Twelve Stories About Devotion Page 7

can say is that

  I’m greatly in love with you!

  “That’s so beautiful,” Mary said. “I don’t know if I can read my poem for you without bursting into tears.”

  The following is what she had written:

  My Dear, It Was You!

  My dear, for the times I was blue,

  when you might have been too,

  but you spoke to me words

  of support and of hope,

  I’m so grateful to you.

  When I needed someone

  to share the pains caused by failing

  or the joys of achievement,

  I knew it was true, I could call upon you.

  For the days when we walked through a park,

  and the nights when we dined for a time,

  then sat in the dark and gazed at the stars

  as they passed in review,

  I exult with the joy that all this was done,

  all this was done with the presence of you.

  When I needed your touch and felt your hand on my arm

  and thrilled to the feel of your heart next to mine,

  I was thrilled with the knowledge

  that the person who touched me

  and tenderly kissed me, was you.

  Though I’m inept at revealing the thoughts of my heart,

  I want you to know there was someone who came

  to become an essential part of my life.

  My dear, it was you!

  Ted rose from his chair, walked to where she was sitting, and kissed her.

  “I love you very, very much, my dear,” he said. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

  The Shared Gift

  Jeanie and Ken Wilson were married in June, 2002. The picture you see was taken in 2004 on their second wedding anniversary. A child, Mildred, was born to the couple in August of that year . She was their only child. At the time of this writing, she is 12, a student in junior high school. She is doing well and is a joy to her parents. Jeanie and Ken had met when they were both employed by the State Labor Department. Ken is still there; Jeanie quit her job when she became pregnant with Mildred.

  Soon after Millie was born, Jeanie made an appointment with a gynecologist who took a routine blood test. The test revealed there was a problem with creatinine in her blood. She was informed that she had been diagnosed as having fallen victim to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). She had not been feeling tiptop for some months, but had ascribed her malaise to being caused by the after effects of her pregnancy.

  “I’m sorry to give you this news,” Dr. Nadine Wendelkin had said when she gave Jeanie the disturbing information. “I’ll make an appointment for you with Dr. Rudolph Rumstead, a Nephrologist. You should see him as soon as you can.”

  “How did it go with the doctor,” Ken asked when Jeanie came home.

  “They think I may have a kidney problem,” she responded. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious but I do have to see a kidney doctor. My appointment is next Tuesday. Would you come with me?”

  “Of course,” he responded. He knew all too well what this news meant. His mother had died from kidney failure at too-young an age.

  The meeting with Dr. Rumstead was depressing. Jeanie’s illness was extremely serious. Her kidneys were close to failing. The couple was informed that when kidney failure takes place, a patient has only a few weeks to live. A process called dialysis could keep a person alive for a period of time that varied with the individual. The doctor told Jeanie and Ken that dialysis would not work well with Jeanie. The only real option that she had was for a kidney transplant. He told the couple that only one kidney would be needed to enable Jeanie to live a normal life.

  The bad news was that there is a long waiting list of persons needing a kidney transplant. There was also a compatibility problem that needed to be checked out.

  While still in the doctor’s office, Ken stated that he wanted to volunteer to donate one of his kidneys. Dr. Rumstead stated that simply volunteering was not enough. There were many factors to be considered in order to insure that the transplant had a chance of working.

  “Go home,” the doctor said. “Talk it over fully. Read the information I’m giving you. There would be no disgrace in your determining not to do it. But if you decide to go ahead, we’ll begin the process right away.”

  At home, there was an animated discussion.

  Jeanie did her best to convince Ken that she would be all right with dialysis. Or, Jeanie’s family could be looked at to see whether there was the possibility of a donation from there. Alice, Jeanie's younger sister might be a good candidate. In the end, the two decided for Ken to donate one of his kidneys. The decision was made after Ken had said, “When we were married , we both vowed that our marriage was for better or for worse. We’re facing a bit of worse at this time, but can make it better. I love you more than anyone else in the world. Giving you a kidney is a very small token of how I can validate my love. There cannot be any other option.”

  Tests indicated there was no compatibility problem. The operations were scheduled. Alice agreed to take over the care of Baby Millie during the recuperation period.

  They took place in January, 2005 at Mercy Hospital downtown. It was declared a success.

  During the years that followed, a more or less normal life was led by the three members of the Wilson family. Alice, and her husband William, were frequent visitors. Millie would become greatly excited when she heard that Aunt Alice and Uncle Billy would come visiting.

  Jeanie needed to take several forms of medicine every day during this period of time but, otherwise than the nuisance this caused, she was healthy and enjoyed caring for Ken and Millie. The donated kidney was doing its job admirably.

  Normalcy exploded to smithereens early this year, 2016, when Ken was diagnosed with kidney disease during a routine yearly exam. Giving Jeanie and Millie the news was one of the most difficult tasks that Ken had ever needed to do during his lifetime. A depressing pall fell over the home. His illness was ironically similar to that of his wife.

  Dr. Rumstead informed the family that Ken needed a kidney transplant; otherwise his remaining life span would be measured in months. Immediately, Jeanie offered to give back to Ken the kidney he had given her. She said she would take her chances with finding a donor for herself. The doctor said there was no reason why this action should not take place but also declared that it would be greatly unusual and perhaps a first in the medical field.

  Ken was adamant in refusing the suggestion. The onus of finding a donor was his, he insisted.

  Jeanie reminded Ken of his words so many years before. “I love you more than anyone else in the world. Giving you a kidney is a very small token of how I can validate my love. There cannot be any other option.” She had memorized this verbatim.

  An impasse loomed until Alice proposed a suggestion. It was accepted by all. Last week, Millie waited anxiously in the waiting room of Mercy Hospital. Three individuals had been wheeled into the operating room. Jeanie donated the kidney she had received back to Ken; Alice donated one of her kidneys to Jeanie. Millie was informed that the operations had been successful and all were doing well.

  I Gave Her A Single Red Rose

  In An Orange Juice Can

  “Let’s tell the story of how we got back together,” suggested Julie.

  “Wonderful idea,” responded Jim. “Shall we start with the rose?”

  “That was so romantic. Yes, let’s.”

  “When we agreed to get back together,” Jim said, “I suggested we have dinner at the Olive Garden. I had taken only one suit with me to the YWCA. It was blue but the tie was green. This was the best I could do. On the way, I stopped in at Hudson Street Flower Shop and purchased a single red rose. I was waiting at the restaurant when you drove up. You looked stunningly beautiful in black.”

  “Thanks for the compliment. I had spent some considerable time with getting ready. I wanted to
look pretty for you,” Julie said

  “You looked much more then pretty,” he interjected. “I said, I love you!” Jim continued. “And we kissed!”

  "That kiss," she exclaimed. "That was a kiss that was a kiss! The poor flower was caught between us. You held me so tight the rose was almost squashed!”

  “Rose Squash,” quipped Jim. “Sounds like and item on a dinner menu.”

  “Silly!”

  “But it survived,” he said. “That’s the important thing. We enjoyed our dinner, but I don’t remember what we had. Getting home so we could resume our lives together is what was most important to me.”

  “How should our story begin,” Julie asked.

  Jim said, “I could begin by saying, I had given her a rose, a single red rose, and she had looked for a suitable vase in which to have it reside. But all she could find was an orange juice can that had long since been emptied and tossed to the side.”

  “This didn’t happen at the restaurant,” Julie objected.

  “Yes, we should make sure we say this happened after we got home.” she said, “I could continue with, Though the vessel was plain, its mission was great for it stood for our love like a sentry protecting our love. The years may go by, but the can will remain, and so will the rose that may wither within. Though it crumble and fall, though it turn altogether to dust, it will still be revered as a symbol, for the