“The only key to heaven's gate is love; carry it in your
heart, let it be the power that keeps you safe and well." ~ Unknown
Sam had feared death all his life,
never ready to check out. For him there
would always be tomorrow and the day after. But there came a time when all of his older
friends had passed on and a fair number of the younger ones too. Time was no longer his casual friend.
He’d been a hospice patient for about two months. At 90
years old, Sam was in the end stages of congestive heart failure. With heart muscle that doesn't pump blood as
well as it should, patients are very weak, tired, and short of breath. They fear not getting enough oxygen into
their lungs.
Caring for them requires a great deal of know-how . . . and
patience . . . and compassion, gifts
given freely by Bryan his hospice caregiver.
Once the symptoms of pain, fear, and anxiety were openly addressed, Sam
and his loving wife Barbara were both able to relax and be at peace for the
first time in a long while.
Bryan might sing show tunes with Sam, talk about the Tigers,
share a favorite TV show or help compile “final projects” or “life reviews.” Bryan helped provide the most basic of life’s
needs, a hand to hold or an ear to listen.
He and Barbara were sitting at Sam’s bedside one grey
afternoon when Sam awoke suddenly and sat straight up. Pointing to a seemingly empty chair across the
room, he looked at Barbara and said in a clear, strong voice, “Mother is calling," is all he
said, so softly it was almost inaudible against the hum of the oxygen machine
in the room.
His wife touched his arm softly, "then go to her my
darling." What she said next was
lost in an uncontrolled sob.
Sam closed his eyes.
From a blinding white
light came his mother, a young woman again, extending her hand. She smiled and his heart stopped for the
second time that day. He reached forward
to clasp it, his earthly limbs staying motionless. The sounds of crying grew fainter and he found
himself in a perfect place. Through a tunnel
formed by sugar maple trees sat every loved one who had passed on already. Sam was whole, he was healthy again. All the burdens of his life had been washed
away. Birds sang into the boundless Elysian
Fields. His mother embraced him.
“Mom, is this heaven?”
Sam asked.
“It is now,” was her
adoring reply.
“He’s gone Barbara,” Bryan said in a calming voice. “Can there be anything more beautiful than a
grace filled reunion? He’s home again,
in the arms of a loving God.”
Lord, in heaven we’re wrapped in Your
perfect love, walking hand in hand with Jesus upon pristine sands. Your forgiveness is perfect; You take away the
sins of our lives, all traces of judgment gone, eternal salvation for those who
believe. Thank You
