Friday, Sept. 26, 2008, 6:50 a.m., D.S.T., Nashville, TN~

Dear Journal~

Soon October will be upon us, then Thanksgiving and after that, Christmas. The busy time of year is soon approaching.  (If you think I'm busy now, wait a few weeks.  You might not hear from me in a while.  LOL)

Today is a slow day at the hospital:  only have one patient, a lady who has malaria.  Yes, malaria.  She is from Africa; apparently she got bitten by a malaria-laden mosquito and came down with the symptoms while visiting friends in the states.  Never thought I'd see that here!

Reminds me of the time when the kid came to our ER last year with diphtheria.  Strangeness!

The lady in question (the one with the malaria) is in ICU:  she developed difficulty in breathing (dyspnea); she has since been diagnosed with pneumonia.  The doctor popped her in the ICU to keep an eye on her; she is not happy with all the poking and stabbing we've had to do on her, so as to keep tabs on her vital signs.

I don't blame her one bit!

Other than Miss Malaria in ICU, I have no other patients.  Quiet times here.  Hope it lasts; there's nothin' like a Code: Blue to jangle the nerves, shake things up a bit! LOL

Family is doing well.  Well, Ronee' has a bit of a stomach virus, but it's nothing to get alarmed about.  She is staying home from school today; she will probably start feeling better by evening or tomorrow.  She got sick at school yesterday; she's feeling rather miserable. 

And her hair!  LOL  Looks like she's been breakdancing in her sleep!  POOF!! Wild Child!! LOL

I got some good news--well, Johnathon did.  His brother, Erick, who lives in New York City, is coming for Thanksgiving to stay with us over Thanksgiving weekend.  Johnathon hasn't seen him in over three years; it will be a reunion of sorts.  I just hope Erick can be ready to see the change in Johnny, now that he has a trache and has lost all ability to walk, clear indicators that his MD has progressed.

Johnathon is, of course, stoked about his brother coming; he's already counting the days to when Erick is arriving.  It will be good for the two of them; they are extremely close!

Bill has been stressed out at work:  they're really goin' into the Hallowe'en mode; not even here, and the Christmas stuff is arriving.  That's going out too.  So you have two seasons (holidays) being promoted at the same time; no wonder people are so confused!  Now he really doesn't have anything to do with the merchandise; however, it bothers him that Hallowe'en seems to be the holiday of choice; people make such a big deal out of it.

He'd rather celebrate Christmas (and not the commericalism aspect of it, either).  He'd love to see people get back to the real meaning of the Season (the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ); frankly, so would I!  This commercialism has gotten way out of control!!

In a little less than two months, our twin boys, Ian and Isaiah, will be turning one year old.  They are crawlin' everywhere, babblin' up a storm.  It won't be long before they start taking their first wobbly steps, start saying words like "Mama", "Dada", et. al.  They look more and more like their daddy every day; they are definitely chips off the ol' block!  They are so cute!!

The other kids are growing like weeds.  Barbara, Michael, Richard, Deborah, Tammi, Danita, Louise, Elise, Kecia, and Summer Song have joined the college ranks (most are going to school at Tennessee State; Kecia, meanwhile, is going to Fisk University); that's ten more kids gone. 

The house is getting bigger and bigger.  Or shall we say, roomier and roomier.  Less crowded.  LOL

Won't be long before Johnathon, Ronee', Sylvia, Gemini, Jeraldo, or Janica start going to college; only a few more years!  *sighhh* 

All of a sudden, I feel as old as Methuselah!  Or perhaps Noah!  LOL

I look at the pictures of our family when the kids were little; it's hard to think of them being that little at one time.  Now they're growing up, becoming independent little critters, with a mind of their own.  I think we've done a great job in raising them; all of our kids give us reason to be proud of what we've accomplished as parents. 

They all have a good head on their shoulders, and none of them have gotten involved in drugs or gangs; they know how to make sound choices in decision-making, and they know that if they ever have a problem, we are there for them, to guide them through.

Well, I'm being paged to the ICU, so I'd best mosey along for now.  I will write in here again soon; until then, this is Louisiana saying take care and God bless!

~Love, your friend, Louisiana Mayrah. :D