Thanks for commenting & a little background.

To you who commented regarding praying for dad & our family, thank you! Just so you know, I had some certain people in mind who didn't comment & I have yet to hear from them. That's ok. :) I wasn't referring to any of you but again, I thank you!

My dad is a severe alcoholic & has been for gosh, 40+ years. How he has survived all these years is beyond us. In 2006 we received 'the call' - the call we knew we would one day get, telling us our dad was dying. He was.

By the time we got to him (he lived down in the valley - 9 hours or so from us - us being my brother, myself & my step-mother who is still his wife even though they've been separated for years) he was pretty much a dead person still alive. That's the only way I can explain it. I will never in my life forget that day. We finally forced him to the hospital, in ICU, then in a regular room. His prognosis was grim. Very, very grim. When he somewhat improved, we transported him back home with us & put him in a nursing home. He still could not walk or take care of himself.

God performed yet another miracle, & healed my father in 9 months. He still has Cirrosis & Hepatitis, but was completely well enough to live on his own. After 9 months he left the nursing home & moved into his own apartment. And began drinking again.

Long story short, the drama has continued to unfold from that day. I finally confronted him about drinking again (I mean really, when you're pretty much dead from drinking & God heals you, why in the world would you be dumb enough to drink again?) & the 'fight' was on. He told me never to contact him again & I didn't. I needed a break from all this hell I have lived with for almost 30 years.

Evidently he fell in March & broke his hip. He was being evicted from his apartment for not paying his rent, so my step-mother moved him in her house 'temporarily' until he healed from his surgery & got back on his feet. My step-sister also lives there & her & my dad do not, & have never, gotten along. I knew this current living arrangement was a ticking timebomb waiting to explode. And it did.

Last Saturday is when my dad was arrested. For whatever reason, they released him Monday a.m. I had no clue what was going to happen next as he now was permanently kicked out of my step-mother's house. As a matter of fact, she had already left the house & went to her son's house because she just can't take it anymore. All day Monday he sat in his car (he had no key to the house). No food, no nothing. And it's 100 degrees here. Finally, as afternoon arrived, he had broken into the house. My step-mother happened to be there & they again called the police. This time though, the law protected him.

Half of that house is his (even though she purchased it without him...but they are still married) so the police could not make him leave. He's still there & will continue to live there since there is nothing anyone can do. My step-mother & step-sister have moved out & my step-mother has shut off all utilities. He'll live there anyway and/or he'll figure out how to have the utilities turned back on in his name. Really, who knows. He has alienated everyone in his life so this time, he has absolutely no one to help him do anything.

So that's where we are today. Even though I pray, pray, pray for this nightmare, it never seems to end. And it won't end until finally my dad's body gives up.

At least for now we have comfort knowing he isn't living in his car. That alone provides a little peace. He is a sick, sick man & he is never going to be able to fight this addiction. He will never receive help/treatment for his addiction, as we have tried to get him help for more years than I can count.

So for now we wait until we yet again receive 'the call'. And we will receive the call. It's just a matter of when.

The above is just the tip of the iceburg - I couldn't begin to tell you everything. Now you at least know how & what to pray for. And from the bottom of my heart - thank you for praying. At this point, praying is all we can do. Ü