Together for Life
While spending time with Al at the
hospital, I noticed something unusual through one of the floor-to-ceiling
windows in the lobby area. The first sighting was in the afternoon near the
driveway adjacent to the hospital where patients were dropped off and picked
up. Cars were lining up along the curb or pulling into the nearby parking
structure, with hospital staff, clients and visitors bustling about on the
sidewalk.
I stood at the window, taking a
break from the small room where Al was receiving his daily infusion of
antibiotics. When my eyes drifted from the sidewalk to a narrow stretch of
grass between the driveway and a parking lot for the Cancer Center, I was
delighted to see a Canada goose resting on the grass, its long neck
outstretched.
Every year around this time,
several Canada geese show up on the hospital grounds, feeding on grass seeds,
and even nesting in secluded corners. People tend to ignore them; however,
there are usually some who stand guard, keeping a wary eye out for anyone or
anything that might come too close.
Was there a female nearby? I
wondered, assuming that the one resting on the grass was a gander. Suddenly some tall shrubs planted in a
landscaped area near the building began shaking. No goose though… two wild
turkeys instead! Really? At this busy hospital in the heart of the city?
They scrambled out from underneath
the bushes, hopped down over a cement wall separating the landscaped area from
the sidewalk and walked nonchalantly around parked cars. A doctor in a long
white jacket, stopped in his tracks, fumbled around in a pocket, then pulled
out his cell phone and took a picture!
The goose, most likely a male, was
still sitting quietly as I returned to Al’s room, with a good story to tell. During
an early appointment for Al’s infusion the next morning, I returned to my
observation post to see if the gander was still in his spot.
There was no sign of the turkeys;
however, this time the goose was standing on the sidewalk facing the shrubs,
with the elusive female perched on the cement wall, looking down at him. They
were having a loud “discussion,” both honking simultaneously face to face.
Because it was raining and bitterly
cold, perhaps she was protesting having to leave the sheltered area, while he
wanted to find breakfast! When I returned later, the two of them were in the
garden beds surrounding the parking lot. She pecked through the dried leaves,
while he stood guard. They must have compromised!
Presumably there was a nest hidden amongst
those bushes. It wasn’t in a very big or isolated spot, but it must have been
the right place for her to lay her eggs. Whenever she came out, the two stayed
together, always in the vicinity of that location.
His faithfulness to her, and her commitment to
the nest were impressive. They would make a strong team in protecting and
raising their goslings. Unless something unforeseen happened, most likely this
pair would be united for life!
United for life! The emphatic statement
of our friend Celia, who will soon be celebrating 71 years of marriage to her
husband Jack, has made a lasting impression on me: “I signed up for this!”
Celia has been full time care-giver
for Jack ever since he had a debilitating stroke twenty-five years ago. Now
both in their 90’s, they celebrate a lifetime of love together.
“Do you know that he always says,
‘Good night, sweetheart!’ every night before going to bed?” she shared with a
grin!
Not opting out when things got
hard, she has been determined to stay beside him “in sickness and in health,”
to be there for him as he has been for her. What a positive attitude! This
courageous, loving couple inspires many, including Al and me.
With Al’s final infusion, we said “Goodbye”
to the wonderful medical team who had helped him, “Goodbye” to the hospital,
hopefully for a long time, and “Goodbye” to the Canada geese. Thank God for His
faithfulness in bringing Al through a difficult time, and for blessing us with
a strong, enduring marriage.
“Haven’t you read,” he
replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and
said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to
his wife, and the two will become one flesh’”? Matthew 19:4-5 NIV
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