Sally leaped to her feet as soon as she saw the surgeon emerge from the operating room. She asked if the little boy would be okay. She asked the surgeon to allow her to see him.
“I’m sorry,” the surgeon said. “We did everything we could, but your boy did not survive.”
“Why do small children get cancer?” Sally wondered. Does God no longer care? “God, where were you when my son needed you?”
“Would you like some time alone with your son?” the surgeon inquired. One of the nurses will be there in a few minutes to take him to the university. ”
Sally asked the nurse to accompany her as she said her final goodbyes to her son. She stroked his thick red curly hair with her fingers.
“Would you like a lock of his hair?” inquired the nurse.
Sally agreed with a nod. The nurse cut a lock of the boy’s hair and handed it to Sally in a plastic bag.
Jimmy is Sally’s son, and the little boy had the idea to donate his body to the university for study. He stated that it might be useful to someone else. Sally said no at first, but Jimmy said, “Mom, I’m not going to use my body after I die.” “Perhaps it will allow another little boy to spend one more day with his mother.” She continued, “Jimmy had a gold heart. He is always thinking of others. He was always eager to assist others.
Sally walked out of Children’s Mercy Hospital for the final time, having spent the previous six months there. She placed Jimmy’s belongings in the bag on the seat beside her in the car. The drive home was exhausting. It was even difficult to enter the empty house.
She carried Jimmy’s belongings and the plastic bag containing his hair lock to her son’s room. She returned the model cars and other personal items to his room, where he had always kept them. She sat across from his bed, hugging his pillow, and sobbed herself to sleep.
Sally woke up after midnight. A folded letter lay beside her on the bed.
The letter was from her departed son, Jimmy.
“Dear Mother,
I know you’ll miss me, but don’t think I’ll ever forget or stop loving you just because I’m not here to tell you I love you. I will always love you, Mom, and I love you more and more each day. We’ll see each other again someday. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy to alleviate your loneliness, that’s fine with me.
He is welcome to use my room and old toys. If you get a girl instead, she probably won’t like the same things we boys do. You’ll have to buy her dolls and other girly items. Do not be sad when you think of me.
This is a really cool place, Mother. Grandma and Grandpa greeted me as soon as I arrived and showed me around but seeing everything will take a long time. The angels are amazing. I enjoy watching them fly. And, guess what? Jesus does not resemble any of his depictions.
But when I saw him, I knew it had to be him. Jesus personally took me to see God! Mom, guess what? I got to sit on God’s knee and speak to him as if I were someone important. That’s when I told him I wanted to write you a letter, say goodbye, and everything. But I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
So, Mom, what do you think? To write you this letter, God gave me some paper and His personal pen. I believe Gabriel is the name of the angel who will deliver this letter to you. ” “God told me to give you the answer to one of your questions: ‘Where was God when I needed him?'” God said He was in the same place as me when His son Jesus was crucified. ” He was present, as He is with all of His children.”
Oh, and by the way, Mom, only you can see what I’ve written. Everyone else sees this as a blank sheet of paper. Isn’t that awesome? Now I have to return God’s pen. He requires it in order to add more names to the Book of Life. Tonight is my chance to eat supper with Jesus. I’m confident that the food will be delicious.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention it. I’m no longer in pain. Cancer has been eradicated. I’m glad because I couldn’t take the pain any longer, and God couldn’t stand seeing me suffer so much. That’s when he dispatched the Angel of Mercy to find me.
The angel informed me that it was a special delivery! What do you think?
God, Jesus, and I sign with love.”
