Just Stay
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman
to the bedside. 'Your son is here,'
she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times
before the patient's eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain
of his heart attack, he dimly saw the
young uniformed Marine standing
beside his oxygen tent.
He reached out his hand.
The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers
around the old man's limp ones, squeezing
a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the
Marine could sit beside the bed.
All through the night the young Marine sat
there in the poorly lighted ward, holding
the old man's hand and offering him
words of love and strength.
Occasionally, the nurse suggested that
the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused.
Whenever the nurse came into the ward,
the Marine was oblivious of her and of
the night noises of the hospital
- the clanking of the oxygen tank,
the laughter of the night staff
members exchanging greetings, the
cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few
gentle words. The dying man said nothing,
only held tightly to his son
all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died.
The Marine released the now lifeless hand
he had been holding
and went to tell the nurse.
While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned.
She started to offer words of sympathy,
but the Marine interrupted her.
'Who was that man?' he asked.
The nurse was startled,
'He was your father,' she answered.
'No, he wasn't,' the Marine replied.
'I never saw him before in my life.'
'Then why didn't you say something
when I took you to him?'
'I knew right away there had been a
mistake, but I also knew he needed his son,
and his son just wasn't here. When
I realized that he was too sick to tell
whether or not I was his son,
knowing how much he needed me,
I stayed.'
The next time someone needs you,
... just be there.. Stay.
**************
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS
GOING THROUGH
A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS
GOING THROUGH
A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
THIS IS WHAT WE ARE
PUT ON THIS EARTH
TO DO ANYWAY.
RIGHT?
HAVE A GREAT DAY
AND BLESS SOMEONE ELSE
IN SOME LITTLE WAY TODAY!
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