Little Things

the little things are the big things

Day 28/31: while looking for a book, i came across an old notebook of mine in a storage bin today. one of the first entries was dated 2010 and i remember the situation clearly. a woman i was visiting at the hospital was very ill and asked for only one thing, though it seemed no one was able to provide it. she wanted a red popsicle. she was frustrated because she had received several popsicle offerings but they were rainbow pops and she didn't want orange and green and purple. she wanted a plain red popsicle. i felt like if we can get man on the moon surely we can obtain a red popsicle for this woman. it took some rummaging and required a trip to a different floor, but i found one hidden in the back of a freezer and brought it to her.

she was too weak to open the wrapper so i helped her and placed a napkin around the stick. she took one lick and exclaimed "i am in heaven! i am in heaven!" such a little thing, i thought. it was clear that i had given this woman exactly what she needed and so i asked her if there was anything else that i could help with before i go, which is customary. she replied "you've done exactly what i needed. there have been times in my life that i needed an angel and got one. you are my angel."

i am not particularly comfortable with being called an angel, as many people working in hospice get labeled, but i got what she was saying. anyone else could have been that angel to her on this day. i understood that she didn't just want a red popsicle, but she needed one. the woman actually passed away that evening, which made this simple thing so much more impactful on me.

mark nepo says "more than finding heaven on earth, we are asked to release heaven by living here on earth." i wonder sometimes, if we overlook the possibility that heaven is here, just waiting to be unwrapped by someone who has the patience to do so in the presence of one who is wise enough to recognize it.