My friend is doing better!

Well my friend is doing much better this day. I was able to go see him last night and it was a good sign to see his wife there beside him. He realizes, now, how extremely irrational the decision he made was. What drove him to this point? A combination of things. Bottling things up mainly. Without getting into too much detail, it was a matter of not being completely open with struggles and trying to handle everything himself. By the time I left him, we were all smiling, there was some laughter, and though I counseled a bit, I really had just one thing I wanted him to do, talk to his wife, and she talk to him. I don't know what it is like to be married over 20 years, it complacency sets in or what, but as I prayed before meeting him I just asked the Lord to speak. And He did.

I can relate on the bottling things up thing though. And even the I want to end it all thing. As he talked I could relate to much of what he was going through and since I'd been in his shoes, or should I say gown, at one time, I know the feeling of waking up and going "I'm still here." And now he is seeing that people really do care about him. Some are peeved, even angry, but that can be a coping mechanism.

When you talk to someone who has walked in your shoes, there is a certain level of trust and understanding. He listened to me (really to God), that and he knew that if he fed me a line of bull I would call him on it. We got to share about the bottle of whipped cream that him and his wife gave Ginger and I on our honeymoon. They are the couple that Ginger and I can talk about THAT stuff with. That brought some belly laughs, the sitter by his bed side got wide eyes, and the girls blushed. Comic relief.

I'm not some great counselor with degrees, I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I do know that I have the Great Counselor residing in me. Sometimes I have absolutely no idea what I'm gonna say, and some times, it's not even about that. Sometimes people need people to listen and not judge. I hear some pretty crazy stories in recovery and most time people already know the answer. They just need to get it out from being bottled up. You can lead a horse to water, you can't make him drink though.

The other thing he saw, and his wife, last night, was hope. Sitting beside him on his bed was a living example of someone who'd crossed that line, lived to tell about it, and was now happy. I stayed unhappy for another 7 years after my episode, so I told him he had a 7 year head start on me. But he looked at me, tears in his eyes, and I could see life. He wanted to live and now, if he chooses, there will be relief. Changes will need to be made, there is no doubt about that, but now maybe he'll put his total trust in God instead of his own ability.

I got a package today and I'm soooo stoked! Mom sent me all her Enya CD's!!!!! Hands down my favorite singer (The Christian rock group Skillet is still my favorite group especially the single Monster) I'm ready to start listening to them. Thanks Mom! Hard to believe an old metal head like me (think Poison, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue) likes her, but hey even guys like me have a soft side! Okay, okay, maybe a little more that just a little soft side...I'm not that hard....

Anyway, keep praying for my friend, needs all the prayers he can get. My testimony went great last night and got a few kisses from my number one fan! I'll close with my favorite mantra:

Baa