Jason has dreamed of hunting since he was a little kid--now he's a pre-teener, 12 years old, and he is more than ready to hunt.
Remember, Jason and his family live in Ohio, with no relatives nearby.  His Daddy has never hunted and has no desire to hunt anything bigger than a golf ball.  He loves golfing and bowling.  Jason likes those sports, too, but hunting is his dream.  Pappy Bill, Uncles Billy and Ferd,  and cousin Jon in PA are avid hunters,  Through no fault of his own, our Jason got the hunting genes; I guess being born in PA did it!  Some plants in this area are closed for the first day of Buck Season, and "Lonely 'Deer' Sales" are prevalent, too, for hunting "widows" as we are called.

Back to Jason, though.  His Dad and his Mom--our daughter Cindy--did not discourage his goal of becoming a hunter, and Jason was serious enough to take a Hunter Safety course last year.  His parents bought him a rifle and other needed hunting gear, and he was thrilled and could hardly wait for deer season.  Pappy Bill even bought a two-man ladder tree stand so he and Jason could sit on that lofty perch and watch for a big buck to come close enough. 

But then Jason started to lose weight and tire easily, and eventually was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogonous Leukemia.  He's been through a lot in the past several months, and is still taking chemo pills daily, getting frequent blood tests and seeing doctors.  There's been a lot of improvement and he's been able to attend school regularly for the past month or two.

Our prayer is, "Lord, please help him stay well so he can come to PA for  buck season."  They would come for the first 2 days--Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving.  Yes, we are apprehensive, but he deserves this great adventure.  Will he be too cold sitting there in the winter dawn?  Will he get exhausted from the excitement?  Will everything stay stable so he can come?

You know what?  Jason's too pumped about finally hunting to worry about anything!  Wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful if he actually shot his buck?
"Lord, you know our hearts and our love for this sweet boy, our Jason.  Do what's best for Jason always.  We praise Your Name for the improvements he's had and we trust him in Your loving hands.  Amen."

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!