Tuesday, September 2, 2008, Nashville, Tennessee, 10:13 a.m~

Dear Jenna Anderson~

Hello!  Louie here.  Sorry for not writing; have been busy, especially since our foster child, Billy Ray, arrived. (He came Friday; already he's proving to be a handful!)  Also have been busy with work; have been working extra hours, anything to try to get caught up on our bills.

I'm writing to let you know the status of Wayne Wright.  He has been in the hospital for about a week now.  Heart attack.  Then the other day his heart started acting up, and he became critical.  Doctors were worried that he ws going to die.  He's now turned the corner again; he's doing a little better today, much to my relief.

His sister, Audrey, has been beside herself.  Besides worrying about her brother, she's also been worrying about those affected by Hurricane Gustav.  (Audrey is a survivor of Hurricane Katrina.)  Ever since Katrina, she's been emotionally unstable, and she still has frequent flashbacks.  She also has some serious health problems, which have been aggravated by all the stress in her life.

I pray Wayne pulls through.  He's had it rough his entire life (as has Audrey).  This is why I'm writing, to let y'all know that I would like it if you would pray for them.  They need all the prayers they can get!!

How is Adam today?  Has he started school yet?  Today our kids started back to school, and excepting for Arjun, Ian, and Isaiah, all is quiet, according to Bill.  Bill took the day off work so he could kidsit while mama (me) is at work.  (I work until seven tonight.)  It was madness, but once the kids were out the door, Bill was more than relieved! LOL

They must be doing well because so far there has not been any frantic calls from Hubby-Dear.  I pray it continues!  :)

We are due for some rain later today, the remnants of then Hurricane Gustav.  Then we may get more later on, when the remnants of Ike come calling; the residents of the Gulf Coast can't rest easy just yet.  Still have two months left of hurricane season; it may have gotten started off late, but already it's proving to be a very active season!

Surprisingly, very few people were killed.  I think four were killed, most from traffic accidents.  There was some damage to homes, businesses, but not nearly as much as there'd been during Katrina.  Plus the death toll was kept lower because people took precautions and fled when they were given orders to do so.  I think most people knew better; and I don't blame them!  I was in Hurricane Andrew back in 1992, and I will never forget it as long as I live!  (We were in Louisiana when Andrew came roaring ashore; it was a very scary time!!)

The weather forecasters are saying we could get as much as four/five inches of rain; and our area has been put under a tropical storm watch, as well as a flash flood watch.  Hopefully we won't get any flooding (or damage) from the remnants of Gustav!!

Anyway, back to what I was saying.  Billy Ray came Friday, and Saturday I was ready to return him to his former foster  family.  He locked us out of the house, and I was sure we'd have to bust the door in, so we could get in.  Of course, he thought it was hilarious.  He is a very cute little boy, but he has some serious issues that need to be dealt with.  I'm beginning to think that he was never disciplined; he is totally without remorse for other people's feelings, and he doesn't care about what he does.  He also is destructive, and I fear that one day we will find the house dismantled.

We tried over an hour to get in.  We called his name, but no answer.  When Billy Ray finally opened the door, he was laughing to beat the band.  That's when I felt my blood pressure rising; I was so angry with him I could have chewed nails!!

I had to put him in the corner, for time out.  Of course, he threw a fit, but I didn't care.  He's got to learn how to behave, and I won't tolerate outright disrespect or disobedience!!

We went to the MDA telethon yesterday at the local tv station.  We had a wonderful time, and it was another record-setting year, in terms of donations:  something like over $65 million was raised for Jerry's Kids.  I pray a cure is found soon, especially since I have a son with Duchenne's and a granddaughter with limb-girdle MD!

Well, I am going to get something to eat, so I will go.  Just pray for Audrey and Wayne, and I will keep you up to date about both.  And pray for us, too, pray for strength, mercy as we deal with little Billy Ray's behavioral problems!  God bless and have a good day!

~Love, your friend, Louie May. :(