For the past week, Geoff and I kept wondering where "R" had gone. Geoff would look daily for him when he would go out to work. And since I have been sick, I stayed home and eagerly looked at the caller ID each time the phone rang. Typically, we would hear from him 2-3 times a day, if we hadn't seen him. The last time he came over was for his birthday a few weeks ago. I had made him a cake and we were grilling out dinner. He called to check on his Mother, who just had surgery and wanted to see how she was. Unfortunately, she had to go back into the hospital and "R" forgot all about his birthday and had Geoff rush him to her side. After staying by her side, day and night for almost a week, she was transferred to Newport News for therapy. "R" again started calling us and wanted help to go to NN to get his social security card and see his Mom. "All I want is a job, because I promised my Mom I was gonna get my life back together." I downloaded the paperwork he needed for SS Card and the next day we were suppose to fill it out, take it to their office and he was going to come over to eat and clean up.
We got a phone call last night from a quasi-homeless guy, who let us know "R" was in the hospital. "R" was the first guy we worked with and many times our success and many times our failure, but through it all, he became our best friend. Doesn't that seem odd, that a homeless person could be your best friend? No! We don't judge people, especially for where they live, how much they make, or what they have.
He had been complaining to us about having a hard time breathing and he thought it was allergies. A few nights ago, by what he told us on the phone last night, it had become so bad, that he rode his bike to the hospital, falling off several times from dizziness and praying the whole way there to let him live and give him another chance at life. He had congestive heart failure and has a blood-clot in his lung. They can't remove the clot, so they are trying to thin it out. He will now be on permanent disability and must live with somebody for 24 hr care, so he is going to Waverly to live with his sister. In 6 months, if his heart hasn't improved, he will be on a transplant list.
But, no more drinking, if he wants to live and he has accepted that. He has been able to see his family (as they have rallied around him in prayer) and his children everyday. Now since he is out of the ICU, he can have other visitors, as well. They are expecting him to leave tomorrow to move to Waverly.As I sit here typing this, I cry for many reasons. Crying because the night this happened, we were suppose to pick him up to come over for dinner, but Geoff couldn't find him (he must have already been going to the hospital.) Crying out of happiness that he is getting a second chance. Crying because he finally has realized how much his family does love him, just not the alcohol. Crying because of the pain and loneliness he went through on what seemed to be a long bike ride, yet only 2 blocks from the abandon house he lived in. And selfishly, crying because our best friend will be moving over an hour away.
As we all know, Satan controls many forces of evil, but God saw through to "R" heart and kept picking him up onto the bike to reach out for help. So maybe it took Satan for him to hit full rock bottom, to get his life back together and off the streets, but it took God to hear his cry for help.
We got a phone call last night from a quasi-homeless guy, who let us know "R" was in the hospital. "R" was the first guy we worked with and many times our success and many times our failure, but through it all, he became our best friend. Doesn't that seem odd, that a homeless person could be your best friend? No! We don't judge people, especially for where they live, how much they make, or what they have.
He had been complaining to us about having a hard time breathing and he thought it was allergies. A few nights ago, by what he told us on the phone last night, it had become so bad, that he rode his bike to the hospital, falling off several times from dizziness and praying the whole way there to let him live and give him another chance at life. He had congestive heart failure and has a blood-clot in his lung. They can't remove the clot, so they are trying to thin it out. He will now be on permanent disability and must live with somebody for 24 hr care, so he is going to Waverly to live with his sister. In 6 months, if his heart hasn't improved, he will be on a transplant list.
But, no more drinking, if he wants to live and he has accepted that. He has been able to see his family (as they have rallied around him in prayer) and his children everyday. Now since he is out of the ICU, he can have other visitors, as well. They are expecting him to leave tomorrow to move to Waverly.As I sit here typing this, I cry for many reasons. Crying because the night this happened, we were suppose to pick him up to come over for dinner, but Geoff couldn't find him (he must have already been going to the hospital.) Crying out of happiness that he is getting a second chance. Crying because he finally has realized how much his family does love him, just not the alcohol. Crying because of the pain and loneliness he went through on what seemed to be a long bike ride, yet only 2 blocks from the abandon house he lived in. And selfishly, crying because our best friend will be moving over an hour away.
As we all know, Satan controls many forces of evil, but God saw through to "R" heart and kept picking him up onto the bike to reach out for help. So maybe it took Satan for him to hit full rock bottom, to get his life back together and off the streets, but it took God to hear his cry for help.
posted by Patti @ 3:22 PM
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