The Angels Came

I just wanted to let everyone know that Lanita passed away peacefully on Monday morning      @ 3:25am. I had the privilege at being beside my wife's side along with Lanita's mom & dad and my brother Brent. 


There are so many people to thank that I do not know where to start. Lanita's mother, Laural, stayed full time with Lanita at the hospice these last five months and gave, as only a mother can, all of her love and care. I can't thank her enough for all her unselfish time. Thanks to Allan as well of standing by and helping in any way he could with his daughter, wife, family, and grandkids.


A very, very, very, special thanks to all the caregivers and staff at the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice Home. They truly became a part of our family over these many months and deserve so much more recogniition than they ever recieve for the comfort and dignity that they provide, not only for the patient, but for the family as well.


 Funeral Arrangements


Open to everyone


When:    This Saturday, June 23, 2012 
Time:       1:30pm
Where:   Valleyview Arena, Kamloops BC
                 #353 Highland Road                           (Map Link)




In Lieu of flowers we would just ask that donations be made to the hospice
(Click Here for Address Link and Details)




Cards, Letters, or Emails can be sent to the following


4879 Uplands Dr
Kamloops BC V2C 6S9
Ph. 250-573-1735
Cell    250-682-0607
email:   eldonlarson@gmail.com
              alloyek2010@gmail.com
              arleighlarson@me.com




I will update the blog throughout the week as further details are worked out and as time will permit.  Thanks for the outpouring of love and support from everyone that has taken the time to write a note, drop by, or has contributed or shown their care in so many other ways. I am truly overwhelmed and very grateful.


                                                                                           Eldon 

Sixteen Years Later

It seems just like yesterday that I was standing in nervous anticipation in front of a crowd of people, waiting for my bride to come gracefully down the stairs of the Overlander Lodge in that white dress. I decided that maybe it was time to update the log as Lanita has been asking me if I had done it yet. There is a few changes from a month ago. You may have heard that we did get Lanita up to the ski hill to view the slopes for the kids spring break but since that time, no more trips. They have hooked up a drug pump, etc., to make her comfortable and she stays mostly in a semi concious state with quick moments of alertness, every once in a while. She made the decision that icechips are the food of choice as food no longer tastes good and also, doesn't want to go down. I decided that a letter today would be nicer than some boughten card. I decided that it would be alright to share.
                A Little Piece of Canvas.
      My phone is ringing....I picture the pretty face on the other end, I answer, and a voice bubbles through the phone..."Good Morning! I Love You!" That was 16 years ago on our wedding morning, and it seems just like yesterday. I feel that I have been blessed in so many ways. God took two hearts and put them together but he also put our hands together to paint our picture on the canvas of life. Its been 16 years on this journey and alot has been been painted. I have always loved your smile and beautiful brown eyes, your love to travel, and your amazing ability to get things done. Sometimes though, it's hard to see the most beautiful work, the most masterful strokes of the brush, until you are made to step back and view things under a different light. I see clearly, that God in his mercy, didn't remove his hand from the brush when he joined our hands together. I want to thank you for what your faithfulness has done in helping me keep anchored. I never had to question whether we would be at a meeting, at home or abroad. Everyday I get to wake up and see in our 3 beautiful children, the love you poured into them, the time you spent teaching them, their love for the workers, and also in their taking their own steps in walking with God. Yes, it seem's that we've had more than enough challenges but I feel that it has caused me to understand that God wanted my heart to be a little larger, to learn to be a little more caring, to be a little more loving, to be a better man. He chose you to help me this way, and for this, I am thankful.I watch now as God finishes with the brushstrokes in your heart and I am reminded again.... It isn't the canvas of life that is important, as it is simply a canvas that gets rolled up, but the canvas of eternity, the most important one, it continues to unroll forever. Thank you again for showing me what canvas to paint on.... "I Love You" Eldon

Hello Morphine

Its been a bit of a winding road since I last sat down to this ol keyboard but here we are again. Let me fill in a few of the gaps to this little to date. It starts with, 'I think I would like some Kettle Corn today', two handfuls later, 'its a little to salty'. Next day....'I think a teen burger would be good...half a burger later,..I think I'm going to be sick! Following day,...I would like some of those gluten free chips from costco. I bring back 3 kinds, of which, all are wrong! Back to Costco where I find the RIGHT ones! A couple of handfuls later...I can't eat those anymore. The food cravings for different things carried on as well as an improvement in her mobility. Yes, the stubborness (determinedness) is still there. We watched with confusion as she gained alertness and then started asking to do things that we never thought would happen. The first major event was that she wanted to go out for a drive and coffee so we got her bundled up, tucked into moms car, and then proceeded to take her to Makaelas school. It just so happened that it was recess time and so she was able to say hello to the teachers and watch her daughter show off in usual carefree manner in the playground. A few minutes (and a few tears) later, it was off to Frankly's Coffee for another half hour or so and then back to hospice. A few days later, being Sunday, she beamed her radiant smile at the world as we wheeled her out to the truck for the afternoon gospel meeting. Everyone was amazed to see her there. This was followed up by an outing to the mall for a couple of hours, a second Gospel meeting, and another coffee time trip to Tim Hortons. Must not forget the major event this last Saturday, The 'Grande Tea Party'! Veronika Larson organized a tea for the Barnhartvale ladies who lanita has worked with to come and share a morning tea with complete with scones, desserts, fruit, etc. and I can't fill you in every detail as no boys where allowed! To watch someone go from the not talking, can't walk state, to this this was almost akin to watching someone walk on water. They say it is a fight to live but it is also a fight the other way. This last Wednesday started fine but by noon things took a turn. She started to experience sharp pains not only in her shouder but in her sides and it hurt to breath. Hello Morphine. There is an infection going on but it looks like fever is now gone.

Feb. 13th update

It is a beautiful sunny morning and our sleeping beauty has her eyes open...temporarily anyway! Lots of people ask how she is and whether she is in any pain. It is wonderful to say that she has no pain at all and her nausea is superbly managed. There are some moments when she is queasy but that is common with stomache cancer. Everyday is quite similar at this point with her being awake breifly for a few bites of porridge for breakfast and maybe a bit of a hot drink then back to rest/sleep mode. There are generally a few snack points happen in the day consisting of maybe a few crackers, maybe a popsicle, or sometimes just ice chips. Everyday is unique in the snack department but not much for quantity. The quantity side will continue to diminish, the sleep time will lengthen, and time here will get shorter. Lanita is very peaceful and does desire to go on and to be able to follow our dear ones that have already been carried away. She said that she had a pity party day when she heard of Keith Olsen going before her. We had called uncle Keith the day before he passed and though both her and Keith were not able to verbally communicate, both seemed to draw encouragement and strength just knowing each was on the line. We are so thankful that the Spirit doesn't need to communicate with words but is keenly felt. (Oh, and she says to mention...Her hair is growing! I will get a picture update for you soon.)

A time when some things mean less, Other things mean more...

It is now of an hour of when I should probably be turning out the the lights, but, I doubt that sleep would come quickly so felt that maybe I should try to rearrange some of the letter on my keyboard instead. As a little boy I remember my Grandfather giving me an old tire (almost the same size I was) to roll up and down his lane. It was really quite simple..Get it rolling, keep giving it a kick to keep it going, and then, watch with dismay as you stopped to have this heavy ol tire flop back down on the ground. Then you'd have to grunt like crazy to repeat the process all over again. Yes,sometimes being busy and having to keep alot of things rolling can be a blessing , but is the quiet moments though, where it seems your emotions will just sometimes, come crashing down. I never thought that it would be hard to pack a simple box. I took some of Lanita's old sweaters that I figured might as well get packed into a box and lets just say this..I won't be critical of anybodies emotional state as they do something like this. It is quite clear to one's mind that the reason you are doing it, isn't due to there not being enough closet space. The hole in your heart is definitely bigger than the one in the closet. As I held my wife's weakened hand this afternoon, I noticed how much shallower her breathing is and reflected on how different communication has become. She only seems to whisper or talk quite quietly but the words are few. I had to cry as I left today as I felt her use the extra of her strength just to simply squeeze my hand,  to force her eyes to stay open even though her body said no, and then whisper out the words, "I Love You".  Today she told me, "I'm just willing to now wait for whenever it is 'God's Time' and I can only marvel at the beauty of a canvas that is being painted with eternal brushstrokes. For some reason it seems to take so long, to write so little. It is also true that, yes, tough guys do cry, and without rain, we'd never see a rainbow. Goodnight for now, Eldon

January 23rd

I would have to say that the hospice has become almost a second home. Lanita has been telling us that she's in 'no-man's land'. Everyone's been wondering the state she's in and how things are going and so I will try to fill you in the missing blanks since my last update. I do have to say that the kids have settled in very well at home. Routine is great (even if it is always fun)! It is amazing what a difference an extra pair of hands make around a house, but things are into a pretty good rhythm. The alarm clock squawks away at 5:50am, porridge made, kids get rolling. The bus screeches to a halt at 7:10 for Makaela, Caden dashes off to catch his bus at 7:25, and I roar off in the truck at 8:10 with Damon and the neighbour kid. In the midst of it all, we seem to get all the other things done, (Just like all you great moms out there), things like teeth brushed, hair done, dishes put away, and things tidied up. Ok, once in a while a bed or two might not get made but all in all, i'm pretty proud of what does get accomplished! Try to hit the doors to the hospice by 9:30 to see my beautiful wife and see what kind of night she had. There is no predicting anything. Generally she's a little more awake in the beginning part of the morning. She will often have a few bites of porridge as her breakfast, and Lunches will often consist of a popsicle stick or two. Somedays it seems that she just can't get her eyes to open and then there are other days when she will have a few "awake" periods for an hour or two. Each day is one of those 'what have we got today' days, but we love her just the same! She has 4 butterflies on her (not the tattoo's type), where they inject her for her meds. One on each arm, two in the abdomen. The nurses have done a fabulous job at getting the nausea under control and also in keeping one jokester husband in line! I'm finding the patients to be quite interesting people in many different ways and often there is something going on that humors the day. It makes you glad that when you do put first things first, these times aren't times of distress, fear, or anxiety. God truly has been a God of great comfort and it is wonderful to reflect on the point that God has always given so much more than he has ever taken. There is no better hands to be in than 'God's Hands'. We don't know what the plan is for God's timing but know it has always been perfect. This experience has shown so well the spirit of our servants, the spirit of his people, and drawn us not only closer as an 'eternal family' but also unveiled so many more of God's pictures that were either veiled, unknown, or maybe just not as clear as they should have been. I know I have said it many times, these aren't only rich times, they are enriching. Anytime we are forced to stop and  look into our own hearts and souls, getting a realignment done, so that we could be ready for when our time comes, is a precious gift. Each day is unique. Some days we get greeted with the smile of Lanita's brown eyes, sometime's she is only to smile with her pearly whites, but no matter what her state is that day, we always get greeted with a kind, gracious, and thankful spirit. If you come to visit, and say a few minutes of hello, the family will always let you know the state she is in. Oh, and by the way, the coffees's always on!

January 23rd

I would have to say that the hospice has become almost a second home. Lanita has been telling us that she's in 'no-man's land'. Everyone's been wondering the state she's in and how things are going and so I will try to fill you in the missing blanks since my last update. I do have to say that the kids have settled in very well at home. Routine is great (even if it is always fun)! It is amazing what a difference an extra pair of hands make around a house, but things are into a pretty good rhythm. The alarm clock squawks away at 5:50am, porridge made, kids get rolling. The bus screeches to a halt at 7:10 for Makaela, Caden dashes off to catch his bus at 7:25, and I roar off in the truck at 8:10 with Damon and the neighbour kid. In the midst of it all, we seem to get all the other things done, (Just like all you great moms out there), things like teeth brushed, hair done, dishes put away, and things tidied up. Ok, once in a while a bed or two might not get made but all in all, i'm pretty proud of what does get accomplished! Try to hit the doors to the hospice by 9:30 to see my beautiful wife and see what kind of night she had. There is no predicting anything. Generally she's a little more awake in the beginning part of the morning. She will often have a few bites of porridge as her breakfast, and Lunches will often consist of a popsicle stick or two. Somedays it seems that she just can't get her eyes to open and then there are other days when she will have a few "awake" periods for an hour or two. Each day is one of those 'what have we got today' days, but we love her just the same! She has 4 butterflies on her (not the tattoo's type), where they inject her for her meds. One on each arm, two in the abdomen. The nurses have done a fabulous job at getting the nausea under control and also in keeping one jokester husband in line! I'm finding the patients to be quite interesting people in many different ways and often there is something going on that humors the day. It makes you glad that when you do put first things first, these times aren't times of distress, fear, or anxiety. God truly has been a God of great comfort and it is wonderful to reflect on the point that God has always given so much more than he has ever taken. There is no better hands to be in than 'God's Hands'. We don't know what the plan is for God's timing but know it has always been perfect. This experience has shown so well the spirit of our servants, the spirit of his people, and drawn us not only closer as an 'eternal family' but also unveiled so many more of God's pictures that were either veiled, unknown, or maybe just not as clear as they should have been. I know I have said it many times, these aren't only rich times, they are enriching. Anytime we are forced to stop and  look into our own hearts and souls, getting a realignment done, so that we could be ready for when our time comes, is a precious gift. Each day is unique. Some days we get greeted with the smile of Lanita's brown eyes, sometime's she is only to smile with her pearly whites, but no matter what her state is that day, we always get greeted with a kind, gracious, and thankful spirit. If you come to visit, and say a few minutes of hello, the family will always let you know the state she is in. Oh, and by the way, the coffees's always on!