Wholeness Revealed

Wholeness was revealed on October 1 when Laurence left this chapter of his life and went on to the next. I will be the first to admit that his passing does not fit my pictures of what I had prayed for and what I envisioned for our life together. But I know prayer is always answered and it was answered in a way that was as big as Laurence’s energy, as big as his capacity for life and for love, as big as his love for God.

Many times Laurence and I had talked about transitions. He had supported several family members and friends through their last days of life. We commented how the ideal way to leave this life is to let go while asleep, peacefully and without pain and suffering.

His doctors told us in June that he wasn’t strong enough to fight the fungal brain infection, weak heart and multiple strokes. We expected him to take this opportunity to leave peacefully but he didn’t. He woke up, regained strength and speech. The fungal brain infection mysteriously disappeared, his heart became stronger and even the cerebral hemorrhage began to heal. He was responding to therapy and relearning how to walk.

Dozens, no hundreds of people responded to my request and joined with prayers for wholeness. Friends appealed to other friends and prayers rippled out. People who didn’t normally pray were actively envisioning wholeness for Laurence.

Isn't that just like Laurence? His dream of ministering to others became a reality as we all lifted our hearts and minds in prayer. He ministered to every doctor, nurse, technician as love filled his room. He gave grateful thanks to each person whether they took blood, administered tests or emptied the trash.

Eventually his body could no longer cope with his symptoms. Laurence grew weaker and pain increased. He fought for over one hundred days until he said he was finished. I realize now how graciously prayer was answered. There was no way this extraordinary man of courage and strength was going to slip away in the dark of night. Wholeness was revealed for Laurence as he intentionally walked each step of his journey. Once he decided to let go, he consciously said goodbye to his family and friends. His body grew weaker but his voice was clear as he whispered constant words of gratitude and love to God in his last days.

Wholeness was revealed for each of us as we were called to love more graciously, pray more intimately and expand our faith. We were all lifted in an amazing experience of God’s love and a deepening of faith.

Thank you for walking this journey with me. Thank you for your extraordinary prayers and love. I trust your life was changed forever from knowing Laurence as mine was.

This is my last entry for this blog. It seems appropriate on the last day of this year. I will continue to blog at Empowered Thoughts and share my experience of grief at Missing My Beloved.

May God continue to bless you and may every prayer you prayed for us be abundantly returned to you. May God continue to reveal wholeness in every area of your life.

With loving gratitude.

Extraordinary Heroes

My heart overflows with gratitude every time I think of all the loving support Laurence received from the medical community. I wish I could thank every doctor, nurse, CNA, technician, and hospital staff member that made a difference in our lives. They are extraordinary heroes that blessed us.

Just a few of the heroes and angels we met:

Dr. Segal and the staff at the NW Cancer Center
Providence Hospital Cancer Center
Surgeons and staff at Providence Hospital
Dr. Samagh and the staff at Providence Medical Group/Bethany
Hyperbaric technicians at Providence Hospital
Wound care nurses at St. Vincent Hospital
Dr Grajewski and the staff at OHSU bone marrow transplant unit
Dr. Wilson and the staff at Good Samaritan Hospital Rehabilitation Unit
Speech, occupational, recreational and physical therapists at Good Samaritan Hospital
OSHU Intensive Care Unit
OHSU infusion clinic
Odyssey Hospice Care

There are more whose names I can’t remember. I give thanks for the gracious support and amazing professional care we have received over the years. We are so blessed in Portland to have extraordinary professionals in our medical community. May God bless each and every one.

Talks from Laurence's memorial service are available to download:

Rev Marcia Sutton click here

Chris McClure click here

Rev Christine Green click here

Grateful Thanks

December 22 will be the one year anniversary of Laurence's diagnosis with leukemia. He was admitted to the hospital on Christmas Eve.

I miss him terribly although there are days where I feel Laurence is standing next to me telling me not to worry and showering me with his love. Several times I experienced solutions appear to pressing problems and felt his guidance.

I am so grateful for each of you and how dedicated you've been to reading the blog and sending prayers. I have felt your love and support and it has lifted me on many days when I could barely cope.

My prayer for you is that every prayer you have prayed is abundantly returned to you. My the Christ's Love and Grace bless you and your family.

God Bless You.

Hugs.

Thanksgiving Blessings

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I want to extend my deep appreciation and grateful thanks for your generous acts of kindness, your partnership and prayers this year. May you and your families have a blessed and loving Thanksgiving holiday.

With loving thanks.

Memorial Talk

Rev Marcia gave Laurence a beautiful tribute on Saturday. You are welcome to download her talk. Click here

I am so grateful to everyone who helped make the day possible. Each of you is an amazing blessing to me.

With loving gratitude.

Legacy of Love

I am so grateful to everyone that attended the service today. It was bittersweet to feel such deep sadness and then incredible joy to see friends I haven't seen in a while. There was truly a presence of love and grace in the room.

Thanks for your gracious comments about my talk. Here it is:


Legacy of Love
By Rev Christine Green

Laurence made living in love seem effortless and natural. Looking back I realize now his unwavering intention and commitment. There were simple principles that allowed him to live a life of love and grace.

Paid attention. Laurence gave each person his full concentration. Whether it was the waiter bringing his meal or the nurse drawing his labs, he inquired about their jobs, families and their interests. He remembered birthdays and anniversaries and acknowledged important dates. He stayed connected with his Mom, his siblings and his children. He took the time to truly listen. I was so grateful for his willingness to listen to my ideas, concerns and dreams. Unless of course it was a Sunday in the middle of a game during football season or Saturday during college season or March Madness. But other than that, he was an extraordinary listener.

Stepped aside. He opened the door for everyone and always let others go ahead. This simple act was a symbol for his humbleness and generosity. He genuinely wanted others to succeed. He didn’t dwell on disappointment but focused on the next task at hand. Rather than be hurt by an offhand comment, he would step aside from the remark and not take it personally. He was willing to forgive.

Spread joy. Laurence had a great sense of humor, a brilliant smile and a contagious laugh. When times were tense, he spoke up in one of his funny voices or cracked a silly joke. His face lit up with joy when he talked about his children and grandchildren. When I was worried or troubled, he took my hand and we danced.

Gave thanks. Laurence’s most frequent words were thank you. He blessed and gave thanks each day for his family. He thanked me for doing the laundry, for running errands and for taking care of our home. He thanked every person in the hospital whether they emptied the trash, took his blood or diagnosed a test. He always noticed and acknowledged what people were doing right. And he always gave thanks to God.

Walked in faith. Laurence was deeply devoted to God and never once lost his faith. After his stroke he fervently practiced reading and memorizing Psalm 103. He joyfully prayed with each prayer partner that entered his room.

Doing each of these things alone is admirable. Together they morph into the exquisite expression of love. This was Laurence’s legacy of love. But I realized there was one more thing.

Laurence taught me how to receive. Receive his love and generosity as a husband, his compassion and thoughtfulness as my friend, his wisdom as my teacher. He reminded me each day of the importance of receiving God’s love.

When our world unraveled with Laurence’s health challenges this past year I once again learned to receive. I asked for your prayers and you responded earnestly. I needed help at the hospital and a team of loving, supportive friends visited Laurence regularly for five months at the hospital and rehab, to talk with him, pray with him, laugh with him, and assist him with whatever he needed. I am so grateful to receive your homemade meals, airport rides, massages, your loving phone calls, encouraging emails and your constant prayers. Thank you so much for your generosity and for your gracious gifts.

One day at the hospital I read a few of the letters and cards you sent to Laurence and when I finished he commented, “We have stellar friends.” Yes we do. Praise God.

Thank you for being stellar friends. Thank you for being gracious givers and receivers. Laurence was truly a gift from God. We have all been blessed and are changed forever. I love you Laurence. Thank you God.

A Gift

Thank you for reading this blog and for your continued prayers. You have been awesome partners on this journey.

In grateful thanks I have a gift for you. Laurence recorded The Lord's Prayer several years ago and I would like to share that recording with you. Right click on the link to download the prayer.
The Lord's Prayer

I hope you see you on Saturday. Thanks again for your support and love.

With loving gratitude,
Christine

In Memory

Laurence Mark Green
Visit Guest Book
Green, Laurence Mark 53 02/09/1957 10/01/2010

Our beloved Laurence passed away peacefully at home Friday, Oct. 1, 2010, after enduring a long and heroic fight with cancer. Laurence is survived by his wife, Christine; children, Jason, Melinda, and Daniel; grandchildren, Maryssa, Makenzie, Jaiden, Jayla, and Jenaya; mother, Martha; six sisters; and five brothers. Born one of 17 children in Los Angeles, Laurence developed a great sense of humor and a deep caring for his family. Over the years he worked in restaurant management, catering, health food sales, and financial planning. He was an ordained minister. Laurence's radiant smile and loving heart always reminded us to be grateful for all that we share in this abundant life. He is truly missed and his spirit will be a blessing to us always. A celebration of life ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010, in Sunset Presbyterian Church, Portland. Contributions are graciously accepted in Laurence's name to Sacred Heart Ministries, P.O. Box 3422, Portland, OR 97208.

Published in The Oregonian on November 7, 2010

Hotel Reservations

We have a special hotel rate for a block of rooms at the Phoenix Inn. To make your reservation call 503-614-8100 and make reservations under "Green Family Memorial." The rate is $79 plus tax for reservations on November 12 and 13. Reservations must be made by November 1st. Please contact me if you have any questions.


Blessings.

Celebration of Life

Please join us for a celebration of Laurence’s life and a tribute to God’s love hosted by Sacred Heart Ministries.

Saturday, November 13, 2010
Sunset Presbyterian Church
14986 NW Cornell Rd
Portland, OR 97229
11:00 a.m.
Reception following service

We are in the process of arranging for a special hotel rate at the nearby Phoenix Inn for those who are traveling from out of town. I will post when details are available.

Thank you for your continued prayers. You are a blessing.

Team in Training

Many thanks to Laurence's high school friend Bonny and Team Green (in photo: Robin, Ron, Bonny, David and Diane) for braving the rainy NW weather and running in the Portland Marathon on Sunday in honor of Laurence. It was an privilege to meet the team and cheer them on. Members from Team Green will take part in the Long Beach marathon next weekend.

Heidi Hill also participated in the Portland Marathon Yesterday and proudly wore a special ribbon for Laurence on her purple Team in Training jersey. Heidi is running with her mom and sister in the Nike Women's marathon in San Francisco next weekend. Heidi and her family will head to Athens, Greece, to participate in the 2,500th anniversary of the original marathon (from Marathon, Greece, to Athens, Greece) on October 31. Awesome!

Thank you all for your dedication and commitment and for bringing attention to finding a cure for Leukemia. Thank you for honoring Laurence and for making a difference. Laurence is smiling...

Date Set

Memorial Service scheduled for Saturday, November 13.
More details to follow.

You are a blessing.

Message from Sandi

I have been thinking about my time with Laurence over the years and about our recent visits at the hospital, then at home where he was under hospice care. His life has touched so many people in so many different ways. What stands out in my mind right now is his gratitude. While visiting him at the hospital, he said "thank you" more times than I could possibly count. He thanked every person every time they came into his room. Whether it was to feed him, take his blood, empty the trashcan - it didn't matter. He thanked each for their caregiving and support.

"An attitude of gratitude" and similar phrases are not unfamiliar to me. I have heard numerous strategies such as "write a thank-you note every day" or "think of something you are thankful for before you go to sleep at night." In my time with Laurence, however, I encountered an example of the gratitude that St. Paul meant when he wrote "in every thing give thanks."

Laurence had many reasons to feel frustrated or discouraged, angry or afraid. I know he experienced much pain and discomfort. Even so, he has provided me with the most striking example of gratitude I have ever seen in my 59 years. For that, all I can say is,

Thank you, Laurence.

Rest

Thank you for your calls and emails. I am being supported by my spiritual sisters and my spiritual mentor. Family has left. Time to rest.

Thanks for your prayers.

Missing Him

Book learning and research is utterly useless when facing death. Whatever preparation I thought I had was meaningless when death arrived just after midnight. Reality is shattered along with my heart. I am so grateful for the comfort of family and friends and for your faithful prayers.

While I know Laurence is at peace and that wholeness has been revealed in an extraordinary way, I already miss touching his face and holding his hand. He lives now in our hearts. Your prayers and loving messages are most deeply appreciated.

A memorial service is being planned. I will share details as they are available.

In lieu of flowers, contributions are graciously accepted in Laurence’s name to Sacred Heart Ministries, PO Box 3422, Portland, OR 97208. All gifts are tax deductible.

With gratitude.

Peace

"And can it be that in a world so full and busy the loss of one creature makes a void so wide and deep that nothing but the width and depth of eternity can fill it up" Charles Dickens

He is at peace.

Love

While I do not fear death, I am overwhelmed at the thought of grief. I fear it to be an enormous black hole filled with despair and darkness. I am grateful for the support of several ministers and many friends who have been walking with me through this journey for the past three years and helping move through the stages of grief.

I realized while I am feeling these feelings of sadness, you may be as well. It is no surprise to anyone reading this that Laurence was deeply loved by a vast number of people. He left an indelible mark on everyone he connected with, however brief the encounter. He was a man of extraordinary patience, love and kindness.

I believe his consciousness is already one with God. Although his body is here, he no longer lives in our home but in the eternal goodness of God’s love and grace. You are free to take your message directly to him. Talk with him. Share with him the difference he made in your life. Write a letter in your journal. Share about him with a friend.

We had a powerful prayer circle tonight as we acknowledged his gifts and love. He is still sleeping peacefully. Thank you for sending prayers of love and peace.

Resting

Laurence is resting peacefully. It is a blessing to have him at home. His pain is being managed with a morphine pump. Although he is no longer able to speak, his presence is one of peace and love.

Thanks for your gracious prayers.

Moving Today

Laurence needed another day a the hospital so his pain could be managed. He is comfortable now and is headed home this afternoon.

Thanks for your prayers.