"AVAILABLE"

by Kay Heitsch 

When I chose to become a Christian, I told the Lord I wanted to be "available" whenever and wherever He needed me. 

Being "available" has taken me to some unusual places. One such place was an old, white-framed, two-story nursing home. The rooms in the house were large, with uneven floors. To get to the rooms on the second floor, you had to climb the long, narrow, winding stairs carefully. After going up and down those stairs a few times, I wondered how any of those older people could climb them. 

Every Thursday evening at 7:00, I would find myself "available" to visit this nursing home. The management said I was more dependable than the staff. I always brought a basket full of wrapped candy each time I came to visit. I asked the staff who was diabetic so that I could make sure to have some sugar-free candy for those folks, too. I didn't want anyone to be left out. I walked into every room and greeted each person. Most people were friendly and pleased to see me. Others were gruff and acted like they weren't sure what to think of me. 

One older man was in this latter category. Henry* would hardly look up when I walked in. He seemed almost irritated that I stopped by. Every Thursday evening, I would hesitate outside of Henry's door, thinking, "Lord, do I need to go in here? This man doesn't even like me!" Every week the Lord seemed to say, "Go in." I had gotten started later than usual this particular Thursday evening when I walked up to Henry's room. I peeked in, hoping he was asleep, so I wouldn't need to feel like I was bothering him. Just my luck, Henry was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Oh joy, I guess I should go in and get rejected again," I thought. 

To my surprise, Henry glanced up at me and said in his usual gruff manner, "Will you help me?" I was startled by the question. "Yes, I'll help you. What do you need?" I responded, wondering why I would have said such a thing. "Good grief, I don't even work here. Maybe I should go find someone who does," ran through my mind. I was used to just talking to these people. I had never been asked to "help" anyone. I wondered what Henry wanted. Henry was sitting on the side of the bed in a pair of long underwear. This long underwear had seen better days. I noticed several holes in them, and the color was not exactly what it was when they were new. I noticed a pair of old pajamas he had beside him on the bed. 

Henry lifted his head and looked me straight in the eyes. I could see that he was a proud man who had probably had a hard life. I was sure he had always taken care of himself. Asking for help would have been out of the question. He didn't want to ask for help, but now he was old and feeble and needed it. "What can I do to help you?" I asked. He pointed to the old pajamas. In a gruff voice, but soft he said, "Would you help me put these on?" as he glanced at the pajamas. "I would be happy to," I responded. I had never helped a stranger put on clothes of any kind, let alone pajamas. "Well, there's a first time for everything." I figured. I did my best to help Henry slip his thin arms in the pajama top. The material was so light that I could almost see my skin through them. I carefully lined up the buttons to the holes and buttoned each of them. I gently straightened the wrinkled collar, so it was in place. All the while, Henry sat very still and remained silent. As I picked up the pajama bottom, I found myself kneeling in front of Henry. I felt a strange sense of peace as Henry lifted each of his feet so that I could slip the pajama leg on. I noticed how difficult it was for Henry, even with my help, to put them on. 

With my mission complete, I stood up to leave. Henry slowly lifted his head. When his sad eyes met mine, he whispered, "Thank you." I felt tears filling my eyes. I bent down and gave him a small hug and whispered, "You're welcome." As strange as it may seem, this was one of the most spiritual experiences I have ever had. How could something so humble have such a profound impact on me, I will never understand? All I did was help someone with a small need. I may not have understood what happened, but I knew without a doubt, I had just been kneeling on holy ground. Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity to be "available" once again. 

* Name had been changed.