In the early hours of a Sunday morning at about 1:00am, I was sitting idly at the hospital hallway having just finished a sports illustrated Magazine from cover to cover. "I needed something better to read" I thought to myself, "why didn't I bring a book?" I asked.
As I sat quietly with my eyes closed, I could hear the mummuring plea of voices coming from the room beside me "Is my grandson here? Oh please, let him in. You’ve kept him waiting long enough! “Please, please… nurse, bring him to me.”
Few minutes later, the nurse rushed out from the room and was extremely shocked to see me waiting in the hall. "Oh you are here", she said. "I'm sorry", she continued. "I'm the nurse that has been taking care of your grandmother for the past 3 days now. She had insisted you would come visit her last night but the contact she gave us to reach you wasn't reachable. She had begged I look for you all through the hallways but to no avail. And then when she said you would come again this evening, I just assumed her dementia was getting the best of her.”
"Well, I...." I tried to speak but was interrupted by the nurse "I'm really glad you are here. I think she has been holding a little longer just to see you. It's actually a miracle she could still speak as her body systems are rapidly shutting down. The doctor had given her 24 hours to live exactly 24 hours ago"
"Sir, once again I'm truly sorry for keeping you out here waiting" She continued. "These are her last moments. Please follow me."
I stood up and was guided by the nurse into the hospital room and right from the doorway, she announced "Your grandson is here ma". The old woman was filled with joy as her eyes lit up. She looked me in the eyes with smile on her face and with all the might left in her weak body, she said "Son, I know you would come see me".
I sat close to her, holding her hands and interlocking our fingers. I then squeezed slightly as to show affection. She squeezed back and said "Thanks son". She tried speaking again but was too exhausted, instead she held her gaze onto my eyes with a smile on her face. For several minutes, we held hands until she closed her eyes and rested.
I sat close to her in silence for nearly an hour while she maintained a soft grip of my hands. Then slowly the grip loosened and her breathing became slower. Initially, I thought she was falling into a deeper sleep but not until her breathing stopped altogether.
I let go of her lifeless hand and summoned the nurse using the emergency call button. The nurse then rushed in, covered the body with a white sheet, recorded a few notes on her desk, and then began to offer her condolences… She said she was very sorry for my loss and asked if we had made any burial arrangements. "I don't even know her name" I said. The nurse was furious and asked "What do you mean? She's your grandmother".
"No she's not" I re-affirmed. "I had never met her in my life before not until I stepped my foot into this room. I'm here at the hospital waiting for my friend who sustained an injury during a football match and was undergoing surgery."
The nurse was confused. "Why did you sit beside her for the last hour if you didn't know her? Why didn't you speak up?" she questioned.
I smiled and said "Well, I knew she wasn't my grandmother but from my observations and findings, she needed to see her grandson. I also knew that her real grandson, if he ever existed wasn't going to make it on time. Curiosity made me follow you into the room and as soon as she saw me and smiled, I knew her vision was so blurred that she thought I was her grandson and knowing how desperate she was to see him, I decided to play along."
Time is quantified in hours and the value of our lives is equivalent to the sum of every hour we spend. Our lives are measured by the value we provide to others and opportunities to provide these value are everywhere.
How have you spent the last hour of your life?
Let this question sink in. Let it inspire you…