This week I had the most wonderful blessing: to eat dinner with James Duncan and Juanita Duncan, Michael Duncan, Natalie Duncan, Paul Duncan, Tracey Strong, Christian A. Duncan, Linda Duncan at a local Italian restaurant. It was great to be together and reminisce about old times at Senior Cacos in Asmara, the rat in Mikes bed, the push toy that I pushed Paul on at Grandmother Christines house, the bus drivers Vodka that awakened me the US Army Footlocker that knocked me unconscious, Mike and Jim Duncan climbing into the truck cab that transported our mangled Chevrolet Wagon back to Izmir, Turkey, and so much more. It was great to talk and laugh about so much. While I was so proud of Michael Duncan for all the changes he continues to make in his life with our Heavenly Fathers help, I was pained by watching our amazingly wonderful angel mother who has endured so much in her life and always been a witness of our Savior for us to follow. I will always remember her council that someday I would meet the love of my life during a service project - and I did. That she was home from BYU preparing herself to meet me while I was preparing myself to meet her. I am almost everything that I am to my angel mother. Thank you Mother for all you have done to influence my life, including your inspiration about the angelic woman I would marry. I will always cherish the weekly letters we shared between my seventeenth and twenty-fifth birthdays while I served my mission in Belgium and during all those years at BYU. Thank you for influencing our Father to become the man of God that he is. I love you from the bottom of my heart and pray that our Heavenly Father will kindly and tenderly refine you for a place with Him in His Kingdom that you so rightfully will have earned for yourself. May I continue to believe in and follow your words with exactness the rest of my life as a tribute to you my angel mother. Your faith enabled my life after the broadside car accident that nearly claimed my life, the spinal meningitis that nearly claimed my life after 14 days of fevers ranging above 104 degrees at age one, the two falls that resulted in stitches on my chin, the ocean crate that fell on me in Asmara, crushing several bones in both of my feet, the discovery of my deafness at age 8, the problematic tonsillectomy during December 1965, my small, shark-like mouth at age 8 when my permanent teeth erupted, the rock that a friend threw that struck my head and knocked me out in our back yard, the black cat firecrackers that exploded in my right hand that badly burned my right hand in Virginia before we left for Izmir, Turkey, the brain concussion I suffered from US Army metal footlocker in our car accident in Turkey on the way to see St. Nicks resting place, the monkey bite at the Izmir Zoo, my ankle injury in seventh grade, the 48 days I missed from the last semester of eighth grade leading up my ankle surgery to rebuild my ankle with Teflon, the injury to my right knee that summer at the Church Youth Activity, the three jumps from Old Sunrise Bridge that almost claimed my life on a dare from my brother at fourteen, the injury to my left knee from the sleepover at the Church, the discovery of a condition that would render me an invalid by the time I was to turn 21 years old - ligaments in both knees being absorbed by the bones in both knees, the monthly cortisone shots to both knees when sixteen, adaptive PE followed up by complete removal from PE, the surgery to my right knee, the undertow that nearly claimed my life on the American River when I fell off backwards from the aircraft inter-tube I rode, the short-term paralysis I suffered that summer after eleventh grade, my neck brace in twelfth grade, my broken nose from church basket ball, my life-long bout with Tinnitus in my left ear that started after shooting the M16 fully automatic rifle in ROTC at BYU, the 2 ambulance rides I took to the BYU health center because the treating physicians had over medicated me for my ear infection, my fall on the steps of the castle in Antwerp, Belgium that injured both knees on the first day on my mission in Belgium, using a cane to walk on my mission until my mission presidents blessing healed me, the blood poisoning the resulted from training to run the steeplechase at BYU, the stress fracture to my right foot that ended my running at BYU, my facial and eyelid shingles, the blockage in my intestines that kept me from attending your missionary talks, my left broken ankle from a second jump into a cargo net below a tree fort on a Los Altos Stake Scout Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains that resulted in my call as a Scout Master, the door that gave me stitches on my forehead one morning, pleurisy in Los Altos, the Kidney stones I had the day Christian suffered his TBI from his skateboard accident, the 24 long blood clot in my right femoral vein (DVT), the pulmonary embolism (PE) in both lungs, the blood clots in my heart, and the brain showers from the clots breaking up and traveling to my head, severe pleurisy, the greenfield filter I received in my vena cava, what I thought was a heart attack that resulted in my calling of a Bishop. Mother, your faith has tutored me to have a similar faith in my Heavenly Father. I knew from all those times I would crawl into your bedroom to kneel by you in prayer as you would pray for our Fathers safe return from Vietnam (three tours of Duty) each night just how important prayer was to you. I did not need any lesson to teach me what you taught me as I would kneel next to you those many nights when I could not sleep because I missed my dad. Thank you dear Mother for all you have and continue to teach me about faith in the living God. I love you with all my heart. Love your son.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 20:42:21 +0000
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