Don Hickmon in Washington State writes back to his friend in Tennessee after she sent him a chatty e-mail.
Thursday, March 16, 2006, 3:21, P.T.~
Dear Louie May~
Hello! Thanks for your chatty letter of the other day; 'twas good to hear from you again!
I am glad that your family is doing well, but I was sorry to learn of Johnny's having to have tests and that his muscular dystrophy may be getting worse. That has got to be so damned hard, knowing that your child is dying of a terminal disease and there is nothing that can really be done to stop its progression! Hopefully, by now, the tests are overwith and Johnny can get back to being a kid again! No child should have to suffer like that!
I also hope that your duaghter, Ronee', is doing better over her illness too. But I didn't know that arthritis could make people sick; I have never heard of that! Anyway, it sounds like she was feeling miserable!
I also hope that the weather there has calmed down somewhat. It is a very rare thing when we get something in the way of tornadoes or severe weather like y'all get over there in Tennessee. Just be glad you don't live in a place like Texas; hear that Texas gets some monster storms to be reckoned with! The weather here is rainy; but that is normal here. We get lots of rain every year, and we have gotten used to putting up with it.
I am glad that you didn't have any significant damage to your house or place of employment; that must have scared you when the lights went out! YIKES!
How are the other children faring? You really haven't mentioned them, just Johnny and Ronee'. I hope the others are doing better than Johnny and Ronee' have been as of late!
The kids here are fine, but last week, three of them caught the flu at school. They were sick for a few days; they are much better now. They have the residual coughs, and they find the cough to be very annoying! I am just glad they are over it; I hope the others don't come down with the flu! The flu has been bad here; I am hoping that it isn't the bird flu! Terrifying, how it is spreading and killing people or making them desperately sick! We must do all we can to prevent it from striking the ones we love most!
Louie, your ramblings about the Grand Ole Opry made me smile. Now I want to go there more than ever! I will have to see if I can get tickets; heard that they are difficult to obtain, and it takes a while when you do. Could you send me the addy of the Opry? We are thinking of taking a vacation to Nashville and take in the sights; heck, maybe we Hickmons may even swing by your place! Just tell us where you live, and we will be there! :)
I also loved the part about the mean Cajun two-step. I love Cajun music too; in Cajun music, my favorite one is Doug Kershaw, the Ragin' Cajun. Yet you hear nothing about him; I wonder if he is even alive! I also like Jimmie C. Newman, but you don't hear much about him either. I think he is getting up there in age; and I wonder, too, if he is alive. We saw him once in Puyallup, at the Daffodil Festival, and we enjoyed his Cajun music very much. I remember his AAAYEEE yell, and I also remember the guy playing that itty-bitty accordion. They were good! :)
I am glad that you are thinking of giving public speaking a thought. You'd be great at it, and I am sure that there'd be people who would be moved by your uplifting story of raising children with special needs!
I am glad, too, that you rely on God whenever tough times befall you. You must be a woman of great faith to keep on going during those dark, uncertain days! I know I worry my head off whenever one of my own kids ends up in the hospital, and it is always a parent's worst nightmare when your child ends up in the ER! Like you, I end up camping out at the hospital until I make sure that my kid is going to make it!
Well, I am going to try to get some more sleep or I will be good for nothing for my family! Take care, Louie, and God bless you always! Keep the faith, and stay safe from all those nasty tornadoes! (Glad at least you have a place to go to when it turns nasty out!! That is a huge relief!)
So relieved to read a more cheeful letter, still worried sick about Johnny. (Not even sure we want to see the test results)
Lots of love, Birgit and Roger
A wicked Cajun Fairy named Robes Pierre entered the impenetrable Magical doll land of Sha Bebe. Queen Faustina, the ruler of the doll land, thought she had destroyed him, but he's back! Will the doll land survive his evil ways?
