I Saw Love Today

June (not her real name) is an eighty year old mother with heart problems. She was surrounded by four daughters when I went in to see her. She was sitting up in a chair having just had a shower and a fresh shampoo. Though she was not out of the woods health wise, she was in the mood to cut up and joke with those around her. One daughter commented on her hair being “spiked” and mom just left it that way to aggravate them. We joked about how she would fit in with the younger crowd and you could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she smiled and became more animated as she spoke of her grandchildren. In fact, the four daughters were part of a group of thirteen siblings. Yes, grandma was only fourteen when she married and now had a quiver full of children which included thirty-nine grandchildren, eighty great-grandchildren and nineteen great-great-grandchildren.

I commented with “what a blessing it must be to have such a large family.” That’s when she sat up, looked me right in the eye and said plainly, “Well, it was no walk in the park! We’ve had our share of problems, but God has seen us through it all.” Then, someone shared the painful story of how one of the eight daughters had suffered a heart attack and died at the early age of thirty-four. There was talk of troubled teens and other difficult times, but what was clear were the visible signs of love and support these women had for one another and the high esteem they held for their mother. During the conversation, the youngest daughter brought in a “Princess Barbie” doll that had special significance between the two of them. That brought smiles and laughter to everyone.

I reflected on the fact that there are times when I visit a patient who have no family at their bedside. They suffer alone and in silence with their illness. They, too, need special attention, care and a listening ear. But, what a delight to see love demonstrated by a family who genuinely cares for one another. We joined hands in prayer and I thanked God for relationships, care for the present and hope for the future.

As I rose to leave, June smiled and thanked me for coming and for the encouragement given. I thanked her as well, for her humor, her hopefulness and for giving me a blessing today. As I walked down the hall, I recalled a statement of a chaplain colleague, who often says, “I have the best job in the world.”

A couple of weeks went by, then June was back in the hospital for the last time. When I saw her on this occasion, she was in a coma and in her final hours. Surrounding her bed were many of the family, some I hadn’t met before. But there were her daughters again, holding on to their beloved mother, one stroking her hair, another whispering in her ear words of caring and tenderness during those waning moments. Then, someone began the soft melody of an old familiar hymn and one by one others blended their voices to the refrain until she breathed her last.

Again, I thanked God for allowing me the privilege of being witness to the love of this family; a love that began long ago through simple acts of a mother caring for her children and came full circle as she became the recipient of that same love.

Her children rise up and call her blessed…Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. -Proverbs 31:28-30

Author: Tom Nuckels