Short Stories

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Warm Moments From the Heart

An elderly woman stood at the front door of her home having received a telephone call from her daughter telling her to have her things packed and ready to go by noon. The old family clock that had chimed the time for its listeners for years was now striking twelve O'clock. The time had come and shortly there was a soft knock on the door and her daughter ask, "Are you ready?" As the small suitcase was placed in the car and they drove out of the driveway and down the street away from the elderly woman's home, she couldn't help but think of the times from years gone by.

She remembered that wedding day when two young loving hearts became as one and she was carried over the threshold of their new house that was to become their home for seventy years. Recalling those times when it was their strong faith in God and their committed and dedicated love to each other which seemed to be all they had, but there was a means of provision that was often made possible at seemingly the very last moment. In her mind's eye she could still see each of her children as they came into this world wrapped with joy and excitement as another of God's blessings that had been received.

The years that followed were hard times when the needs of everyone struggled to fit into the overall frame work and the time schedules of everyone, but love and their willingness to trust each other had held them together in the hardest of times. She felt a tear welling-up in her eyes as she relived those days when the children had found the love of their lives and had chosen to start their own homes. The joy of hearing the wedding march one more time and the weak but confident words of "I do" and realizing that she was not loosing a child but gaining another through that union at the altar. How could she not remember that night when on the telephone from the hospital she heard the words, "How does it feel to be a grandma?" To recall the "over-niters" that would follow with those bundles of energy that seemed to be more "hands-on" than their parents, with the same love but with more attention to detail being always present.

The "empty nest" of home and the "golden years" had been rewarding especially when the holidays arrived and the whole family gathered around the big family table to laugh and share not only the happenings of the past year but also the events of year's past. To watch the grandchildren as they grew in numbers and anxiously anticipated their year to move from the card table to the "grown-up" table and share their stories of gain and loss. Time seemed to pass more quickly with each passing year, to the point that in some years there seemed to be two and three Christmas's in one year.

With the passing of time and with a full life she would learn if we are to accept the good times then we must also accept the bad. She painfully recalled the agony of that day when the doctor walked into that hospital room and with empathy and compassion in his voice, shared that the love of her life for seventy years had only months to live. How could she ever forget the stages of denial, anger, resentment and finally the acceptance of the truth that had been their daily thoughts while they pooled their encouragement, strength and support together. The prayers they prayed together and ask God to share a miracle with them...just one more time, but in the end they said, "Your will be done."

As she, with her daughter's help, arrived at their new destination, they waited in the lobby until the Administrator announced that her room was ready. As they walked down the aisle to her new home, her daughter tried to list all the amenities that would be provided and the twenty-four hour care that would make for a more worry-free environment and then she consoled her daughter by saying, "Everything will be just fine. You see, I have the choice of deciding whether I will be content or dissatisfied with my surroundings and I choose to be content. I have a life of cherished moments that can never be taken from me and if I find myself in a quiet moment, I will recall one of those cherished moments and enjoy the warmth it brings to my heart."

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