Her bringing flowers to her daughter wasn’t unusual. She often did just this kind of thing. She saw beauty in things that some of us rarely ever take a second look at. Most people do take gifts and flowers to loved ones in the hospital but these flowers were different. They were not sent by delivery with a card to her room. They were brought by her Mother with a heart full of love.
The visits were limited to just fifteen minutes for you see Kelly is in Intensive Care. Paralyzed from the neck down after a car accident on Christmas Eve 1999. This family had already had so much tragedy in their lives and now this. On July 5, 1999 Kelly’s son Josh went to Florida on a church trip and he also had been paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident. While playing in the ocean with his friends he had broken his neck and it is so ironic that he and his Mother both would suffer the same fracture and prognosis.
The family made trips every day to see Kelly. When at all possible they took Josh, who was now at home and making progress. Kelly had been taking care of him since the accident along with the rest of the family. I had known about both accidents since they had happened and had kept in touch with the family. I thought of them often throughout the day and prayed that God would give them the strength they would need to endure what had been dealt to them.
I did not get to visit them very often because I had a new baby but I did so want to go and visit. Finally I got my chance. The baby’s Grandmother wanted to keep him for a night so while he was visiting, I went the hospital to see Kelly. I wondered what I could take to Kelly, I thought about a book, but Kelly could not turn the pages. I thought about a new gown but Kelly could not wear it for all the tubes and machinery that was hooked up to her and keeping her alive. I thought abut flowers, but there was no room for them in her ICU area. So I took nothing and realized after my visit that nothing I could have taken her would have made her happier than those little white Jonquils.
As I entered the Intensive Care Unit I looked to my right and saw Kim, her sister, and then I saw Doris, Kelly’s Mother. She stood beside her daughters bed holding that little bouquet of flowers up close to Kelly’s face so that when the respirator breathed life into her daughters body, she would be able to see and smell them. She brushed the hair back from Kelly’s face with a touch that only a Mother has.
If the Doctor’s prognosis was correct and a miracle did not take place, Kelly would never again feed herself, brush the hair back off her face, dress herself, read a book, change the tv channel, tie her shoes or hug her children. No, Kelly would never do any of the simple tasks that you and I do every day without ever thinking about it.
Our visit was brief and words were hard, tears fought back as we said our good-byes. They would be back the next day to see her again. Me, well it would be awhile. As we were getting ready to go Doris put those tiny flowers up to Kelly’s face so she could enjoy them once more. On their way back home Kim and Doris came by my house for a few minutes...it was getting late and they needed to get home. After they left I noticed that Doris had brought those flowers in and put them in a cup of water.
That’s when it hit me that what took place that day in that little ICU cubicle will never be forgotten. The simplest of gestures made me think differently about what God has put on this earth for us to enjoy. I have a son now and my way of thinking has changed. I live and breathe for him. I have realized that we are not guaranteed tomorrow, and if we are lucky enough to have another day, it may be flat of our backs for the rest of our lives. So while I have the time I’m going to give my child a hug, kiss my husband, call a friend, read my child a story and yes, stop an smell that little bunch of Jonquils growing in my yard and think of Kelly. I often wondered why those little flowers were there. Could it be that God put them there to remind me......Yes I think he did.
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