That could be your child..!
Robert Clements
Thursday, October 06, 2011 - During the present festive season, dinner was being served for everybody, in the colony where I live in. ‘Hundred rupees for our members and three hundred and fifty rupees for outsiders!’ said the organizer. “Who are the outsiders?” I asked. “All the young paying guests staying in our colony, let them pay more!” “No,” I said, “They have parents, who must be sad they couldn’t come home this Navratri, let’s be parents to them this Navratri, and charge them the same rates.” Thank fully, everybody agreed.
A nurse took a tired, anxious serviceman who was in search of his father to the hospital 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 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.’
‘What about your own father?” asked the curious nurse. ‘I guess God must have already sent someone like me to his bedside, now I’ll just find where he is and relieve that other guy, whoever it is!” Yes dear friend; that needy hungry child at the bus stop could be your child in need one day, and that old man or woman tottering about asking for train fare to return to their village, well that could be you, so reach out and touch their lives..!
—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com
A nurse took a tired, anxious serviceman who was in search of his father to the hospital 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 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.’
‘What about your own father?” asked the curious nurse. ‘I guess God must have already sent someone like me to his bedside, now I’ll just find where he is and relieve that other guy, whoever it is!” Yes dear friend; that needy hungry child at the bus stop could be your child in need one day, and that old man or woman tottering about asking for train fare to return to their village, well that could be you, so reach out and touch their lives..!
—Email:bobsbanter@gmail.com
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