Posted on 12/13/2002 11:32:01 AM PST by Noumenon
Jeff Head is currently on his way to a Dallas hospital, where his Dad is reported to have collapsed. This is grave news, owing to Jeff's Dad's heart condition.
A.L. Head Jr., is WW II combat vet and is one of the finest men to have served his country. I only regret that that I have not had the honor of meeting this fine man and a true American and patriot.
A Prayer request on behalf of Jeff Head's Dad - by noumenon
Prayer request for Jeff Head's Father - by squantos
Prayer Request for Freeper Jeff Head's Father - by meadsjn
Since noumenon's went up first, I am responding to everyone on this thread. Please excuse me for not responding to you each individually as you deserve.
A little background: Since March of this year, I have been down here in Texas helping one of my older brothers who was diagnosed with lymphnoma late last year. His conditioned steadily worsened and he spent a great deal of time in the hospital. He has a small, self-operated computer business that he has done well with north of Denton, TX which has provided his livelihood and was paying his part of the health costs. He got to where he could no longer operate the business. I was in a position, both availability-wise, time-wise and knowledge-wise to help ... so I have been down here since March with the exception of maybe seven weeks when I was able to get home and visit my dear family between his stays in the hospital.
All of this culmiated in his having bone-marrow transplant (actually they really don't transplant it any more, they just kill it and then use stem cells to regrow it) in November. He came home late in November weakened, but having survived what was billed as a 50-50 prospect.
I had some appointments with clients of his today, so my father (almost 78 now and a WW II combat vet of the Pacific) took my brother down to Baylor hospital for some tests. As they were complete and walking out of the Samson Cancer Center, my father collapsed, and my brother caught him, helped him sit and then went for help. For many here on FR and over at LP, this is a continuation of my father's saga that started online back in 98 or 99 with his second quadruple bypass surgery and prayer requests for that and continued through his literally miraculous survival of an aortic-anurism in Idaho in the year 2000, where his anurism burst right after we arrived at the hospital in Boise after driving over 400 miles back from Montana.
Anyhow, my Dad collapsed today and I emailed some friends and asked for their prayers and faith on his behalf, and for posts requesting the same.
Thank you for those prayers and expressions of faith. I say this with literal tears of gratitude in my eyes. My Dad has lived a long, eventful and exemplary life. He has been preserved by God's hand in the past to continue that example with his wife (my dear mother) to his sons, his grandchildren, his friends and neighbors and now his great-granchildren. It seems he will be spared to continue now for a little longer into the future.
Please excuse me while I share one experience there in the hospital that was very faith promoting. My mother and I arrived there about 1:30 PM, having made good time from north of Denton down I-35. My younger brother who works in Grand Prariewas already there. My older brother, who himself was very weak and suffering, was also already there and had been so with my father since this occurred.
In out faith, we believe in administering to and blessing the sick. My father asked if my younger brother and I would administer to him, my younger brother annoiting his head with oil and me blessing him. We responded that of course we would. As my brother finished and I placed my hands on my father's head along with my younger brother's to give him a blessing, I want you each to know that I could literally feel the faith and the hopes and prayers of so many on my father's behalf. It as a powerful, yet sublime feeling. My wife and kids knew, my oldest brother and his family knew (though he was too far away to get there in time) and my younger brother's wife knew ... and many of my patriotic, faithful, good friends online knew.
I cannot explain it, and I will not try, other than to relate it to you. But the comfort of the Spirit of God came upon us in that small emergency room and I knew my father would be alright. I blessed him in the name of Christ that it would be so, that the Lord's will would be done, and that it would be a witness to family and friends of God's watch care and His involvement in our lives ... and that he would take my father home in His time and not a minute before. I impart this to you in sincerity and humility. It had nothing to do with me ... I just happened to be there.
I also pass this on to you each as a part of that witness ... and to thank you for your faith. There is indeed a God in Heaven. I make no claim to understand His ways ... but I know He is involved out of love in ways we cannot comprehend ... even when it appears things are not what we think are best. He has witnessed to our family through the life, precept and teaching and experience of my father before ... and through countless other experiences. He did so again today and I am grateful beyond measure for friends I can share it with, who will understand and consider ... and who excerted their own hopes, faith and prayers on our behalf. We are eternally grateful to you.
In closing, they will keep my Dad under observation for a couple of days. He may come out of this needing a pace-maker it seems because they theorize that a major fluctuation in his heart beat caused this.
I can't say what the future holds, I can't say how long my father will yet be with us ... but I count each minute a blessing with Mom and Dad. And yet, when their time to go comes, indeed when my own time comes ... though I would never suppose to hurry it, I will look forward to it with a faith of meeting my loved ones on the other side, and meeting my Savior. With my parents, while mourning the loss, I would rejoice in the knowledge ... as sure as I know that I am writing these words, that they would be meeting loved ones who have passed on before in a Heavenly home where moth and rust does not corrupt and where love and joy reign supreme.
I testify to you each, with no ire, direspect or pretense meant, that this is the case and that it is a goal and prize worthy of our greatest efforts, our humility and our faith to find, obtain, and accept (of our own free will ... and that is of utmost importance) the Avenue that leads to it. I also testify, that the principles associated with freely living such a life ... with freely strivnig for such goals ... that those principles are the true measure of liberty. They are the bedrock foundation of our Republic.
Best regards to you each ... and sorry for the length. Gotta hit the hay soon and get back down to Dallas tomorrow morning.
Best regards.
God bless.
Jeff's dad and family are in my prayers! I'm so thrilled to read his testimony on this thread. Praise God!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.