Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Three Beautiful Things 05/07/19: Tough Goose Update and Much Support, Breakfast with the Turners, Road Trip to Kennewick and My Whitworth Past

1.  This evening, Janice sent me news that Kirk has suffered a set back. She wrote:

Kirk got moved back down to the ICU. He had a bad reaction coming off the chemo, and not having an immune system to off the infection really played havoc on his system. After getting him heavily medicated and settled down, they took a look at his vitals from yesterday and compared them to today. The docs have told us that he tested positive for two blood bacteria, his heart is only working at 20% and they're worried about his kidneys. We're all hoping that he'll bounce back. We still need lots of prayers. Thanks.
                                                                         ***
Many of Kirk's friends have sent me messages pledging their support and prayers. Along with  Janice, let me ask all of you reading this blog to join in praying for him and Janice, to extend your support to them in what ever fashion works best for you.

2. Terry and Nancy Turner and I strolled down to Sam's this morning and enjoyed breakfast together. It was great fun having them visit overnight and getting to talk about so many different things together.

3. Around noon, I headed off to the WalMart parking lot at State Line to meet Stu and we piled into his pickup and headed to Southridge High School in Kennewick, WA to watch the Southridge Suns and the Shadle Park Highlanders of Spokane square off in a loser out district tournament baseball game.

I was acquainted with Shadle Park's coach, Ron Brooks, back in the lateish 1970s, when he played baseball and I worked at Whitworth College. Coach Brooks and Stu have been working together in the Spokane School District for many years. Stu invited me to join him to go down and watch this afternoon's game.

Upon arriving at the Southridge baseball field, Stu and I almost immediately sat down on a bench at field level with Shadle Park's athletic director, Bruce Hafferkamp, another guy who I knew at Whitworth from 1975-78. Bruce had news about many of the guys he and I were involved with at Whitworth in a weekly Bible study group for about two years or so. Some of the news was grievous, but much of it was very good. It was especially good to listen to Bruce talk about his family -- his brother, Brian, his wife and children, and his mother in Salem.

Because Bruce and I yakked so much, I didn't pay very close attention to the baseball game, but I know that Southridge won 3-2. The game winning hit came on the pitch following a borderline two strike pitch that the umpire called a ball, a pitch that would have struck out the hitter and ended the inning. But, alas, given new life, the Southridge batter came through, Shadle Park did not score in the top of the 7th, and the game ended.

No comments: