Article September 19, 2005 Issue

Why it's never too late

By Margaret Rogers

IT LOOKED AS IF time had run out for my neighbor Jo. She had moved from our apartment complex to an assisted living facility a few months earlier, and that morning a nurse had called me to say that they could get no response out of her. Apparently she was slipping away.

Jo had been retired for many years, had no close family, and had outlived most of her friends. As I drove over to see her, I prayed. It wasn't a prayer for a smooth transition or a "Heal her, O Lord," but more of an affirmation that no matter what I saw when I got there, Jo was actually not a mortal person with a beginning and end. I prayed to know and feel that every individual is in truth precious evidence of the Life that is God, Life that is spiritual and timeless.

When I got there, Jo was in bed facing the wall. She didn't respond to my greeting. In fact, I couldn't even detect the motion of breathing. As I sat down, it struck me that it felt as though I were stepping into the middle of a play. The stage set and the position of the player pointed to an obvious outcome. Interestingly, the next thought that came to me was that I wasn't obligated to accept that outcome.