May 8 – “Help needed … times three”

Well, it is certainly official.  I am not a computer whiz.  I am not a techie by any stretch of the imagination.  Last night I met with the guy at Seaside who has been doing our web site.  He is moving to central Texas, so he was going to explain all the ins and outs to me so that I could keep up the site until a new webmaster arose at Seaside.  And he did his explaining.  And I came out of it with … not much.  If I can remember how to get to the site, I think I can do enough to enter in my article week to week.  I think.  Nothing certain there at all.  But then he showed me how to do tables.  You have to go into computer code mode.  Totally over my head.  Then he switched to a different site.  He was showing me how to enter stuff into our account page with the group that holds our domain name.  Now that sounded as if I knew what I was talking about for a brief second there, didn’t it?  Actually I do understand the concept of domain names, but that’s about as far as it goes.  We entered in some new stuff, but even with his help we couldn’t get his name completely off the account.  Seems he has to print something out and fax it in to them.  Very strange.  And on top of everything else we couldn’t even get my computer to read one of those memory stick things that you plug into a USB port.  No idea why on that one.  Needless to say, we need a techie.  Bad.  There’s a serious prayer request for you.  Oh, and that doesn’t even take into account the fact that Ned also does coordinating with the retreat center to let groups in when they arrive.  There’s need number two.  Someone local to Jamaica Beach or at least the west end to take over that function.  Help.

On a completely different note, Chris and I actually talked about going on a vacation next week.  Not sure where.  We first thought about Branson, Missouri.  Then she started playing online and asked what I thought about going to the Hill Country.  Anybody know anything good out there in that neck of the woods?  Anyway, she was actually getting into the whole idea, so it looks like we are on to leave Monday morning.  I think we might head north first, though.  I’d like to check in on my good buddy who is having some serious surgery in Dallas before we head west.

And then … Chris got a call from her sister about their Dad.  Now, I’m going to leave out all the details about the family’s, well … strange relationship with him.  Suffice it to say for now that he’s in the hospital in Victoria, and the siblings have to decide where to take him when he is discharged.  The original plan was to get him into a nursing home in Victoria.  Then the other siblings came up with the idea to bring him to Galveston and put him in an apartment “so Chris can take care of him and her kids can look in on him.”  Just a few problems with that particular scenario.  One, he is not capable of living by himself in an apartment.  And two, no one had asked Chris … or her kids.  Not to mention that Chris was the one to take care of their mother, then my mother.  I know.  That means she is the most qualified.  But it seems to me that maybe it should be someone else’s turn.  She really needs a break from end of life care.  I contacted a friend I have in Victoria to see what other help may be available there.  He’s checking around for me.  Chris did talk to her dad’s doctor (well, to his physician’s assistant) yesterday.  Poor guy.  He sure didn’t know what had hold of him.  He tried to fast talk around some of her questions.  Never a good idea with Chris.  Then he made a statement about one of the medications being just another option for one he was already on.  Nope.  She offered to explain to him what each one was for.  Worse yet, he tried to pass off some of the symptoms as “nothing to worry about.”  Very bad move.  Especially since those particular symptoms just happened to be identical to the ones Mom was having when we took her to the ER originally.  She let him know that whole story as well.  And she ended with, “and she is dead now, so don’t tell me there is nothing to this.  I expect you to ...”  And she proceeded to outline the procedures she wanted them to do.  Ouch.  The guy will probably end up ignoring her, but he sure got an earful in those moments.  Gotta say, I was sure proud of her.  Today she is supposed to call the hospital again and talk to the social worker who is his case manager.  That person should be able to facilitate transferring him to a nursing care facility there in Victoria when the time comes. 

So what about our trip now?  Still on at this point.  Still accepting ideas for activities in the Texas Hill Country.  Where to go.  Where to stay.  What to see.  What to avoid.

Psalms 121:1-2 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Father, thank you for getting those hills ready.  We plan to lift up our eyes in that direction.  Meanwhile, will you do some facilitating down there in Victoria?  Amen.