" I'M A LOSER!! "

YESTERDAY WHILE MY SISTER WAS OVER AND WE WERE ALL PLAYING OUR USUAL GAME (OR GAMES) OF RUMMIKUB, WE SOMEHOW GOT ON THE SUBJECT OF PLACES WE HAVE ALL BEEN WHILE HER HUSBAND GEORGE WAS ALIVE.  ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO WE WENT TO A LOVELY BEACH CONDO THAT WE THOUGHT ALLOWED DOGS-IT DIDN'T, AND WE WERE BUSTED THE VERY FIRST DAY.  NEEDLESS TO SAY WE WERE ALL BUMMED OUT, BUT THEY DID LET US STAY FOR ONE NIGHT.  WELL, I'M GETTING TO IT-I JUST NEED TO SET THE STAGE.  ANY HOW, IT WAS AROUND 10PM, AND MIKE SAID HE WAS GOING TO WALK THE DOGS.  GEORGE AND I STAYED UP PLAYING CARDS.  I STARTED HEARING THIS LOUD POUNDING WHICH SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS COMING FROM THE ROOF.  I WAS SURPRISED THAT ANYONE WOULD BE WORKING ON THE ROOF AT THAT HOUR, BUT WE JUST KEPT PLAYING.  ALL OF A SUDDEN I REALIZED IT WAS ALMOST 11PM, AND MIKE HAD NOT GOTTEN BACK YET WITH THE DOGS.  GEORGE SAID "I'LL GO FIND HIM", BUT KNOWING THAT GEORGE ALSO HAD ALZHEIMER'S, I SAID I WOULD GO WITH HIM.  AFTER A THROUGH SEARCH OF THE GROUNDS, WE COULD NOT FIND MIKE ANY WHERE.  THEN I HEARD THAT POUNDING AGAIN, AND LOOKED UP, AND SURE ENOUGH, IT WAS MIKE ON THE LEVEL ABOVE OUR UNIT JUST POUNDING AS HARD AS HE COULD ON THE DOOR.  I WENT UP TO GET HIM, AND HE WAS VERY HAPPY TO SEE ME.  HE SAID " I JUST COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU WOULDN'T LET ME BACK IN"!!!  THEN THERE WAS THE TIME WE ALL WENT TO PALM COAST.  MY SISTER AND I LEFT THE BOYS ON A BENCH OUT SIDE OF THE OFFICE WHERE WE NEEDED TO CHECK IN, AND ASKED THEM BOTH TO PLEASE STAY THERE FOR JUST A FEW MINUTES.  NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT WHEN WE CAME OUT, GEORGE HAD WALKED WAY DOWN THE HALL, AND THERE OF COURSE WAS NO SIGN OF MIKE.  WE TRIED TO ASK GEORGE WHERE MIKE WENT, BUT AT THAT POINT OF HIS ILLNESS HE COULD NO LONGER SPEAK, SO HE JUST SHRUGGED HIS SHOULDERS.  WE ENLISTED THE HELP OF THE MANAGER, AND ALL OF THE EMPLOYEES TO HELP US FIND MIKE, AS THE COMPLEX WAS HUGE.  ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO  LATER HE WAS SPOTTED AND BROUGHT BACK TO US.  HE SAID HE WAS TRYING TO FIND OUR APARTMENT.  THE MANAGER TOOK HIS PICTURE, SO IF HE WERE TO GET LOST AGAIN, THEY COULD FIND HIM MUCH QUICKER BY DISTRIBUTING HIS PICTURE TO ALL THE EMPLOYEES.  FINALLY-THE POINT OF THIS WHOLE STORY.  WHEN A COUPLE OF THESE INSTANCES WERE MENTIONED YESTERDAY-MIKE LOOKED AT US, AND SAID-"I GUESS I'M A LOSER"!!  ACTUALLY-HE'S A KEEPER.  PLEASE KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS, WERE GOING TO BE TAKING ANOTHER LITTLE TRIP TO PALM COST TO SPEND A FEW NIGHTS ON THE BEACH!!  THIS TIME DOGS ARE LEGAL, SO THEY WILL BE WITH US THE WHOLE TIME. I MAY NEED TO PUT MIKE ON A LEASH, AND WALK ALL THREE OF THEM MYSELF!!!  TILL TOMORROW-JUST ME