What Can You Do?

        Someone is dying. A link to me that has been lost, but nevertheless this is a wound. I've met a hero in this. My son. This one in the hospital bed is his father. A distant father, a now-and-then father, but his biological dad non-the-less. This man now lays moments from the end, no longer able to speak or move without help. Morphine is his friend now as he waits out these final moments.  And because I believe, it is my relief that he has made his peace with the Lord, forgiving, accepting forgiveness, calling on help only He can give.

Now we wait.

        There have been heroics. I've seen my adult son become a man in ways he never expected at his young age. In the last seven days, he's learned a new vocabulary with words like, "notary, power of attorney, living will." He's had to talk about last wishes and cremation versus burial.  Upon hearing of his father's illness, he jumped on a plane within hours and flew across the country to arrive at his father's bedside the same day. Since then, he has nursed him round the clock , mostly sleepless- feeding, toileting, making use of his medical training. He has made dozens of phone calls to arrange appointments and take care of business matters. No easy task, as this is an angry patient, a self-pitying patient. I've only heard my son speak words of encourgement and prayer to his dad. My boy has shared his frustration with me, but not in a complaining way. He only feels sad he cannot help his dad in more ways. But he's been a champion to me. He's living Matthew 25: 35 - 40, where it says:

        ^"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’  “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

We wait.