[Magdalen] Update on my Friend.

[M J [Mike] Logsdon]

I've been hesitant to so update, because the story can change so frequently, but we seem to have hit upon a smooth patch, event-wise.

Grief process / Psychological medical disability:  She was indeed let go from her job (first time in her life she didn't leave voluntarily, but a necessity in order to guarantee unemployment income if needed), but carried on with the State disability claim as directed by her psychiatrist.  The results in such a short time are astounding, what with basically the right balance of medication and therapy.  The night terrors have vanished, and the bad dreams have all but done so as well.  Last night she slept ten straight undisturbed hours.  All of which relates to her grief process, the working through of which has already brought her a significant measure of peace.  And all of which also leads to...

Re-employment:  Just yesterday she accepted a 13-week travel nursing job at St Agnes Medical Center in Fresno.  It will be a 2.5-hr drive each way, but at only three 12-hr shifts a week, she says she can more than handle it for the significant income it will bring in in a very short time.  And as this type of working situation is her chosen method of being able to stay here in the Salinas area (yay) until something in the future opens up permanently (in this area; yay), it makes for a much better chance to be able to do what only recently was nearly impossible to conceive of, ie,...

Potential home purchase:  Working with a very nice woman with the mortgage firm handling the probate sale of the property, as well as working with her late fiancé's oldest daughter and her husband who are the executors of the estate, it is extremely possible she might be able to buy her fiancé's house where she still lives with her two young daughters via a very manageable mortgage.  (Rental income from the second house on the property alone will cut her monthly payment nearly if not actually in half.)  And anything that keeps her residentially connected to dear auld Salinas has my vote of approval!

Us:  Not gonna jinx this one by saying too much, especially as I could be totally wrong (I've been wrong oh so many times before), but it does seem like a closeness of a relaxed nature (ie, both of us being willing to just let what happens happen) is developing.  It seems to have more or less begun a couple weeks ago or so when she started talking more consistently of staying in this area, and when she one day had lunch with her cousin (who knows me) and the subject of Me came up and how "me and Mike talk on the phone every day."  "Every day?!"  "Nearly every day since October 4th."  And since that conversation, I do believe the "nearly" can be dropped from that sentence.  But like I said, I'm really okay with however it all pans out in the end, even if it does mean some sadness.  And for me, that's progress (and how).

Thanks, Jay, for putting her on the Prayer List.  And thanks, all, for praying.