YOUR SON IS HERE

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 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 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
>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."
>
> 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.
>
>
> THIS IS WHAT WE ARE PUT ON THIS EARTH TO DO ANYWAY. RIGHT?
> HAVE A GREAT DAY AND BLESS SOMEONE ELSE IN SOME LITTLE WAY TODAY!
>
> GOD IS SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD.
>
>
>
>