Dear Hannah Grace~

Thank you for your letter; it was good to hear from you!

However, I am not at my best today: I am home from work. I am sick, sick with a horrid migraine headache and a sinus infection. My head (not to mention, my nose) feels like it is going to fall right off my body! Bill had to handle the kids this morning; I was in no mood to put up with their noise!

The only child who is home is Emir; he is a baby, he is too young for school. He is being good, but it isn't long before the little guy needs something. This week (tomorrow, in fact), he starts physical and occupational therapies at the hospital; he will also be fitted for artificial arms, as well as legs. He was injured in Iraq due to a roadside bomb; he was an innocent victim of war, and he needs a lot of help.

He can't do much for himself without limbs; he just lays there in his crib (or on the ground), looking at me, waiting expectantly for me to take care of him. It's a really sad story; maybe one day I'll share it with you.

I have been feeling stressed out the past few days: my friend in California, Naomi Ruth Cohen, who lives in Sonora, is dealing with the fact that two of her daughters may never be the same, thanks to being shot while on their way home from church. The younger girl, Rebekkah Rachel, is now paralyzed from the shoulders on down, rendering her a quadriplegic; she may never walk again.

The other girl, Maddie, may have suffered irreversable brain damage, and she is just turning the corner from being in a critical state. It really doesn't look good.

I have been writing to Naomi, trying to encourage her, and praying with her. Our church had special prayer on her behalf yesterday.

My daughter, Ronee', has been depressed; she is home as well. (Forgot to mention her for some reason.) She didn't want to go to school today; she is really upset about Rebekkah. She has been crying off and on ever since this happened; I am getting worried about her.

I am trying to work up the courage to tell my son, Johnny, about Rebekkah. After all, Rebekkah Rachel is his girlfriend; he has a right to know what is going on with her! At the same time, I am scared to death that if I do tell him about Rebekkah, he'll end up back in the hospital. That is one thing I am trying to avoid.

See, Johnny has Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and is in an electric wheelchair. He also has seizures and is now breathing with the help of supplimental oxygen; his breathing and heart are starting to become affected by the muscular dsytrophy.

Yet everyone tells me I am wrong in keeping the information from Johnny, but darn it, I don't want him to get worse and possibly die! I am only trying to protect him from further heartache! What is wrong with that?? People just don't understand the problems that Johnny has to deal with every day or how serious his problems really are!

I let the kids watch tv  and play on their computers, I don't have to worry all that much because we have parental controls on our computers and on our tv. The kids do see bad things on tv, or hear about it from other kids, os they know about things like sexual predators, bad sites on the Web, sex, and things like drug and alcohol use, amongst other things. They also know about the world because due to their special needs, they have had to grow up faster than most kids their age. My kids are very smart, and I do not protect them from the evils of this world; I just tell them in a very practical way in a way that they understand.

I look at their writings (with their permission of course), and I also advise them if they have a problem. I am only a mother, but I have seen and done a lot of things, I know a lot about how this world operates, how people are in certain situations. I keep tabs on my kids, and I let them do as they please (just as long as it is in good taste, of course, and as long as it doesn't endanger themselves--or others!). I am a very good, conscientious parent! I care about what goes on with my kids, which is more than I can say about a lot of parents nowadays!

Yeah, I heard about those teens in Texas who were videotaping their young nephews smoking weed. Pathetic is all I can say; I feel sorry for the little guys! What were these teenagers thinking, why did they do such a stupid thing? Kids today have no morals or adequate parental supervision; a parent has to be overprotective nowadays with such awful goings-on in the world today!

This is one resaon why Bill and I are so hard on the kids. We want them to have the best life has to offer, but at the same time, we teach them about the world, how to handle themselves in a world not geared for their needs! This is one reason why my kids are said to be very well behaved and courteous, which is what we want them to be!

Well, Hannah, I am going to try to get some sleep before Emir wakes up again or before Ronee' wakes me up with her crying. (She is sleeping now; I just looked in on her. She's cried herself to sleep again.) Take care, and God bless!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in Tennessee, Louie May. :(

P.S.: The weather here is beautiful: sunny and mild, but I am staying in bed; hey, I'm sick!

~Louie. :(