Subject: Just Stay
>
> 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 timesbefore 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 outhis 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 exc hanging greetings,thecries 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."
>
> The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
>
> WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A
> TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
>
> WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY
> HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
> (love this line)

What Gypsy said...that was wonderful ruby..thank you