye was headed also.  She had been 99% unresponsive for the last day.  But her eyes tracked me when I came in and I came around the side of the bed where Jerry was and I took her hand and I leaned over and said, “I love you, Faye.” 

And clear enough to be understood, she said, “I love you too, Bob.”

I spoke with Jerry, told him that later, when he wanted someone to talk to, that I’ve been exactly where he is, to call me.  Anytime, day or night.  Then I kissed Faye on the forehead and left.  And sat out in the parking lot and cried.  

And went back to work, because I had to leave early to go to Dave’s viewing.

That’s what my weeks been like.  I’m sorry you guys have been left in the wake.  I’m going to try to put together an issue with the remainder of this weekend, but I just don’t know.  I’m headed over to the church right now to see if I can help with the funeral preparations.  Then I know, soon, we will have another one to prepare for.

I have a guy in jail with size 14 shoes that will be homeless when he gets released in a week that has no shoes when he gets out that I’m going to try to go to Goodwill and see if I can find something for him to wear.

Pray for me.

Until later, may you all be blessed by God.