New Years expectations- Prayers for Greg Whitehead...

New Years expectations:

Each new year we humans have a tendency to make resolutions; however, if we forget to make them as we grow older, we still tend to look forward. Jeanie and I mainly looked forward to our sixty-first anniversary in January.

I heard from home town Portsmouth Ohio friends, Tom and Carolyn Lynch yesterday by email.  Sad news that a classmate, Ruth Oakley, the most athletic of our 1950 female classmates was in intensive care and not doing well.  She had a knee operation at Mayo Clinic in January, but her recovery has not gone well.  T & C invited me to pray for Ruth and I immediately complied.  In forwarding their message and my reply, I realized that I had somehow lost Patti Richards Whitehead's email address so I called the young lady, now in her eighties like me and most of the 1950 grads.  Patti has sent some wonderful email messages which I have added to this blog in the past. 

I called Patti and shared the news on Ruth.  After some pleasant conversation and memories and just before I hung up, she asked me to do her a great favor in praying for her fifty-eight year old son, Greg.  She has three sons,  all living in the Michigan vicinity where she has spent most of her life after Portsmouth.  They began this 2013 year with no particular expectations except to enjoy their good health.  Greg had a Hemmorhoid operation in January.  The surgeon noted that Greg was borderline anemic as noted in the pre-surgery medical tests. 

Follow-up MRI showed that Greg had a mass on his adrenal glands and further biopsies showed that that the mass was cancerous and had affected his lungs, pancreas, and stomach.  Patti says that the adrenal glands supply some vitality to the kidneys. 

Patti claims Greg has been such a good son, calling her most nights since her husband passed several years ago.  Those who attended our last reunion in 2010 may remember that Greg had brought his mother there.  He ends each call with the very coveted mother's hopes:  "I love you mom".

So, as the year progresses and, particularly at this Easter season join, me in praying for Greg, his brothers, and his mom.  They enjoyed lives like most of ours, where we strived our best and took what came to us each year in raising our offspring to carry on.  The central part of the Christian religion most of us enjoy is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Without that we are but dust after death, but through God's great plan there is much more good to see in the hereafter.  Jesus promised.  We want you to stay here on earth with your mother, Greg.  Keep treating her as a major love of your life.

You have a wonderful legacy from Portsmouth Ohio relatives and friends.  Our prayers on your behalf rise up this Easter season.

SamKat aka Sam Kegley