I took my aunt Rose (94 yrs. young) up to see her young (92yrs. young) brother who has been in the hospital with a blood clot in the lung and showing blood in his urine. He was not really up to snuff but he and Rose had a long chat and I also promised, if I can find another suitcase big enough, to take him back to Africa with me. He was cheerful but weak and was happy that the priest had come and given him communion and " the last rites". Kind of scary, that.
    but here is the email I got from my cousin who lives close enough to the assisted living home to see him more often than others.

Hi Cas,

I spent 45 minutes with John this morning.  He is improved.  The nurse said he ate about half of his breakfast.  I brought him some small mints, and he ate one. Where yesterday he seemed very cold, today he was comfortable, covered only by a sheet.  He said yesterday he had a lot of stomach pain but that the nurse brought him something for it.  Today, he said he feels no stomach pain.

He didn't complain or talk about going back to his flat.   He talked about talking to God and that it seemed to make him feel better.  And then he said he spent a lot of time thinking about how it happens and concluded that God must be in some kind of radio wave that connects to everything, typical of some of his mental ruminations that he's told me about over the months that I've gotten to know him.  He relates to the machinery of the world like the engineer he was.  He talked about his dad, our grandfather as a source of inspiration for him, and of himself and my dad as maybe the beneficiaries of Grandpa's ceaseless prayers!  Those boys must have required a lot of prayer space!

For now, he seems at peace but not at death's door.  That's a good trick for anybody to pull off!

I'll probably go see him again on Monday.

Take care .

Dave

   Uncle John says thanks for all of your prayers. Love and Peace Cas/