Friday, January 15, 2010

An Anomaly

Although his journey is coming to an end, truly my dad made this year a beautiful year. One thing that the doctor remarked to him was, "Larry, you are truly an anomaly. With the kind of cancer, and as much of it as you have, you should not be walking, talking, thinking, or planning." All of which he has done, defying the odds of his diagnosis.

We surely have had a special grace resting on us this year.

9 comments:

  1. Lauren: I will address this to you in hopes that you will share it with your dad! After all, I know you will listen to me because you did so many years ago when you played softball and I got to help coach! Ha!

    Hey, Larry, what a great picture of you and your girls! I know you are so proud of them and Leslie and you have every right to be. They have been so strong. However, I want to make sure you get your credit too. As Lauren has said, you could be angry, despondent, etc. but, instead, you have been gracious and funny and an inspirtation to all of us! I know I am being very selfish but I sure miss seeing you. You are about the only "pure" ag guy I know---after all, who else can I talk to about "the other white meat!" Who esle will walk around Home Depot with me looking for tomato stakes only to remember that neither of us really needed them!!!

    Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and to tell you how much you are in our prayers. For any of the other readers out there, please know that I have been blessed by knowing such a strong and good man who, by his own nature, makes all of us better human beings by being around him. Larry, I know you are humble and may not want people to hear those kinds of words. Well, at least just for this one time, let me, the guy with all the grey hair, get in the final word. Okay?

    You take care and give your three ladies a hug for Gloria and me. GOD BLESS YOU just as you have BLESSED US!

    Your other "ag" friend,
    Darrell S.

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  2. Just finished talking to cousin Janet. I just crack up at her stories. We walked some down memory lane. Aunt Beulah and her beautiful jewelry. Pam and her mayonaise sandwiches--which, by the way, I still eat every now and then. I gave her your blog site and said that I expect to see a comment from her on it. She won't blog herself, but Stephanie will get on it for her. Now she will have stories!!! Of course, most of her Larry stories are from holidays or summer visits since she grew up on California.

    Larry J, we have many people praying for you. Simply for peace. i believe God is using you in a mighty way.

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  3. what fun stories!
    Darrell- i read your comment to my dad and it put a smile on his face :-) especially the ag remarks!
    thanks for the love.

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  4. Lauren, you don't remember me. I am your dad, Larry J's cousin Vicki. I have so many wonderful memories of Larry J. I just got off the phone with our cousin Janet and wanted to post on here. I have never blogged before so please be patient. Cousin Pam's comments about her mayonnaise sandwiches crack me up. How well I remember those and always said ewww. We went to a Chinese restaurant and she ordered (or tried to, they wouldn’t) mayonnaise sandwiches.

    Your dad was a wonderful cousin to have while growing up. Our family - his Aunt Mabel, Uncle Hank and my brother Bill used to travel to Oklahoma from California each summer.

    I remember Stormy, and I think it was the only horse he ever had. It is the only one I remember. And Sandi, his collie who was so afraid of thunderstorms. The wonderful 'getting up in the middle of the night' to help with the birthing of the piglets. Riding on the Ferris wheel at the Hydro county fair with him and Roy Dean Pieper. I had such a huge crush on Roy Dean. Pam was going to marry Larry J when she grew up. The wonderful ways a child thinks, huh? I still have the t-shirt Larry J gave me that says "beat the h*** out of OU" It is faded now, but still orange with black lettering. I remember getting to sleep in his room at the farmhouse when he went to college. The way your grandma's kitchen smelled was always so inviting and I can still smell it when I close my eyes and think on it. *big smile* The yellow kitchen table where we ate supper. The dark green floor. And what meals Aunt Beulah used to make. They make my mouth water just remember them. Uncle Emil and his laconic ways, never one to over speak anything, but boy when he did, it was something. And the laughter that always filled the kitchen; the gathering place. I have the best memories of that farm and Larry J.

    Larry, remember the time you woke me to go help with the sow? You had me clip their teeth with a fingernail clipper? And I was supposed to notch their ears. I couldn’t because it would hurt them. You teased me about it, but I still can’t hurt an animal to this day. I can’t even kill a snake that my dog has tortured to put it out of its’ misery. And the time you put me up on Stormy’s back and Uncle Emil got so angry. I remember the swing in the front yard. All the horses you had in the shelves and windowsill of your room? The fort you had that I would play with? I think I remember that it was kept under the living room couch.

    And I was thinking about this the other day. Larry J, do you remember always doing the Frank Fontaine impersonation? You would twist your mouth up and impersonate him. What a hoot that was. But It did scare me.

    I love you Larry J and am keeping you in my prayers.

    God’s blessings on you,

    Cousin Vicki

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  5. Oh yes, it was a fort, not Lincoln logs that we all played with at some point. Hi Vicki. Glad Janet called you. I made her promise to post as well. I could remember always a collie at the farm, but could not remember her name for the life of me. Sandi. More to come, Larry J.

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  6. Lauren, this blog is such a great idea and such a fun space for people to share such great stories about your dad. What a gift you're giving with this, not just to your dad in getting to hear comments and stories, but to all the rest of us who get to post and read all the great things that are getting shared.

    Thank you Larry and Lauren and general Heidebrecht family!

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  7. Lauren: Since reading some of these stories I just have to tell you one (which you might remember) when Larry, Roger Johnson (Beth's father) and I were watching one of the softball games. You might recall Jason always joined us and Larry was ALWAYS GOOD TO HIM, as Jason so quietly reminded me yesterday. During one game Jason had a bunch of sunflower seeds or peanuts or something and he and Larry started to eat them at a rather fast pace. Unfortunately, Larry had an allergic reaction and his face swelled up, his legs itched, his eyes watered, etc. Jason was just mortified but Larry, in his normal fashion, just laughed and made Jason feel okay about it all! Guess he and I should have been yelling more at the umps or trying to encourage the team than trying to eat so much!!! In any event, all turned out well but Jason summed it up best yesterday as I mentioned earlier. Please tell your dad the impact he has had on that young man!!

    Thanks, too, Lauren for allowing us to participate.

    Darrell--the other ag guy!

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