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Written by Gerrit DeHoog
Christmas 2006

2006 has been a very different year for me and my family. First, with Pearl's* passing on December 30, 2005, which was almost expected, and then our middle son Mike's passing on May 18, 2006, which was totally unexpected. Through all of this I have felt the hand of God my Father very near.

The night of December 29th, I asked God to please take Pearl home; the next night between midnight and 2:30, He heard and answered my prayers and took Pearl to be with Him. (Editor's Note: Pearl dealt gracefully with Diabetes for most of her adult life, undergoing several amputations in her later years.)

On the morning of May 15, Mike came to our shop and he and Jack and I visited and he told us about his rotator cuff repair surgery and how well it went, etc. May 17th he got a clean bill of health and an OK to return to work. May 18, 8:30 AM, he was dead from a massive heart attack at age 53. Here again, God in His great love and mercy for us, prepared the way. He had put a burden on my heart to pray for Mike, no one else or anything else, just Mike. I knelt by my bed three nights in a row and asked God to please not take Mike until his soul was right with Him. The first morning I asked myself, “why am I doing this, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Mike”. Then when we were called to St. Bernardine's Hospital that morning and Renie told me that our Mike was dead, I knew why God had put that burden on my heart. Now I know that Mike's soul is with his mother's in the care of our Heavenly Father.

I'm sitting in Pearl's chair close by a nice fire while I'm writing this, but it has taken so long the fire's almost out! I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a special Thank You for all your very nice and thoughtful cards and condolences this past year.

*Pearl Eckhoff DeHoog was the daughter of John and Cornelia Brink Eckhoff