31 - Bertha

By Kay Heitsch

Bertha was a sweet resident at the nursing home I visited. Every Thursday evening at 7:00, I would start out in her room. I kept my jacket and purse there, and after I delivered the candy, we would chat for a while.

Bertha shared several things about her life with me. One thing she was particularly proud of was her granddaughter, who worked as a Christian counselor.

This Thursday evening seemed like any other. But it certainly wasn't.

When I arrived in Bertha's room, she didn't look right. She had a glass of water on her tray and asked for a drink. I put the straw up to her lips. She took a small sip and started to throw up.

I ran out to the nurses' station to let them know. In a calm voice, the nurse said, "Bertha has been waiting for you. She is about to die." Let me tell you, I was not expecting this! I had never been with anyone who was dying.

I didn't know what to do, but I went back into Bertha's room and held her hand until she passed on a few minutes later.

When the nurse came back in, she said, "Everyone else is waiting for you, too." I don't know how I did it, but I went to each room as usual and distributed the candy as I had done before.

Years later, I had moved out of state, but I found out who Bertha's granddaughter was. We exchanged emails. It was interesting to find out that she had wondered if anyone was with her grandma when she died.

Once again, God was bringing good out of Todd's death. God blessed Bertha's granddaughter, and He had blessed me, so that I could tell her I was.