Saturday January 17th

Yesterday ended up being a very weird emotionally messing day. I was in the kitchen cooking supper when my hubby called, (Me) " Hey Babe". (Him) "Hey, I'm on my way home." Clue number one that things were going downhill fast, he doesn't call me to tell me he's on his way home. A text maybe but seldom if ever a phone call. (Him)" Hey you remember Ralph **** ?" Who could forget Ralph? We met him through the Reformer's Unanimous program, a Christ centered addictions program, at our church. Ralph was a big guy...always singing...and funny as all get out. Ralph was a crack addict with a wife and 3 boys. He went away for a few months to a home in Illinois to get his life straightened out. He came back and was very involved in the program trying to get his family back together..to get his life straightened out. Ralph left our RU program and went to another closer to his home where he could be better used of God and was doing great last we heard. (Me, starting to feel a little uneasy) "Yeah I remember him." (Him, a little quieter) " They found him dead in a crack house." That's when my world slammed shut. Not Ralph!!! He was doing so good. I just stood there..frozen...in shock. Poor Robin and the boys. I couldn't think anything other then," Ralph..Ralph is gone. Its still very hard to fathom. Never having had an addiction problem I can't begin to imagine what he went through. How he must has battled and struggled to stay clean for the months he was clean only to have the dark depths of addiction grab him again..knowing he was risking losing everything, his wife, his boys, his job, his self respect, his life but having the pull of addiction so strong that he was willing to risk it all. I am still in shock.
The night didn't stop there. During supper the phone rang. It was an elderly lady from church who lives within a mile of our house who also attends the RU program. Not because of addictions but because the program is also a discipleship program designed to draw the disciple closer to Jesus. I'd told her once that I would happily pick her up if she needed a ride. She needed a ride. Ok I'll be there about 6:30. I wasn't really sure exactly where she lived but as I rounded the corner of the building I thought she lived in I saw her in the window getting her coat one. Oh good I thought...I found her. I turned the van around and got the passenger side door right in front of the side walk she'd walk down...wait...wait...lights still on..ok maybe she didn't know it was me...call..luckily I'd programmed her number in my cell before leaving home...4 rings and the answering machine picks up...hmmmmm. Ok..maybe she had to go to the bathroom before she came
out ..wait....wait...strange...get out of the van walk to the building...yep..right number. Walk through the first door...mailboxes on the left..yep there's her name. Pull on the inside door...locked. Ring her doorbell..Nothing. Then I hear what sounds like somebody yelling. Jerk on the door a couple more times which made a little bit of noise. Now I definately hear somebody yelling help. I start ringing the other 2 door buzzer buttons. Finally the guy from upstairs comes down and peeks around the corner...I motion for him to come to the door..Ok..here's the only funny part of this. He comes down in shorts and flip flops...that's it...nothing else. He opens the door and I tell him who I'm there for and he say's he thinks she's home and thats when we hear her..calling for him. "I've fallen and I can't get up. I think I've broken my wrist. Tell the lady at the door to go on without me." Yeah fat chance of that happening. He goes up to his apartment to call the maintenance guy to bring a key to open her door. I call one of our Pastor's to call her son who also goes to our church. The maintenance guy comes ..finally.. and opens her door. Herbie and I go in and her Miss Julia sits..on the living room floor..in her coat, boots and rain bonnet. She has a bad knee so she kinda has to camel walk to get up off the floor which she can't do because she thinks her wrist is broken. Herbie on one side me on the other just kinda pick the sweet little half pint up off the floor and get her on her feet. She kept telling me I could go...I kept telling her I was staying till Michael got there. He was there with in minutes and he whisked her off to Urgent Care. She just called a few minutes ago and told me that she'd had x-rays and yes there were some bones broken but one of them is a bone that could shut off blood supply to her thumb and she could end up losing it if that happens. I told her I was here for her if she needed help or a ride or anything. She is the sweetest lady. So that was my Friday night. I'll be very thankful if I don't have another of those anytime in the near future...Oh..I have a new picture of Shaun and Heather...I'll post it at the end. I did my 90 minute tread mill walk this morning..and I'm reading a new book. Eat to Live. It was recommended by my doctor. Its been very interesting so far. Ok..I think I'm blogged out for now... Off to up load the Shaun and Heather pic.....