Tonight I received an email from my friend, Sierra. I've seen this before, but today, on the eve of the one year anniversary of Tommy's death (8/20), it hit me right in the gut. I bawled my eyes out. Thank you, Sierra for sending it to me. It was pain and comfort all at the same time.
The
Heart
"Tomorrow morning," the
surgeon began,
"I'll open up your
heart...."
"You'll find Jesus there,"
the boy
interrupted.
the surgeon
looked up, annoyed "I'll
cut your heart
open," he continued,
to see how much damage
has been
done..."
"but when you
open up my heart, you'll
find Jesus in
there," said the boy.
The surgeon
looked to the parents, who
Sat quietly. "When
I see how much
damage has been done, I'll sew
your
heart and chest back up, and I'll
plan
what to do next."
"But you'll
find Jesus in my heart. The
Bible says He
lives there. The
hymns all say He lives
there. You'll
find Him in my
heart."
The surgeon had had enough. "I'll
tell
you what I'll find in your
heart.
I'll find damaged muscle, low
blood
supply, and weakened vessels.
And
I'll find out if I can make you
well."
"You'll find Jesus there too. He
lives
there."
The surgeon
left.
The surgeon sat in his office,
recording his notes from the
surgery,
"....damaged aorta, damaged pulmonary
vein, widespread muscle
degeneration.
No
hope for transplant, no hope for cure.
Therapy:
painkillers and bed rest.
Prognosis:
here he paused, "death within one
year."
He stopped the recorder, but
there was
more to be said. "Why?" he asked
aloud.
"Why did You do this? You've
put
him here; You've put him in this pain;
and You've cursed him to an
early death.
Why?"
The Lord answered and said, "The
boy,
my lamb, was not meant for your
flock
for long, for he is a part of My
flock, and
will forever be.
Here, in My flock, he will
feel no pain, and will be comforted as
you
cannot imagine.
His parents will
one day join him here,
and they will know
peace, and
My flock will continue to
grow.."
The surgeon's tears were hot, but
his
anger was hotter. "You created
that
boy, and You created that heart.
He'll
be dead in months. Why?"
The
Lord answered, "The boy, My lamb,
shall
return to My flock, for He has
done his duty:
I did not put My lamb
with your flock to lose
him, but to retrieve another lost lamb."
The
surgeon wept...
The
surgeon sat
beside the boy's bed; the
boy's
parents sat across from him. The boy
awoke and whispered, "Did you cut
open
my
heart?"
"Yes," said the surgeon.
"What
did you find?" asked the boy.
"I found
Jesus there," said the
surgeon.
Author
Unknown
Diagram of Tommy's Heart Defects
Double Inlet Left Ventricle with Transpostion of the Great Arteries
1 comment:
Love you Rene.... As tomorrow has been quickly approaching, I am filled with the same sadness that I felt a year ago. I will never forget how it felt to receive your call confirming that Tommy had passed.
I will never forget the torn emotions at the heart walk which was merely a month later and how torn I felt. Here I was, celebrating the life of Montgomery when you were mourning the passing of your sweet Tommy.
I will never forget being on 7C with Montgomery and passing you in the hall in the early hours of the morning.
I will never forget watching Finding Nemo for the first time after Tommy passed and thinking "I bet Rene and Tommy watched this at least a hundred times on 7C!"
Most importantly, I will never forget Tommy. Tomorrow evening, Brent, Montgomery, and I will be outside blowing bubbles for Tommy. I pray that you will be comforted in knowing that he is no longer suffering, but is now your angel watching over you.
Just like the wind, you may not be able to see it, but you can feel Tommy's presence all around you.
Sierra
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