Her Mother's Story
© 1997 Don Rogers
The middle school youth weren't quite sure what to make of a request for stories about when they had learned something special. But almost immediately one girl said, "I have a story. It isn't my story. It's my mother's story. She told it to me. Is that OK?" I said it was fine and handed her the little tape recorder.
"This happened when my father was in the hospital. With melanoma. He was in a lot of pain. Some ladies were with my mother in the waiting room and one told my mother that she saw angels. Right there. My mother went to find a priest and he came and did whatever priests do and my mother said she saw angels around my father, and he died."
Her mother's story. But it took her many minutes to tell it because she was soon sobbing and couldn't go on. She would gather herself and say another phrase and cry some more. Her youth leader held her, but let her finish. And then held her as she cried some more.
Her mother's story - and hers too.