Editor's update: Sunday morning, 10:30 AM:
This morning, the tears are still flowing, but for an entirely different reason. Our prayers have been answered. Patrick has been found. How, where, or why doesn't matter, nor does it matter where he's been for that past five days. All that matters is that he's safe, and that he knows that we all love him....and that we'll do whatever it takes to help him from this time forward.
I'm leaving the following little emotional outpouring on the website, minus his personal information, in the hopes that anyone else who might be going through a similar situation can find a shred of hope from the positive end to our ordeal, or at least find a small amount of comfort in knowing that they're not alone in their emotional upheaval.
Having said all that, it is clear that none of this is about "us", or our apprehensions. This has to be recognized for what it is....a wake-up call, a recognition of a cry for help, no different than anyone who deals with whatever inner turmoils each of us face at one time or another in our lives. Now it's time to deal with the problems.
So, if you're reading this, and you know someone who you think might need your help, or whom you've been trying to help, but maybe needs "extra" help, professional help, don't wait until "something happens". Talk to a professional, call one of local crisis centers located throughout the country, or contact one of the national hotlines listed below.
If you're reading this, and you're on the other end of the situation, if you're the one going through problems of your own, whether it's depression, abuse, drug or alcohol related issues, or just emotional turmoil.....no matter what the problem is, TELL SOMEONE ABOUT IT. If you can't confide in those around you, then talk to a school counselor, call a local crisis center, or call one of the hotlines listed here.
No matter how strong we think that we are (or should be), every one of us needs help at some point in our life. Don't be afraid or ashamed to ask for it. You're never alone. And that's the most important Faulking Truth of all.
http://suicidehotlines.com/
Prevention Hotline 800-784-3433 (SUICIDE)
National Youth Crisis Hotline 800-448-4663
National Child Abuse Hotline 800-4-A-CHILD
National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-SAFE
Praying for a Miracle
It's midnight, Saturday, and I'm sitting here doing something I hope no one here ever has to do. I'm running off copies of a "Missing Person" flyer, the kind I see every day pasted on the doors and windows of convenience stores, gas stations, police departments, libraries, and on and on.
This particular "Missing Person" flyer says this:
Missing Person
PATRICK XXXXXXXX
DOB: 6/18/1984
21 Yrs. Old (looks younger)
Height: Approx. 6’
Weight: 130 lbs.
Light Blonde Hair & Hazel Eyes
Missing since Wednesday, July 20 2005, approx. 2:30pm
* Last seen wearing a red dress shirt with sleeves cut off & light colored dress pants walking North in the vicinity of
NW 50th & N. Meridian, XXX. He has severe blood pressure problems, affected by heat and needs medication.
If seen please contact OKC Police
Patrick is my nephew, and I love him with all my heart. To a large degree, he's me at the age of 21, a troubled artist who doesn't seem to quite fit in anywhere in this artificial world. But Patrick is much more than your typical "troubled artist". He's a kind and gentle soul with the best heart that God ever put in one of his creations.
But, as is always the case, because He gave Patrick "the best heart ever", God also gave him more than his share of issues to deal with. Patrick, while a brilliant and creative mind, has always struggled to find his "niche", to find that single place in the world that was made just for him, that place where he feels completely and utterly comfortable and at home. He has struggled with depression (as do all creative minds to one degree or another), and over the past few months, has dealt with larger emotional issues, again, as do all creative minds to one degree or another.
As I've said a million times over the course of my life, the gift of creativity is both a blessing and a curse. I've written about it on these pages, I've cursed it in my own life, and worst of all, I've lamented those who were close to me who didn't survive the curse of creativity long enough to reap the blessing of that same Godgiven gift.
As I'm sitting here writing this, my printer is printing out flyer after flyer after flyer, and with each one, I say a little prayer. I pray that the flyer that just printed off will be the one that brings Patrick home to us. My son, Justin, who is Patrick's age and grew up with him, is out right now putting up flyers in every convenience store, just as every member of our family will be doing tomorrow morning. He's putting up every flyer through tear-stained eyes, just as I'm writing every word of this through tear-stained eyes, just as Patrick's mother (my sister) and all of his family is thinking about him and searching for him through tear-stained eyes.
Friends and family have called hospitals, they've called shelters, they've filed police reports, they've called crisis centers......they've called morgues. And with every phone call, every flyer, every word of comfort and concern that we've shared, somewhere in the back of all of our minds, we wonder if we've done enough, and if we did enough BEFORE he disappeared, ran off, or whatever the fuck happened. We all knew he was "having problems", but could we have done more to get him the help that he must have so deperately needed.....BEFORE it came down to this. Flyers, frantic phone calls, tears, and constant fears and worries.
It doesn't matter.....only one thing matters now. We want to see Patrick again, to see him smile again, to hold him again, and to tell him that his family loves him. I want to tell him that I love him. Please God, give us that chance...that chance to show him how much we all care, to show him how much we always cared, to get him the help that he needs so that he can, finally, find that place where he feels completely and utterly comfortable and at home.
We love you Patrick....please come home.
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Blogfest 2005 Archives:
Keep on Blogging in The Free World (Mark Faulk, Sep 21, 2004)
"It's the Issues, Stupid" (Mark Faulk, Sep 21, 2004)
The Trust Factor......mmmmmm, donuts (Mark Faulk, Sep 30, 2004)
The Vice-Presidential Debate Primer (Mark Faulk, Oct 5, 2004)
Is Bush a girly-man? (Mark Faulk, Oct 7, 2004)
Kids! Time to come in and get dressed for war (Mark Faulk, Nov 1, 2004)
"I Think We're all Bozos on this Bus" and "Dude, Where's My Bong?" (Mark Faulk, Nov 5, 2004)
"We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!" and "The Ministry of Truth Strikes Again" (Mark Faulk, Nov 9, 2004)
Vacation....Had to get away (Mark Faulk, Nov 11, 2004)
A 'Tribute' to Steve Martin (Mark Faulk, Nov 14, 2004)
How Long Can You Tread Water? (Mark Faulk, Nov 17, 2004)
"Give the People What They Want" (Mark Faulk, Nov 22, 2004)
Home on the Range..... (Mark Faulk, Nov 27, 2004)
Coping With Loss: How to Deal With the 2004 Election (Mark Faulk, Dec 7, 2004)
Peace Kills (Mark Faulk, Dec 21, 2004)
A Tale of Two Psychos (Mark Faulk, Dec 27, 2004)
Hurtling Headlong Through the Blogosphere (Mark Faulk, Jan 4, 2005)
The Faulking Truth Gone Wild (Mark Faulk, Jan 6, 2005)
Palestinians Elect Abba by Wide Margin (Mark Faulk, Jan 9, 2005)
"Look everybody, we've found WMDRPAs!" and "Supporting the Inauguration Day Boycott.....Sort of" (Mark Faulk, Jan 12, 2005)
Confessions of.....a Christian (Mark Faulk, Jan 18, 2005)
Seven Degrees of George W. Bush (Mark Faulk, Jan 20, 2005)
Dear IRS...... (Mark Faulk, Jan 25, 2005)
What Democracy Means to Me (Johnny Carson, Feb 5, 2005)
"I love you...no, really, I do...." and "Have a Crappy... I Mean... Happy Valentine's Day" (Mark Faulk and Kelsey Renee Faulk, Feb 14, 2005)
"THE END OF BLOCKBUSTER!" (Mark Faulk, Feb 19, 2005)
The Poor get Poorer..... (Mark Faulk, Mar 8, 2005)
Refinancing your home the 'hard' way..... (Mark Faulk, Mar 19, 2005)
A Fall From Grace - How Bush is Alienating Mainstream America (Mark Faulk, Mar 26, 2005)
I'm not schizophrenic....and neither am I (Mark Faulk, Mar 31, 2005)
Pope Dies of old Age (Mark Faulk, Apr 4, 2005)
America to Dateline: Tell the Truth Now! (Mark Faulk, Apr 7, 2005)
How I Spent my Weekend (Russell Tharp, Apr 18, 2005)
How Many Lesbians Does it Take to Screw in a Lightbulb? (Mark Faulk, Apr 27, 2005)
Four Dead in Ohio (Mark Faulk, May 4, 2005)
Some Mother's Son (Mark Faulk, May 8, 2005)
"lalalalalalalala.....I can't hear you!" (Mark Faulk, May 22, 2005)
The Man on the Crane (Mark Faulk, May 28, 2005)
NOW Do You Feel Secure on the Internet? (Mark Faulk, Jun 1, 2005)
Taking the Faulking Truth to the Airwaves (Mark Faulk, Jun 17, 2005)
Wall Street: Destroying the Evidence (Mark Faulk, Jun 21, 2005)
And now....Page two (Mark Faulk, Jul 1, 2005)
Help Wanted- President Seeks New Brain (Mark Faulk, Jul 11, 2005)
Bush Picks "French Fry Judge" for Supreme Court (Mark Faulk, Jul 19, 2005)
Praying for a Miracle (Mark Faulk, Jul 23, 2005)
Send in the Clowns (Mark Faulk, Jul 28, 2005)
"What's Wrong With This Picture?" or "Gas Prices Set Record High.....Win A Free Hummer!" (Mark Faulk, Aug 15, 2005)
Pat Robertson's Case for the Assassination of President Bush.....I mean, Hugo Chavez (Mark Faulk, Aug 23, 2005)
The Faulking Truth...in (Black) and (White) (Mark Faulk, Aug 25, 2005)
They're Trying to Wash Us Away.... (Mark Faulk, Aug 31, 2005)
"Not Acceptable" (Mark Faulk, Sep 2, 2005)
And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch (Laughter.) (Mark Faulk, Sep 6, 2005)
Who Says FEMA Can't Relate to Blacks, Yo? (Mark Faulk, Sep 15, 2005)
Faulking Truth to Senator Shelby: PUT THE DAMN FIRE OUT! (Mark Faulk, Sep 21, 2005)
George Talks to God..... (Mark Faulk, Oct 8, 2005)
For the Greater Good..... (Mark Faulk, Oct 27, 2005)
Coalition....What Coalition? (Mark Faulk, Nov 21, 2005)
Confessions of a White Gentile (Mark Faulk, Dec 4, 2005)
The World Just Got A Little Less Funny (Mark Faulk, Dec 10, 2005)
MySpace is the Devil (Mark Faulk, Dec 18, 2005)
Desecrating Christmas (Mark Faulk, Dec 29, 2005)
Srecna Nova Godina....od tim Faulking Truth (Mark Faulk, Jan 1, 2006)
On Kurt Vonnegut..... (Mark Faulk, Jan 8, 2006)
Taking it to the Streets (Mark Faulk, Jan 14, 2006)
Desecrating History (Mike Bohling, Feb 4, 2006)
Congress Uses "C Word" (Mark Faulk, Mar 13, 2006)
Conspiracy....or Conspiracy Nuts? (Mark Faulk, Mar 18, 2006)
Roddy Boyd: Choosing up Sides (Mark Faulk, Mar 28, 2006)
Emotional Casualties of War (Mark Faulk, Apr 28, 2006)
It is a very mixed blessing to be brought back from the dead. (Mark Faulk, May 10, 2006)
MySpace is the Devil (Redux) (Mark Faulk, May 23, 2006)
Confessions of Part Time Hit Man (Mark Faulk, Jun 5, 2006)
“The Anatomy of a Rumor” or “I’ll Take the Kool-aid” (Mark Faulk, Jun 17, 2006)
"ALL INVESTORS ARE EQUAL, BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS" – SEC eliminates integrity in the stock market (Mark Faulk, Jul 6, 2006)
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star (Mark Faulk, Jul 24, 2006)
It Wasn't the Planes that Killed King Kong.... (Mark Faulk, Aug 4, 2006)
Forget the Mideast, it’s the Midwest uprising Bush should worry about (Mark Faulk, Aug 28, 2006)
Blame it on the Full Moon (Mark Faulk, Oct 8, 2006)
How Low Can They Go? (Mark Faulk, Nov 2, 2006)
Truth in the Booth...Live on CFRN on Nov. 17th (Mark Faulk, Nov 16, 2006)
Life WIth Father (Mark Faulk, Dec 15, 2006)
Thinking Voyager 2 Type Things (Mark Faulk, Jan 16, 2007)
so simple in the moonlight.... (Mark Faulk, Feb 20, 2007)
Promises, Promises….Take a Letter!!! (Mark Faulk, March Mar 19, 2007)
CMKX The Train of Truth (Mark Faulk, April 10, 2007 )
Gonzo Radio....or.....when all else fails, blog it!!!! (Mark Faulk, June 16, 2007)
Observations on the Way Home (Mark Faulk, August 5, 2007)
The Idiot’s Guide to the Electoral Process (Mark Faulk, Feb 8, 2008)
MAPS for Millionaires or “Daddy, buy me an arena” (Mark Faulk, Feb 29, 2008)
Dear Hillary: When the race is over, it's over.... (Mark Faulk, Mar 10, 2008)
“We come for your children” – The Truth About the Gay Agenda (Mark Faulk, May 2, 2008)
Savior Hillary (Mark Faulk, May 20, 2008)
This is me in fragments...enter at your own risk (Mark Faulk, Jun 30, 2008)
Silver State Bank: What’s Deposited in Vegas Doesn’t Stay in Vegas (Mark Faulk, Jul 30, 2008)
John McSame’s Campaign to Nowhere (Mark Faulk, Sep 12, 2008)
Change has come to America (Mark Faulk, Nov 5, 2008)
Hemp, a Self Sustaining Answer to a Troubled Nation (Kevin M. West, Mar 19, 2009)
The Other Casualties of War (Mark Faulk, May 25, 2009)
Michael Vick Returns to Dogfighting (Katie Lauren, Aug 20, 2009)
I'm on a Plane (Mark Faulk, Sept. 30, 2009)
And so this is Christmas.... (Mark Faulk, Dec 15, 2009)
Whan Picasso Painted the Sixteenth Chapel (Mark Faulk, May 29, 2010)
The Devolution of Man (Robin Buckallew, Jul 31, 2010)
Don't Blame Darwin (Robin Buckallew, Oct 19, 2010)
Tea with Mussolini ( I. K. N’Klast, Nov 3, 2010)
So Throw Money at it Anyway** (I. K. N’Klast, Nov 23, 2010)
America in the Crosshairs - Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Shot, Six others killed (Mark Faulk, Jan 8, 2011)
Leanin' on my Shovel (Robin Buckallew, May 1, 2011)
How to Save Our Schools (Dorritt, May 28, 2011)
Not For Sale (Dorrit, Jul 30, 2011)
Morning in America (A short story) (Robin Buckallew, Aug 13, 2011)
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