The Lanyon Family Homeland, 2023 Newsletter Edition

47 Long Hill St; East Hartford, CT 06108	wisesaver@yahoo.com

Home, 860-528-7205; Pat, 860-655-9000; David, 860-913-8372; Joseph, 860-922-6448

"A Stayed Mind"

Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

As we mark the biggest year in our newsletter's 35 year history for 2023, this page's content reminds us of anniversaries, events and restorations, some that were of necessity time sensitive. But none of these prepared us for our final quarter.

This is *1)the 40th anniversary of my move to CT (August 26) and *2) December 4th marks my 40th year of Membership at TBC. *3) It is David's 34th year and *4) looking forward, Joseph turns 31 in 2024, January. *5)January began Christine's first full year of Medicare coverage since signing up in '2022's enrollment which she patiently waited to get cataract surgeries in April and May. *6)This year marked Mary Davis' 10th year of Haitian Evangelism Missions service. *7)Our 35th anniversary as the CT Lanyons began on August 13th with a Dinner Date with Christine.

Late in 2022 our roofing had aged 30 years in our home and so we asked our church known contractor Br. Rob Grundmann to install us a new roof. Seeing them install it with another's help was amazing few days' work. About a month later we had new seamless gutters as well. Later we had to purchase a new van where the new gutters and roofing is visible. Mom also wanted a 'rain barrel' for our down spouts to water the dryer times each month.

See some of the photos below.

Early in spring I noticed bee bee sized holes in one of our big pine trees along with sap pouring down the south side of the one closest to Joseph's bedroom. The tree surgeon said it was 'boring beetles' and both of the pine trees closest to the house had them. I have loved all the trees on our property but now the 5th and 6th trees since we bought it had to come down. The blessing is that there's a lot more sunlight to have gardening taking place, but sadly a 7th tree will need to come down since it is being eat up with carpenter ants. And even our front's beautiful Dogwood tree has been hollowed out and could blow down next literally. On December 29th I turn 71, and Christine turned 74 on January 20 and after over a year waiting for her medicare to kick in, with it in place she scheduled two needed cataract surgeries in late April and early May one week apart for each of her eyes. With her left eye, second surgery, she suffered a broken blood vessel, but the eye doctor said it would clear up, which it did. She did have double vision and for months it only slightly improved. But I could barely tell Christine had that condition without directly asking her. She was happy she no longer needed her glasses, though.

Through the gift of a Time share in early September for our third time David, Christine and myself were given a week to enjoy Cape Cod while Joseph kept our Janitorial hours filled. (He instead took single days and parts of weekends for school friends and parks visits.) Our truck mount just completed it's 10th year of service in 2022, and it began to be simpler to maintain it without so much paperwork. But on September 26th, it was rear-ended, and within a week all carpet cleaning ended abruptly for us.

Thus began a perfect storm for us that we see as God's testing for our family...

The October-November Family STORM

Chris, in 12 days from this shocking event, began lisping unknowingly a repeating word, "So...So...So..." It was so strange for her to do this I asked her what are you doing? Apologetically she said, "I'm sorry, I'll try to keep my mouth closed. Then I heard her saying, "I think I might be getting Parkinson's Disease" (I had thought I was getting it since my dad got it at my present age or later, and she was aware of it through me, I guess. She had experienced a pinched nerve and back pain in the previous week, and so we took her to the Chiropractor. But the next week she began other disturbing symptoms which included inability to control motor movement in her left leg, then a series of falls around David at first when they were together at home and places we clean. The falling increased because she sensed an inability to control bathroom needs, and urges found her going there so as not to have an accident. Very early Friday at 3 am October 13 I heard her calling my name and got up and went to the bathroom to find her on the bathroom floor unable to lift her left leg into the sleeper pants, not to get up without help! ER planning began, but we kept it low stress all day getting to it through patient planning. Once inside the hospital eventually a brain scan revealed (later exactly biopsied) she had glioblastoma a malignant brain tumor and was immediately admitted.

Dr. Kelley, U.Conn's neurosurgeon just happened to be on call that night at 11:30pm and said he preferred to delay operating until he could assemble specialists for her surgery, which should best be Wednesday morning October 18.

I immediately posted the news on our Facebook page @ctlanyons which has a relatively low friends count. But immediately concerns arose and quite literally Christine became bigger than life through her Friendships maintained through her genuineness, meekness, and her continuing greeting cards ministry to a multitude of people. In her room dozens of cards showed up and even whole Sunday School classes on a single card came. I began urging specific prayers to get healing specific answers. God even began showing Himself as we passed through this ordeal: 1)we received a beautiful room with picturesque views of Eastern CT and even the Hartford High Rise Buildings, 2)a sunlight spotlight over 2 or 3 very cloudy days on those same Hartford buildings. 3)a rainbow close enough to pitch a baseball to it if the windows could be opened, 4)a fire alarm as I was leaving one night that turned into a prayer that God would fix a very threatening situation at 9 pm as I was asked to leave for visitation hours were over. God answered my specific prayer going home that He would "fix" the problem, and a call from the hospital 10 minutes before I went to bed came saying, "We got the all clear"!" Amazingly to me I had to share the answer on FB and on my website to give glory to God, 5) In preop on Wednesday morning, her prior Sunday school student and then teenager at TBC came to visit Chris in his anesthesiology capacity there at UConn came to visit 15 minutes just before he had a meeting which was encouraging to see such a friendly face there.

The 6.5 hour surgery went, according to the Dr.'s as they planned, and we all looked forward to cognitive responsiveness to develop after the surgery. But there was little initial responses, except her right hand/thumb responses to questions. But brightly to us was a gesture of her raising her hand when Pastor Rowley had come to see her: she held it above her chest to shake his for several moments for he was on the far left side to reach her hand. Thankfully I got that as a picture. Later he anointed her with oil. But within a day after her surgery, she began to have seizures. And while they could and did layered anti-seizure medications.

At the 4th and 5th level authorization for intubation was secured and implemented. This, I thought was serious negative conditions coming. And come they did. It looked bad to see her whole body shake when mucus and saliva had to be suctioned out of her lungs causing blood pressure and heartbeat to soar. Still we believed, because of her nobility and prominence God would heal her! The ICU staff were amazed at the multiplied dozens of cards she was receiving, so many that we had to tape them to the windows of her 1st floor room, 113.

We were told the ventilator could only safely remain in her for 2 weeks, which swiftly came at the end of October. Since we had spiritual services and a Harvest Banquet we wanted to give God the last chances to work, but we Lanyon men were called in on Monday November 6 to see scans and hear the Neurosurgeon's report. Out of respect of Christine's vibrant life and the Dr.'s honest reports, we three concluded the best thing was to choose "comfort" measures beginning about 1pm or so, and just see if God would not at one last moment spare her supernaturally. But God had been giving us consistent mostly answers of "No." And at 8:50pm she entered heaven's gates!

We concluded Saturday Nov 18 was THE best choice for a memorial, and so scheduled and planned for that. The links are at www.aprayernotebook.net/queenc
hristine/seeit.htm

It was by far the most impactful memorial I've ever witnessed at TBC in all my 40 years.

We ALL will miss terribly her cheerful smile, disposition of JOY, all of her home and church ministry by cooking, book-keeping, cleaning, reaching out to ladies, teaching, and ministry in a Wednesday nursing home with one of our long-time former members. Our short letter cannot do justice to these last months of 2023 so please visit the above folder in APN or best of all link up with us at www.facebook.com/ctlanyons

Love, Patrick,

David & Joseph LANYON

LFHomeland23l10Final3pg.wpd
Gay City Park | 1988 Marriage Licence

OH Vacation in our 2002 Grand Caravan

Birthday Card for Patrick | Cards sent to ICU floor Univ. Of CT Health Center

(John Dempsey Hospital, Farmington, CT)

Christine E. (Wise) Lanyon 1/20/1949 – 11/6/2023

34th Anniversary Card (iinside) to Hubby from August 13, 2022

Piles of Christmas cards – all original from past cards received – ready to distribute for Christmas.