8 March 2015

Hey you all!,

    I had an interesting experience the other night.  I was trying to find my old HAM license, so I can apply to get the old call sign back, and while I was looking for it (never found it, by the way), I found a letter with some pictures of Gran, Aimee, Heidi, me, and my friend Mary Jo's daughter, Anne. They were taken in the fall of 1985. Mary Jo had died the day after Anne was born, so she was being raised by her father and grandparents in Ogden, Utah. We had gone down to visit for an afternoon. The letter and pictures were from Anne's grandmother. The letter is so sweet, and the pictures are priceless.  When I found Anne on Facebook a couple of years ago, she seemed happy to know someone who knew her mother, but she has been less than responsive to wanting to know more herself. So anyhow, I found these pictures and letter, and thought to myself...I wonder if I could get her to respond, so I can send these to her?  About 3 minutes later, I checked my phone, and found a message from her husband, Brannon Laveder; he had found me on her facebook page. He is wanting to collect as much info about her mother as he can, and put it together as a gift for her next Christmas.  He was unaware of the package of letters (copies) I had sent to her 2 years ago. They have moved several times since then, and who knows where they are. But I have the originals of most of them, and Gran had some others I hadn't seen. These are mostly  letters from when Mary Jo was on her mission in Catania, Italy, and others from after her mission, when she was living in Portland, Maine, taking care of her father.   

    So, I was a little freaked out that he would have sent me that message, just when I had found that letter and pictures.  So now I'm scanning all the letters and pictures and emailing them to him. Anne doesn't know anything about this. Brannon just feels so bad that she knows nothing about her mother, or her mother's family, or where she grew up. I think it's so sweet that he is going to all this effort for her.  I think she has a lot of "baggage" about all this. Her mother's family never tried to keep in touch with her, and her father "doesn't talk about it." I hope she will be receptive to it when he gets it finished.

    I'm on call this weekend, and it has reaffirmed to me that drugs and alcohol can ruin a persons life. The patient I helped arrange discharge for today, is an alcoholic, who has no family, except his ex-wife, and a step daughter, and the doctor is worried about him being alone for the next couple of days while he sobers up, even while taking the Librium. I spoke with his ex-wife, who was willing to give him a ride home, and mentioned the name of his Home Teacher, and another man in the Ward. I contacted them, and they are going to arrange to have men in the Ward stay with him for the next 24-48 hours. He has been suicidal, drinking a Fifth of whiskey, one after the other, for 2 or 3 days; he blood alcohol was 0.32  I hope that he can make the changes in his life that he needs to.

    Last night, about  9 pm, I got called in to help with a patient in the ER. He's just 29 years old, and it's amazing to me how much he has messed up his life, in just that amount of time. He had been in a fight with his father and brother, his mother brought him to the ER, but his injuries weren't bad enough to keep him. His 2 year old daughter was there during the fight, but was unharmed and had been taken to a cousin's home, so she's okay. His wife is in jail on domestic battery charges...toward him!  He has been "clean" for almost 2 years, but was on Meth for close to ten years before that. I think he got off the Meth by changing to prescription drugs, and is now not taking anything. He just graduated from Drug Court. The years of drug use will always be with him though. He can't keep still, constantly turning his head, or rolling his tongue, etc... He can't hold a job, and is on disability; that is how he supports his family. 

    I feel so bad for both of these guys. They are good people inside, and they truly love their families. I'm sure they had no idea what the alcohol and drugs were going to do to them...or they never would have started.

    This evening we had company for dinner. We had the three of us, Jocie, Janie, Jake's family, Jim, and his friend, Clark. Clark has finally moved in across the hall from Uncle Jim. 

    Yesterday, Dad, Grandma, Gran, and I, went to Hyrum's and Deseree's wedding, and the dinner afterward.  The whole thing was just lovely.  Well planned, and beautiful.  Oh, Ben and Lynsey...I forgot to tell you, they are registered at Target.  Thanks for asking! 

    South Fremont's basketball team took the State title in 3A...first time in school history! They had been to State, many times, but had never won.  Lots of excited people in this little community! 

    Love to you all!  Mom/Johanna/Nana