Fred was recovering from serious injuries, and three invasive procedures that took 5 hours to ensure that he did not have internal injuries and bleeding.  Eventhough he was on morphine, we found him alert and he was fully engaged.  Still, att all that happened he was the one who needed support, even then he was trying to comfort us, especially his wife, Carolyn, who was visibly traumatized from the events of the previous night.

They proceeded to share with us how the injuries occurred and what the treatment plan was going to be. After a while we started to make small talk and he started telling us stories.  The one he told was about what had happened at the Soup Kitchen affiliated with the "Ministerial Association Food Pantry" where he was serving food the food.  He said that he was going to be "demoted" because he was doling out servings that were too large. It was funny because everyone that works there is a volunteer.  That was Fred, forever the comedian!

When we visited Fred the time passed quickly because he would tell stories for hours on end.  He would fill us in on the latest news about the town, and update his brother Tom on news about his friends since he has not lived in TN since his college graduation. So it was nice to hear what was going on in the lives of childhood friends.

Everyone loved to listen to his stories because he was a born storyteller.  You have to have a keen sense of observation, pick out the relevant facts, and then deliver the story with panache. And that he did!