Short Update and an Anecdote from Last Night

Judah is still the same. They've given him a patch to wear in order to help lower his blood pressure. Tonight he looks as if he is actually sleeping, rather than just anesthetized.
Mom will spend tonight at the hotel again which is good because she can really get some sleep while staying very close by. I will stay with Judah again tonight which is good because I can go to the hotel in the afternoon to make up whatever sleep I can't get here.
Last night around 2 am, Judah's machinery started beeping. I got up to look for a nurse (and go to the bathroom) but his nurse wasn't there. I suppose she takes her break around that time. I found a random nurse wandering past me and she offered to fix Judah's IV lines. Cool. I went out into the lobby and I heard someone singing softly, but audibly. It was a deep male voice that was singing some sort of a spiritual or hymn. This man had such a beautiful voice, the kind that rolls at the end of each phrase. I sneaked around some beams because I didn't want him to see me and stop singing out of shyness. He was clearly praying, and he was singing to Jesus. It was otherworldly to hear, reminding me of Robert Mitchum's Preacher in the film The Night of the Hunter. I sneaked back in to the ICU and went back to sleep. Around 4 am I awoke again to look for a nurse (and to go to the bathroom). In the lobby, the same man was singing the same beautiful songs. It seems that there is religion and spirituality hanging out in every corner of this hospital. We receive blessings and prayers every day from the many people we've met here, including our Muslim friends, Hindu friends, Christian friends, and of course, our Jewish friends. Although I don't share this man's faith, it was impressive to hear his resolute faith, and his perseverance. He had been singing alone for hours.
This afternoon I was leaving the hospital when a large African-American man stopped me in the lobby and asked how everything is going. I didn't know him but I assumed he'd met my mom and gotten the low-down. I said that my brother was stable and we are hoping for the best. Then I asked how his family situation was. He told me that he is a pastor (I guessed as much because he had a large Star of David around his neck)and that he and his wife were helping to care for an abandoned young man in the room next to Judah's. I'm still not clear on what he meant by that. He asked for Judah's name so that he could pray for him. Then I asked if he was the man I heard singing all night and he said that he was, and that he saw me last night as I was listening to him. That's how he recognized me. I thanked him for his prayers and offered my own for his young friend, whose name is Joshua. For those of you who believe in prayer, please include Joshua in your thoughts. We all hope for a better day tomorrow.