Charlie

My friend, Charlie, is in a hospital room tonight following a stroke.

He was eating supper Friday night, alone (he lives alone). Sometime between 7:00 and 7:30 he started to get up for something.

As he began to stand, he lost his balance and fell to one side. He could not get up.

A neighbor, out walking his dog, looked in the window and saw Charlie lying on the floor, called out to him and when he did not respond, went inside to try to help.

He tried to sit Charlie up. When he did so, charlie slumped back over on his side.

Another neighbor came in and called 911.

Charlie was able to speak in a slurred fashion and let it be known that he did not want to go to the hospital.

The paramedic told him that if he would not go voluntarily, he (the paramedic) would call the police, have Charlie arrested and then they would take him to the hospital.

Charlie went to the hospital.

I saw him today.

He was in his normal curmudgeon-like spirits (I really love his sense of humor and his grumpy act...he is not really grumpy at all and has a heart of solid gold).

Charlie is a good friend and a fine Christian.

On limited income, he gives more than the richest man I know, quite literally.

Charlie has never insulted me, accused me of things I have not done or said, never yelled at me or lost his temper with me; never made life harder for me while pretending to be making it easier.

Charlie has always given me the benefit of the doubt. He has been more Christ-like toward me than most of the other people around me who masquerade as Christians.

He has laughed with me over both of our foibles, eaten with me about once per week, visited in my home for the sheer pleasure of it.

Charlie is not a respecter of persons.

He does not treat people with money differently than he treats people with no money.

He does not do things with an eye to what he can get out of it, but with an eye for how he might make things better.

He regularly witnesses his faith to even members of his own family...one of the hardest things to do.

Charlie lives a real faith, not that kind of "I'll play God's game so He'll give me what I want" kind of faith.

I have seen him trampled on by Christians while doing his job as a maintenance person at the church he worked at and then fired by a temporary staff for no good reason.

I have seen him kicked when he was down, pick himself up and good naturedly start all over again.

He has been told he was in the way, when, in fact, he was making things easier, but the person in charge was, and still is, too stupid to understand that, and cannot even recognize his own stupidity.

There is no one with whom I come in contact, daily or otherwise, who is half the man Charlie is.

Charlie is my brother in Christ and my friend.

I pray that Charlie will have a full recovery and will soon be able to go to lunch with me...I'll buy. Please pray with me to that end.

Get well quickly, Charlie. Get well quickly.