August 21, 2012
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In Every Change, He Faithful Will Remain
Change--that is the buzzword of life here recently. July 31 marked the last day of working in the office of Atmore Family Medicine. After 23 years of being a family doctor in the town of Atmore, I sold out the practice to Baptist Hospital of Pensacola, which also runs our hospital. They are 2 new doctors in my practice, brothers Shane and Sheldon Harigel, and they are doing a great job in taking over the office. The Hospital had a good-bye celebration, and welcoming of the new doctors 2 weeks ago, and there was an occasion for me to say a few words. I started bravely, but got choked up as I went along, and that made it difficult to get out what I wanted to say...so here are my exact words that I was trying to read...
Life is a gift, as we all know, and I have been privileged to live that gift with the knowledge of the One personal God who directs all life's twists and turns. Without His help and direction, we would not have been here. I moved to Atmore in 1989 with my young family, and have been blessed abundantly with great friends, good working environment, and a great hospital, but most of all the gift of patients who put their trust with their lives and health in my hands. To have someone trust you with helping them maintain health is an awesome responsibiltiy, and I want to thank them for that trust. Without them, I would not have had a practice of medicine, and it is because of them, that I could continue for the past 23 years as a family practice doctor in the town of Atmore. It is because of them, that I can consider myself, in the words of Lou Gehrig, "the luckiest man alive." I have been able to do something that I truly enjoy, and one that has rewarded me in uncountable ways. It has been a joy to watch children grow up and become productive citizens, and for older patients to age gracefully, with dignity and peace.
Circumstances do change, and I now embark on a new phase. Although Atmore will remain home base, I plan to be involved in more medical missions, and that will start sooner rather than later. If current plans hold, I will be leaving for a 4 month stint in the country of Guinea Bissau, in West Africa, in September, 2012. So although, in a sense, I am saying good-bye, it is not goodbye forever. I hope to see you all again, and if not here, then in that glorious place called heaven, where reunions are constant, and health issues have faded away....So God bless, and once again, I want to thank you...
That song , Be Still, My Soul has been running through my mind recently, as I have played it frequently on a mens quartet CD that I obtained a couple of weeks ago.
Leave to thy God to order and provide,
In every change, he faithful will remain..
So I know that my God will guide the future as He has the past, and that nothing will surprise God. So I ask for your prayers as I leave, and prayers for my family back home...God is faithful, and will do abundantly more than we ask or think....