An
Easter Heart
by Paul Riddle
Ray
(not his real name) was a tall man, fifty-something,
gregarious, who looked like he had taken very
good care of himself. He was in the hospital
receiving treatment for a minor infection. Minor,
that is, to anyone who has not had a heart transplant.
To a transplant patient, there is no such thing
as a minor infection. Any bug is a potential
threat to life and has to be treated aggressively.
As
my new friend told the story of his present
illness, he mentioned the heart transplant,
and a tear came to his eye as he reminisced
about the events of that important day –
now nearly twenty years past – when he
received his precious gift.
“Some
people spend months on the transplant list,”
Ray said, “but I was only on it a few days.
I’ll never forget. It was Easter Sunday,
about 7:30 in the morning, when the call came.
“We have a heart,” they told me, “Come
right away!” And so he did. Holiday plans
immediately went on hold, bags were packed,
the car loaded, and they were on their way.
“It was a bright, sunny morning, a little
cool, the kind of day you always wish you had
more of,” Ray remembered, “And I thought
to myself, ‘I don’t know if I’ll
ever see another one of these days.’ So
I savored it, and I thanked God for it, and
I prayed for a successful transplant.”
"It happened
on Easter! ..."
The
transplant was successful. Ray said the donor
was a 23 year old man who was killed in a motorcycle
accident. “I’ve never stopped being
grateful for my heart, and I’ve never forgotten
what that gift cost,” he said with conviction.
“And to think – it happened on Easter!
I got a new life on resurrection day, and a
part of the man who died to give me my heart
lives on in me. That was a God thing!”
Ray declared.
As
I left Ray’s room, I offered a silent prayer
honoring the gift that gave Ray new life, and
giving thanks for having met Ray. May I hold
in gratitude the gifts I receive moment by moment,
as Ray does the gift he carries in his chest.
Calendar
of Events
MARCH:
Houston
Sat, Mar 13
Continuing Education Seminar For Pastoral Care
REGISTER
Houston
Weds,
March 10-31 (four sessions)
Grief Support Seminar
MORE
INFO
Dallas
Sat, Mar 27
Continuing Education Seminar For Pastoral Care
Prestoncrest Church of Christ
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INFO
