Just Stay

Beautiful story Connie sent via email. Makes me hope I'm in-tune enough to do the same if I am ever required to.

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 outside the 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 toward 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."

I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey. His Son was killed in Iraq today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this gentleman's name?

The Nurse with tears in her eyes answered . . . . .Mr. William Grey....

The next time someone needs you ... Just be there. Stay.

Me n' The Heid

A little fun with iBooth ...

Tales From The Crypt, er Daily Life of Me

So, I have to post these "Overheards". Hope you enjoy.

At DiscoveryLand (where I babysit at church) wearing jeans with a torn out knee (purchased that way ...) little Jerry, aged 3, touches my knee while we were sitting crossed legged for the Bible story and looks at me quizzically and says "Your pants are broken". The styles of 2011 must be very perplexing to a toddler ...

Also at church. Auntie made an appearance in her wheelchair after a few months of touch and go health issues/arctic temperatures for too long. She was spunky as ever, with beautiful clothes on and Mora turns to me ,after I commented on how nice it was that she was there, and said "Yeah, the trouble is, noones going to feel sorry for her, she looks so good". Followed by her signature laugh that makes me warm inside :-).

This one is from work. Partner whom the company is named after and approximately 63 years old to another partner of the same peer group and says "Do you ever play Angry Birds"?

At a hockey game last year, but definitely worth mentioning: Britney's comment in regards to a video of Sidney Crosby was "I'd cougar that, would you"? Leave it to her to make the word cougar a verb. And thats why I love her.

Another Britney term. Another cougar term. When red wine stains yours lips, you have whats known as 'cougar lips'.

Now to Handley. In response to me telling him and Jonah that bullies get beat up on the playground (I was doing my best auntie/kind but stern lecture on them picking on Nate). He looks up from his lego and without missing a beat says "No, they don't. They just get telled on to the principal".

Thats all for now.

Cheers, Leanne