What makes life worth living . . .

I can't ethically go into much detail regarding my volunteering at the V.A. hospice, so I'll leave out the names "to protect the innocent". I've had some poignant moments up there, but this one is my favorite so far.


I would walk by this Navy veteran's door and he would always raise his arms as if to beckon me. So I'd go in and take his hand, which he would gentlemanly kiss. He isn't able to talk, and I can't read lips, so I'd ask questions and he'd nod or shake his head. I asked if he wanted me to read to him . . . nod . . . and I'd list a few ideas. I had my Kindle with me, and I thought the Bible would be a good thing to have in it's contents. So I asked if he wanted me to read to him from the Bible . . . definite nod . . . so we've gone most of the way through the Book of John. Anyway, I got to thinking that there had to be a simple way for this poor guy to convey his needs. Ben always said my little wheels of logic were constantly turning, so come on, lets roll! And Eureka! I went to Walmart and bought him a little white board with a marker. I took it up to him the next day and told him I had a present for him. His eyes lit up and he couldn't wait for me to get the wrapping off. He took it from me, uncapped the marker, and attempted to write. He was writing rather than printing, and letters were overlapping, making it unreadable. I told him to just print, and print BIG. He tried. A few nights later, when I asked the nurse how he was doing, she told me I wasn't going to believe it. So I went into his room to have a look . . . WHOA!! He had been printing, and was getting more attention because he could communicate! He asked for his daughter, so they called her and told her he was asking for her. She said, "How can he? He can't talk!" They told her about the white board, so she came that night (about a 3 hour trip). I happened to be there, and the nurse told her about me. She walked over to me with tears in her eyes, gave me a hug, and said that she never thought they'd be able to communicate again. My measly three dollars bought a daughter and her dad a world of happiness. Once again, I'm humbled.

I'm not always going to have tales like this to tell, but every little thing counts. Don't ever think it doesn't. 

"To the world you may be someone,

but to someone you may be the world."