Friday Night

There's actually a fair bit of new news now. First, the 'flu is really clobbering Sue, and it's lowering her defenses to the stress and/or anxiety of the whole picture. We're feeling like in the midst of all the crud, there's a breakthrough to be had for her.

Mike is in LA, and his job there is rapidly coming to resemble that of a private eye, and he's really accomplished a lot in his first hours there. He's seen Charlie (who is known as "Chuck" in California) and met with his doctor and with his social worker. Charlie is not looking good. The doctors are saying he's "showing some improvement" over the past couple of days, but he's not looking real good now. He made some noises, and it may have been intended to be speech, but it wasn't recognizable. He can move his right arm around, but that doesn't mean he can use it productively.

Guys, this is scary for Sue & me. This is her brother, my brother-in-law. This is a pretty ugly situation, scary, unfamiliar, dark, unknown. We don't know what to do with this, and with all the sickness in our house (Sue & me with the 'flu, two girls w/ wisdom teeth, and Sue's stress), and the challenges surrounding Sue's mom (Sue is the front line on this one), it's hard for us to press forward into Charlie's situation. I'm not saying we're discouraged, though we skirt the edges of it, and have to fight it off; it's more that we just don't have the resources to go very far into this. I sure am thankful for mike.

Mike also got permission from the police to get into Charlie's car, to get his possessions out of it. The car can't be driven now, though the issue is only a busted up tire and rim; that's probably not for this trip. He found Charlie's wallet and an address book there, both of which have clues for the next phase.

The biggest issue so far is that nobody has the legal right to do anything for Charlie. He has no wife nor kids; nobody has power of attorney, and therefore, there are several things that he must do himself, except he can't. Decisions about his medical care, about where he goes when the hospital has done all they can, about getting the car, about banking things, a storage facilty, and no doubt dozens of other things.

Please pray for clear direction for Mike, for encouragement for the whole family (there's more I'm not saying), for favor with government and medical officials. Please also pray for Charlie's friends: they're remarkably helpful, particularly Ken. Please also pray for wisdom to see the real lessons behind all the circumstances.

You guys rock. thanks!