Up at 5:00 AM  today. I have a friend Tad that will go to Fort Leavenworth Hospital for yet another test for a pain in his, well ASS. He has been trying to find out the cause for three years to no avail. He gets in my car and hands me two music CD's that he made for me. Tad and I are friends if not best friend. We got sober together 13 years ago and I took him as my sponsor. Tad's dad was an atheist but he is quite spiritual just not religious. He is very analytical and quite well read. His knowledge of music may even be greater than the number of books he has read. On average two or three a week. As we drove a back way on hwy 5 I sang along to my new CD Warren Zevon "Send lawyers guns and money dad get me out of this". We check in and as we wait for the nurse to take him away I put my hand on his knee and bow my head. When I look up at him he said "that is the only thing I haven't tried". I said why don't you just believe that I believe and this time asked God in a quite audible voice to give us the answer and cure for his pain. The nurse hands me a pager. "It will beep when he is done". I asked if it will work if I take a walk a mile away. She shakes her head yes. I walk out side and look up at a scaffolding that goes clear up and around the entire hospital.Workers are just starting to arrive and get out tools. A restoration is underway to save this place. As I walk down towards the old catholic chapel I see more buildings that need extensive renovation too. If they don't move fast they will not last much longer. I think what a shame to see empty places that could be homes for some of the thousands of homeless vets.Tad and I have a friend Matt that is in rehab at the hospital. He will soon be one of them. Homeless that is. He is not in too big of hurry to be released for that reason. Just then the sun picks up a reflection off a distant pond and just beyond that I see the white rows of marble. The cemetery rolling hills filled with white monuments. At that moment I think of all the sacrifices of all dead that are burred in this place. The sound of lawn mowers and smell of fresh cut grass fill the air. I walk on past a dead red cedar tree covered in poison ivy it made up the only green part of the tree. It set back behind a house that was not part of the well manicured cemetery grounds.
Just then my phone rang. It was Matt. What are you doing? he asked. I told him I was thanking some people for the sacrifice they had made to my country. We agreed to meet up at the pond. Matt had a few days growth of beard on his face but sported a huge smile.  Fishing rods stuck out next to the seat as I climbed into his truck. We drove up to a new dog park and he introduced me to his friend Sam. Sam's two dogs made a game of chasing any squirrel that dare try to come out of a tree. Then we made our way back to the hospital just in time to hear the buzz of my beeper. Lets go get him. I learned a little secret that Tad's real name was Arthur. So when he appeared at the door both at the same time said hey
Arthur and began to laugh. Tad had a funny look on his face then the most giddy laugh I have ever heard came out of his face. I haven't felt this good in thirteen years he said with another laugh and I am going to enjoy it. We drive him back up to the dog park and find a guy named Tom with a English bull dog that Tad can't stop loving on. Tom's other Jack Russell mix trying to breed a much larger black dog. He gets a scolding from Tom who keeps telling him to stop with no luck. As we walk back to the car Tad said I think your prayer worked. Both Matt and I looked for further explanation to this claim. That doctor actually listened to me. When he finished he told me that he thought with a Botox injection I might not have anymore pain. There might just be something to this prayer stuff.  I said, "let me tell you how I think it works Tad. First you need to have the person pray.  Then you need to have faith that God will answer the prayer. You had faith in my faith and received the grace from God. I just asked God did the rest".
Not all prayers are answered with a yes. But if we have faith, we can trust that God will answer every prayer.