Catching Up

We've been quite busy these days taking care of Mr. Michael.  He's doing OK but his memory is fading more every day.  It's weird, he'll have a sudden cognitive awareness one day but not able to remember our mother's name the next day or my daughter's name.  

Mike is very close to our oldest cousin Jim or (Big Jim) as we call him.  One of the funniest people I've ever known and sharpest wit only matched by my dad's.  About twice a month Mike and Big Jim go out to lunch together or Mike goes to Jim's house to watch an OU basketball game with him.

Sadly, Saturday morning Jim had a heart attack and fell to the floor breaking his neck.  He is in a coma in Okla. City not expected to survive.  We've been cautious about how much information to share with Mike.  We know we can't shield him entirely but we have been careful.  This morning Mike told me he was praying that Jim would die in his sleep.  I realized that Mike knows Jim won't survive and his only concern is that he not suffer.  So, I told him he is in a coma and that God heard Mike's prayer.  He seemed relieved to know that Jim is not suffering and he says he's prepared for him to die.  He said, "That don't mean I won't cry."

I also got the news that my older brother has been diagnosed with COPD Emphysema.  He recently had pneumonia but couldn't seem to get over it so they sent him to a pulmonoligist who diagnosed Emphysema.  Sadly, my brother has never smoked but has been exposed to second hand smoke by his  many wive(s) and his daughter.  His current wife called me to tell me and then cried saying she was sorry she exposed Butch to her smoking.  I felt sorry for her.  There are lots of things that contribute to his diagnosis I'm sure.

Other than the bad news of the week Ron and I worked in the yard (or at least I watched Ron work in the yard).  The front looks good but our backyard is in need of some TLC. 

7 weeks until surgery............but who's counting?