My son turns 25 today.
Some of you may know about my son. I have written about him before at Kos for the Thursday Health Series. In fact, that was a year ago, on November 13, just before his birthday, although the diary had been planned several weeks before the election, and then postponed since nobody was going to read anything so distant from election news.
So here I am again, not knowing where he is, not knowing if he has a place to live or not, wishing him a happy birthday in writing where he will not see it.
Not much has changed over the past year. He spent about a month up here (outside Tucson, with no public transportation) last winter. Because I will not allow him in the house when I am here, he got in a few time while I was out and left the dog door open. After one of those times my jewelry case was stolen. It was on a shelf behind several pairs of shoes. The pieces I hadn't put away yet were sitting on top of the TV. They were still there when I got home.
He later told me he had let a friend in who took it while he changed his clothes.
After a while no one else would let him stay with them, and he began to sleep in the carport, and when it got cold I put some comforters outside for him. One night he said he was ready to go to a transitional MH facility, could he call them. I made him come to the back door and he talked to them through the security gate. I drove him to the nearest ER for medical clearance. I waited the two hours with him until someone came for him. It was a good thing. It snowed that night, and I don't know how strong I would have been not to let him inside.
He still uses this phone number and address. I got two calls during the past few weeks. One was from a case worker in jail - he had been arrested for failing to appear, and gave my name for background information. Then on Friday I got a call from an ambulance billing department. The woman I spoke to was very sympathetic, but of course could not tell me anything, though she did sneak in something about it not looking like anything serious. I was able to let them know he had insurance, and she kept looking and told me he should not have been called.
It was the only thing I have been able to do for him since driving him to the ER almost a year ago.
The holidays are upon us. When you see someone homeless on the street, remember that somewhere there is a mother wondering about him or her, and please be kind to them.
I am posting this in both orange and blue.