The Struggle Has Ended

Greg Hewlett passed away on January 17th after nearly eight years of battling colon cancer. While we grieve his loss, we are comforted to know that he is with his Lord.

If you would like to leave your thoughts on Greg, please see this thread.

If you would like to make a charitable donation in Greg's honor, please see this thread.

Monday, September 15, 2003

Relaxing in Brenham

This weekend I was without internet access. Christine's sister, Anne, flew down from Newark Friday and the three of us stayed at a vacation farm house out near Brenham, TX, for the weekend. The house belongs to the Jobes, a family friend of a friend of ours from Houston. They generously allowed us to stay at their house. We had a wonderful time with Anne for our little get-away.



Anne_Chris_Greg_20.JPG
Anne, Christine, and Greg at the Rasmussens before our trip to Brenham
Those of you who know me well, know that I am really a city boy at heart. Of the many places I've lived, my favorite was surrounded by human activity in Boston. So I must admit that I was a bit panicked in my little Volvo as I drove down a muddy road and through a cow pasture (with cows; no road) to get to the farm house Friday night. I had no business being out in the middle of nowhere, I thought to myself. But by the next morning, as the sun rose above the pond out back, my soul quieted. It is indeed refreshing to be in a place where the only sounds are chirping and an occasional moo.
We slept in, read books, and just sat on the rocking chairs out on the porch. Christine tried to pet the cows, but they ran away from her. We enjoyed a couple of great restaurants: Volare Italian Resaurant in a downtown Brenham restored saloon, and the Brazos Belle restaurant in a restored general store in downtown Burton. Christine and her sister stayed up late into the wee hours of the night talking. It was a relaxing time for all of us.
This was a good weekend for me during a time when an hour does not go by when I do not look forward to Friday wishing the clock would go a bit slower. When I met with the surgeon Tuesday, I tried to get him to assure me that the many complications he detailed were rare, but he would give me no such false assurance. It's serious business opening up one's gut, and I'm not excited about it, even though it is clearly better than the alternative.
I had a scare Thursday as the abdominal pains began increasing as they did last time. I called MDACC and they told me to go to liquid diet and come in if the pain becomes "unbearable". Fortunately, the cramps faded away! The next day I was back on solid foods.
One morning this weekend, I read Psalm 13. It allowed me to accurately express my thoughts in a prayer to the Lord:
Psalm 13
How long, O LORD?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer,
O LORD, my God.
Give light to my eyes,
or I will sleep in death;
My enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love;
My heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

11 comments:

Bill Peck said...

Greg,
I can only imagine the blessing it must have been to have such a weekend. Clearly, God has provided friends who can offer such a respite.
Psalm 13 is a long-time favorite of mine,too, particularly the last 2 verses.
Be assured that you and Christine are in our daily prayers.

Judy Kovacs said...

I'm praying for you two whenever the Lord brings you to mind. Thanks for posting the picture. Under the circumstances, God is holding you two up very well!!

Judy WU said...

Greg and Christine - I'll track you guys down on Friday. Love you guys!

Bradenbaugh said...

I sure did enjoy seeing Ann and Christine together, reminds me, when they were little girls.
Brings back old memories. I love the l3th Psalm too. Thank you for sharing it with us. We pray for your family many times during the day.
Love, Maria

Adam in Tokyo said...

Glad you both got to listen to some cows. Not many here!
Look forward to hearing good news in a few days.
Adam

Adam in Tokyo said...

Glad you both got to listen to some cows. Not many here!
Look forward to hearing good news in a few days.
Adam

Jim MacNally said...

Greg,
We are, were and continue to pray.......

Anne Murray said...

Greg and Christine,
Thanks for a memorable weekend. The journey was long but the reward was great. You are really troopers. Melina and Sarabeth were envious of our closeness to nature. Wish we could be there on Friday to hold you and hug you. Sally is a gift from God and will clearly make a big difference in your recovery. Can't wait until we can hang out again. Please ask anything of us that you need. We love you so deeply and truly.

Carl said...

Greg and Christine
God surrounds you

curtis frodge said...

hey man glad to hear you got some r & r ill be praying for you to continue to be relaxed. shounds like a cool place though, thanks for the update. hope everything else is goin well, i love you both and miss seeing you a lot.
-curtis

Denise said...

Greg and Chris,
So glad to hear you had such a nice restorative weekend with Anne. It's wonderful that she was able to visit. I'm sure you all enjoyed the bonding experience. I truly appreciated seeing the photo. I think of you both daily and I'm praying that all will go well in surgery on Friday.
Love, Denise