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This podcast was my first foray into the world of recording audiobooks.  My grandfather had written and self-published his memoirs, so I took it upon myself to record his audiobook.  I presented the first CD copy of the audiobook to him as a Christmas present several years ago.  This podcast is the foreward and acknowledgements to that book.

If you are interested purchasing a copy of the book or the full audiobook, e-mail me and I’ll give you details about where you can purchase a copy.  Enjoy!

 

 Guadalcanal to Tokyo - Foreward [9:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who has calling and/or reading for the updates on Ruby and Ed.  Progress is measured in baby steps, but progress is being made.  They are out of the hospital and are recovering in the care of my mom and aunt.  After the recovery, when the doctors tell them it’s time, they will have to go back in to the hospital for a couple of rounds of surgeries.  And I can’t even begin to imagine the psychological recovery that they are facing. 

Theirs is quite possibly the most miraculous story I have ever encountered in my life, outside of the movies.  In fact, several of my friends have commented on exactly how surreal the whole thing is.  The more information that I hear about that night, the more miraculous the story becomes.  I won’t comment on anything I know about the investigation, but I will say that the mere fact that they are alive (let alone not left in some vegetative state) is…well, somehow “miraculous” sounds inadequate (probably because of its overuse by me in the past week). 

Anyway, things are settling down, and now the real healing can begin.  The updates are becoming more and more “static” so I won’t be posting updates here any longer.   Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.  They have helped more than you’ll ever know.

Well, it’s been almost one week since the shooting and I must admit the reports that I’m getting about Ruby and Ed are nothing short of amazing.  They are out of the hospital and are recuperating at a hotel with my mom and aunt.  For now, they just need to heal from their initial wounds before the real doctor work can begin.  When I’m on the phone with my mom, I’m trying to write down the details as best I can so I can pass the information along.  Here’s the new news I’ve got.  I’m sure they’ll tell me if I got anything wrong and I’ll correct it:

Ed was shot one time, but the bullet passed through his body several times.  Here’s the scenario as it was presented to me:  At the moment he was shot, he was trying to get off the ground from having been beaten severely by the wastes of human flesh (hereafter WOHF) that entered their house.  He was trying to get back up to go after them again.  One WOHF turned and shot him point blank.  The bullet entered his body somewhere on the side of his face near the jaw.  The bullet then started to dance around his mouth, taking most of his teeth with it (Ed says he can remember feeling the bullet doing this) and exited through his lower jaw.  Then the bullet re-entered his body in his stomach and went all the way through his abdomen.  As it exited his body again, it clipped his heel leaving a wound there.  The bullet continued through the floor of the upstairs hallway and proceeded to bury itself in their dining room table downstairs.  Because of the proximity to his ear, Ed is very nearly deaf from the blast of the muzzle.

Ruby was the first to be attacked in the house.  The WOHFs went immediately to the master bedroom where she was sleeping alone (Ed was in one of the guest rooms with one of his grandsons).  The WOHFs attempted to smother her with a pillow, but when she faught back, they put the gun against the pillow and fired.  The bullet entered her cheek, travelled through her head behind her eye and came out through her forehead.  Considering how indescriminant the WOHF was with his aim, it is nothing short of a miracle that the bullet missed both her optic nerve and any brain tissue as it did this.  She did visit an eye doctor today (Friday) and they informed her that there was some bleeding on her retina for which they gave her some drops and told her not to go back to work for 4 weeks.  (She’s stubborn and is talking about going back in 2, but not to worry…that’s why my mom is there.) 

On Wednesday, Ed wanted to go back to the house.  So, his son-in-law took him back for the first time.  My mom was quick to point out that his son-in-law had been working almost non-stop on getting the house cleaned up after the invasion of the WOHFs and the investigators who were combing the house for evidence of any kind.  The visit was not easy, but Ed did it.

On Thursday, Ruby wanted to see the house again, so they all made a trip back.  This was incredibly difficult for them, but it’s a step in the right direction.  They are both determined not to let the WOHFs take their home away from them.  They want to feel safe there again, but that’s going to take a long time.

They have been out of the hospital since Tuesday and continue to make progress.  Every day I get a report and it sounds better and better - even if they are baby steps.  Your prayers and thoughts are appreciated and the phone calls and e-mails that I’ve gotten alone have been overwhelming and very emotional.  Keep it up.  There’s a long way to go and they will need all the help they can get. 

There are two suspects in custody.  That’s all the information I have about that.  No, the state of California will not allow us to take our turns with them before any other punishment can be devised.  It’s a damn shame.

Finally,  keep them in your prayers tonight.  Tonight (or rather early tomorrow morning Pacific time) marks the one week “anniversary” of the attack.  I’m sure they will not be thinking about it, but it won’t stop from crossing my mind.  

I thought I’d just take a second to update the status of my Aunt and Uncle.  

Their medical status is better, but they were still both shot in the head at point-blank range.  Ruby is doing much better than Ed.  She’s been walking around and has been talking to her family.  She even talked to my mom on the phone for a bit.  Ed is not doing as well.  Since he’s the one that tried to tackle one of the five men (and I use that term very loosely) and throw him over the balcony rail, he was worked over a bit more than Ruby.  Ed’s lip is still swollen badly and he’s only able to eat soft foods.  They did, however, remove his breathing tube and he’s breathing on his own, but he has a few more wounds that I wasn’t previously told about.  I don’t know the nature of those wounds, but one is on his side (and might be another gunshot) and the other is on his heel (possibly a knife cut, possibly a bullet that grazed him…). 

There was also talk as of late yesterday afternoon (local time) of releasing them from the hospital to recover at home.  They will both have to return at a later date for some reconstructive surgeries on their faces.

In other news, my mom and one of her sisters are out there helping my cousin care for them.  They flew out late on Monday night.  I know they are all in a whirlwind of activity and healing (both physical and psychological) and I’m constantly on edge waiting for my phone to ring. 

That’s all for now.  To my knowledge, only one local television station put a video clip on their website about this story.  If you know otherwise, please e-mail me and let me know.  I’ll place a link to it on the site.

This is my aunt and uncle, Ruby and Ed. If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting them, you’ll know that they are two of the most kind and gentle people on the planet. Ruby and Ed live in Southern California and made the trip to southern Utah to visit me while I was employed with the Utah Shakespearean Festival. They attended the shows and then we enjoyed hikes around Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.

Ruby and Ed also flew to Dallas to attend my gradutation from SMU.

Last year, Ed was diagnosed with lung cancer. They were both long-time smokers. He underwent treatment which included the removal of part of his lung and chemotherapy. He was making such a fantastic recovery that recently, my mom and one of her brothers visited them and took a driving trip of the American west. Their trip included a visit to Yosimite National Park, San Francisco and the Grand Canyon just to name a few. My mother just returned from their visit this Monday past.

Early this morning, five men broke into their house and without any apparent motive, shot both of them in the head and brutally beat them. To make matters worse, my cousin, her son (age 10) and her nephew (age 3) were also in the house as the attack was taking place.

By the grace of a loving God, they survived the attack and are hospitalized in critical condition. The bullets somehow managed to miss their vital organs and central nervous systems.

Here’s to the team of investigators who are diligently working on their case.

For the life of me, I have not been able to picture these two amazing people asleep in their beds while at least two strange men hover over them slowly placing the muzzles of their pistols against their heads. I also can’t imagine them in the hospital with the wounds that have been described to me. It’s not because of the horrible thought of those images. Oh no; it’s because this picture you are looking at was taken less than two weeks ago on their vacation with my mother.

Also, without any apparent motive, I can’t wrap my brain around the fact that something this terrible could happen to two people who have never done anything worse than swat at flies during the hot summer months.

I just thought you should meet them. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers. They’ll need it in the coming months and years.

They are down, but not out yet.

Updates:

• Here’s the CBS2 video link of the news story.

For those of you in the Middle Tennessee area, I’ve started offering private acting lessons.  If you are interested (or know someone who might be), check out the details!

I thought you guys might like an update on what’s going on with me in the world of auditions around here…

Otherwise known as a voice-over by li’l ole me…

 

 An Ellison Miles Tribute [3:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3)

I’m sure we’ll look back on this in the coming years and talk about this as her debut performance.  She was absolutely riveting.  See for yourself (you’ll need to be logged in as a premium subscriber to view it - Log in or create a new username)…

(UPDATE - For those of you who subscribe to my PodCast via iTunes, this video will not show up.  I’m working on it…)

 

 Morgan's Debut [7:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2)