December 7, 2020

JOURNAL 201207 – Today I am asking for prayers. Our family, like so many American families, is dealing with the pandemic. The big numbers don’t necessarily sink in until it hits close to home. Please think of my brother Shawn and his wife Alison. Remember them in your prayers. They are holding their own with this horrifying disease. They are coughing incessantly. The doctors say that is a good thing. But they are suffering.

And please, say a prayer for Mark Gibson today. A day that very well may be his last. Mark and I have known each other for decades. Mark is family. I don’t think anyone would think it odd that his daughter Katie and my son Brett would be aware of each other, find each other, fall in love, and get married. That’s what happens in small towns amongst friends. It is a beautiful thing. It kinda makes Father’s Day a little more fun. We can and did celebrate it together. The conversation around Katie and Brett’s kitchen table was always easy.

We play guitar and we love music. We both have dedicated our lives to it. Mark loved playing so much that he couldn’t help but play with his band a couple of weekends ago. Moondog’s is a small venue in Auburn. I’m sure it was a rockin’ bluesy night of fun. The whole band and the sound and light tech came down with the virus.

He has been in the ICU for over a week. It is not good. The last virtual visit will happen soon. They will move him to “comfort care.” When he is sedated enough, they will turn off his oxygen. My Dear God, please hold him in your arms.

Stay safe, my friends. This pandemic is real.