Reaching Out

Lisa stood at the door of the hospital room. This was it, they had told her...Grandpa was dying. Lisa did not know just what to expect. Everyone seemed so sad and there were a lot of hushed tones and crying. This was Lisa's first experience here with this thing called death and she felt rather eager to know what it was all about.

She looked across the hospital room to the second bed for that is where the nurse had said that Grandpa was. But that did not look like HER grandpa! When HER grandpa was sorta round and big and funny! This person was little...all shriveled up. And quiet! Her grandpa was never quiet: he was always making Lisa laugh about some silly thing or another. So Lisa just stood there for awhile.

"Go on in," her mother urged her. "Go on in."

Lisa still stood in the doorway staring. Gradually Lisa began to "feel" him. At first it was just a little bit, but as she focused, she began to feel that special love that she knew to be her grandpa's floating over to her and surrounding her. She walked over to his bed.

"Don't look much like my self, do I, Kiddo?" came the thought floating over to Lisa. Now THAT was her Grandpa! It was him all right, crackin' jokes as usual. But now one else seemed to hear. They were all crying. Lisa looked around the room. Did no one else hear that?

"They don't seem to hear me Kiddo, that's why I am so glad that you are here. You always were a listener. You always listened with your heart to your silly ol' grandpa. Now I want you to listen really close this time, Kiddo; more than you have ever listened to me before. I have something wonderful to share with you and who knows...maybe you can share it with others. Listening?" the old man's thoughts asked.

"Yes, Grandpa. I am listening with my whole heart. Go ahead." the little girl answered.

"It's all a joke!"

"Oh, Grandpa, don't be silly!" Lisa giggled. The others in the room looked at her rather strangely. That was part of the joy of being a child, she had figured out by now; sometimes it seems a blessing in disguise that no one takes you very seriously.

"I'm not. I am not being silly. You know all this "stuff" that we, as grownups try to teach you kids? Well, we are mistaken! That's the joke! We get here to the end and realize that the ONLY thing that we get to take with us is the love!!! All this other stuff that we worry about and lose sleep over and fret about as adults...doesn't matter in the end. All that matters is did you love and be loved? That's it! Do you get what I am trying to tell you, Sweetie?"

"I think so Grandpa." Lisa replied hesitantly.

"Now I do not mean that you don't do anything with your life, Kiddo, just remember to do it with love. That is what we are to Remember...to do it with love!"

"Isn't that hard?" Lisa asked. "I mean a lot of people don't seem to want love; they are so busy and in a hurry."

"That is why they are so unhappy a lot of the time. They keep getting "stuff" to try to get happy and you don't get happy...you give happy. That is love, the way love is done. We all come with this unending supply of love that we are to share and share and share. But most of us forget after awhile and then wonder why we are so unhappy most of the time. You're not going to forget now are you, Kiddo?" the old man asked lovingly through his thoughts. In fact, it was the most love that Lisa remembered feeling since she came to this world! Why was everyone else in the room so sad? Oh well, she focused back on Grandpa.

"Know what else, Kiddo?"

"What Grandpa?" "I've got to go now, but don't you worry. I can feel where I am going and it is back into the perfect Love from where we all came and it is SO wonderful!!!"

"But I'll miss you! Don't go. Grandpa!" And with this, Lisa, too, began to cry.

"Don't cry, Lisa. The love is with you all ways. Any time that you feel you need me, I will be there for you...just in another way. Call me, anytime. And Remember...it's just a joke! Have fun with life! Enjoy! Laugh! And don't forget to love! That's the ONLY thing you get to keep!"

And with that, Grandpa shut his eyes and left his body. Everyone else began to cry even harder now. But Lisa just focused on the love.

"I won't forget, Grandpa. I won't forget to love."

-- Kristi Campbell