HOPE BEYOND THIS LIFE
Realizing her greatest fear had just come true, Sally shouted, “Why do young children
get cancer? Doesn’t God care? Where were you, God, when my son
needed you?”
The surgeon asked softly, “Would you like some time alone with your son?
One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes and you can see
him before we transport him to the university.”
Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said goodbye to her
son. She ran loving fingers through his thick curly hair. “Would
you like a lock of his hair?” the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes.
The nurse cut a lock of Jimmy’s hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed
it to Sally.
The mother said, “It was Jimmy’s idea to donate his body to the university for
medical study. He said it might help someone else. I said no at
first, but Jimmy said, Mom, I won’t be using it after I die. Maybe it
will help some other little boy to spend one more day with his Mom.” She went
on, “My Jimmy had a heart of gold. He was always thinking of someone
else…always wanting to help others if he could.”
Sally walked out of Children’s Mercy Hospital for the last time,
after spending the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy’s
belongings on the seat beside her in the car. The
drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter her empty
house. She carried Jimmy’s belongings and the plastic bag with the lock
of hair to her son’s room. She started placing the model cars
and other things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them.
Then she laid across the bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to
sleep.
Around midnight, Sally woke up. Beside her on the bed was a
folded letter, which read:
Dear Mom,
I know you’re going to miss me, but don’t think I will ever forget you, or stop
loving you, just because I’m not around to say ‘I Love You.’ I will
always love you, Mom, and someday we will see each other again. Until
then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won’t be so lonely, that’s okay
with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But if you
decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn’t want the same things boys like
so you’ll have to buy her some dolls and girl stuff.
Don’t be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place.
Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around,
but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool.
I love to watch them fly. And you know what? Jesus doesn’t
look anything like his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew who He was
right away. I got to sit on His knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody
very important. That’s when I told Him I wanted to write you a letter, to
tell you goodbye and everything. But I already knew that wouldn’t be
allowed here. Well, you know what Mom? Jesus handed me some paper
and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the
name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you. Jesus said
for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked: “Where was God
when my son needed him?” Jesus said He was in the same place with me as
He was the day He died on the cross. He was right there, as He always is
with His children.
Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I’ve written except you. To
everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn’t that cool?
I have to give Jesus His pen back now because He needs it to write some
more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at
the table with Jesus for supper. I’m sure the food will be
great.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don’t hurt anymore because my cancer
is all gone! I’m glad because I couldn’t stand that pain anymore and
Jesus said He couldn’t stand to see me hurt so much either. That’s when
He sent the Angel of Mercy to come and get me. The Angel said I was a Special
Delivery! How about that?
-Signed with love from Jesus and Jimmy
No comments:
Post a Comment