Admittedly it looks a little weird, but it really has sentimental value to me. It was given to me back in 2014 by Abby Lees (the young lady in the photo) and her Dad, Dave.
The occasion of the photo was after church one Sunday morning in May, 2014. For those who may not know, the guy clowning around in the top hat was my Dad, Caudle Adkins Jr. We didn't know it at the time, but that Sunday turned out to be the last time Dad would ever be in our church service. Shortly after he and I did the funeral service in Logan, WV for my Aunt Irene Stidham, who died on Mother's Day, Dad found himself in St. Mary's Medical Center with Congestive Heart Failure and Renal Failure. On June 26th he went to Heaven. That Sunday he showed up in the top hat was the last time I was ever in church with my Dad.
Sometime later that Summer, Dave and Abby brought me this photo, already framed, and it sits today in my office suite here at the church. Dad always loved kids and they loved him. He had some corny jokes for Abby and her brother that Sunday, and someone in the family snapped that picture. I am glad they did.
It's amazing how Abby has grown over the 18 months or so since that photo was snapped. Here is a current photo of her.Abby is a sweet girl and has a great family, including brother, Drew, Mom, Jennifer, and Dave. They are very special to me and to our faith family here at Westmoreland Baptist.
Over the past few years Abby had begun to develop some curious health issues that baffled, not only her own parents, but also the local physicians that had tried to treat her symptoms.
Things got worse and the concerns in the family grew greater as she began to just "go out like a light", losing consciousness and experiencing convulsive symptoms.
Epilepsy was eventually ruled out, along with some other maladies, but no one seemed to be able to put a finger on what was causing these episodes.
As one can imagine, this became a frightening issue. Dave and Jennifer began to get calls from school. It would happen in Dance Class. It would happen in church services.
After several trips to Cleveland Clinic, Abby was diagnosed with a syndrome called POTS.
Her Dad has started a Blog which chronicles the family and personal issues involved when a family member has POTS. you can read it here.
Let me encourage our readers to check this out, and above all to pray for Abby Lees and her family. Their faith is strong, but they covet the prayers of other believers on their behalf.
