UPDATE! Man never learns...Costa Concordia raised...

20 months after the Costa Concordia ran  a ground, listed and capsized onto her side (killing 32 passengers) she was raised onto a platform Tuesday night (Sept 16, 2013).  She will be scrapped.  The raising was successful, no excessive environmental damage or massive fuel leakage. 
Raising Concordia

Unlikley friends

As a few of you know, I am a home schooling mama to 3 beautiful girls.  I try and stay home but with a husband who is disabled, sometime I need to have work to help pay bills.  Problem is I need FLEXIBILITY....which is not easy to come by. So I like babysitting and elder care.  I use a website called care.com to find jobs.  Last August was no exception.  I am pretty clear on my bio...Christian home schooling mama of 3....I applied for a job.  It was just for an evening.  The woman was so sweet in her email.  She was looking for care for her dad.  She did have care for that particular evening, but was sure she was going to need more help.  She called and we had a great conversation.  She told me her dad was 84 and somewhat independent.  He just needed someone to help him up in the am and cook him breakfast.  She told me he was a pleasant man and was a Christian.  Would I be able to come by and meet them at his place?  Sure, sounded nice.  I got there on a Wednesday afternoon.....and I met Marvin. He had the brightest eyes and the greatest smile......and was happy!  He didn't let the fact that he needed a walker slow him down. No way.  Well, it was set.  I told her I could help the last couple of weeks in August, but that September meant school and I really needed the mornings to do lessons with the girls.  She was ok with that. Then, something happened........Marvin was amazing!!!  So, we decided that I would work into September.  The girls were always welcome, so we would all go over and visit Mr. Marvin.  We brought our lessons, and sometimes, we just listened to Mr. Marvin tell us about when he was a boy.  Wow!!  What a life!!!  No tv movie was as captivating as Marvin telling the girls about HIS childhood!!  And his military background!  He was a pilot!  Wow, Jeanetta LOVED talking with him and would always spend a lot of time with him before he got up.  I had to let them BOTH know the day needed to get started.  I had agreed to stay on longer, just till she found someone but by the end of October I was smitten.  I could not think of spending my mornings any other way but with Marvin and my girls.  We always, ALWAYS gave hugs and kisses and told him we loved him ( because we DID) when we left, and he always told the girls, "Love you so much too!"  I would give him a big hug and kiss, tell him I love him and he would say"I love you too honey." patting my cheek and giving be a kiss and a smile. The past year with Marvin FLEW by....he was so independent but didn't deny he needed some help.  I loved my time with him.  By May 2013 though, his health started to decline...In June he was hospitalized for 2 weeks with several issues, mostly poor  oxygen saturation.  He returned home the end of June 2013.  He was still dealing with his edema and breathing.  He was so much weaker when he came home.  He stopped walking with his walker.  He just didn't have the strength anymore.  Despite this setback he was so optimistic, happy and pleasant! In July, I was with him when his visiting nurse came by for a check up.  His oxygen saturation had dropped to 80 and his legs were again swollen.  His breathing was labored but his spirits were soaring...so cheerful!  We decided he need to go back to the hospital to get everything under control.  I stayed with him till his granddaughter Heidi got there.  Her was admitted that evening but thankfully only stayed several days this time instead of 2 weeks.  Again, though he was even more weak than when he went in...barely able to get out of bed.  But we kept on going.  One Saturday, the end of July, I went over an hour early....Holy Spirit just said go.......  I found poor Marvin on the bedroom floor.  He doesn't recall how it happened (my guess is he sat up and the slid off the bed) but he had been there a while.  He had managed to pull his blanket down on him so he could sleep.  Well, even though he was a small man, and I am a pretty strong woman, I couldn't get him up off the floor, so 911 was called.  They checked him and he was ok, nothing broken.  As the week progressed, he was slower and slower.  Weekends I went twice on Saturday, breakfast and dinner.  I went over with my 2 youngest on the Sat. 3rd of August for the dinner shift. (one week after he fell out of bed.) Breathing was very hard for him.  I gave him his nebulizer treatments to ease the distress.  The girls sat and watched The Brady Bunch with him.  He just wanted some soup so that's what I made.  He also wanted ice cream so he and the girls had sundaes.  When we left he hugged us and told us he loved us  very much.  I said I loved him too and I would see him tomorrow (Sunday) at dinner.

Marvin, Jeana & Jessica Aug 3, 2013

 

Sunday (Aug. 4, 2013) was a beautiful August day....I started to get ready to go to be with Marvin.  As I was leaving his daughter called. Cindy needed to speak with me.....Dad was gone. She had been with him that morning, which was unusual for her as she tried to take the weekends off because she put him to bed every night during the week except weekends.  But another caregiver had called in so Cindy went instead....God's timing.  Cindy got her dad up and dressed for the AM.  They talked, she said he told her how much he loved me and the girls. She got him out to his chair when he started to get woozy and started slipping onto the floor.  She got him down on the floor where he started to lose consciousness.  She called 911.  He was gone by the time the paramedics got there.  With his daughter, his only child.  My heart sank.  My friend was in the arms of Jesus.  I was happy for him, sad for the rest of us who would miss him desperately.  I am truly thankful for Marvin.  I am thankful for the year I got to spend with him.  I am thankful for the blessings he showered on us.  Thank you Jesus, for blessing me with the gift of friendship, Marvin was one of your finest and most faithful servants!!