8/17/2019 Are We Human Beings Going Through a Temporary
Spiritual Experience
1/2
Are we human beings going through a temporary spiritual
experience; Or are we
spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience.
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times beore the patient!s
eyes opened.
eavily sedated because o the pain o his heart attack, he dimly
saw the young
uniormed #arine standing outside the oxygen tent. e reached out
his hand. $he
#arine wrapped his toughened %ngers around the old man!s limp
ones, s&uee'ing a
message o love and encouragement.
$he nurse brought a chair so that the #arine could sit
beside the bed.All through
the night the young #arine sat there in the poorly lighted ward,
holding the old
man!s hand and o(ering him words o love and strength.
Occasionally, the nurse
suggested that the #arine move away and rest awhile.
e reused. )henever the nurse came into the ward, the #arine was
oblivious o
her and o the night noises o the hospital * the clanking o the
oxygen tank, the
laughter o the night sta( members exchanging greetings, the
cries and moans o
the other patients.
+ow and then she heard him say a ew gentle words. $he dying man
said nothing,
only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. $he #arine released the
now lieless hand
he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. )hile she did
what she had to do,he waited.
inally, she returned. She started to o(er words o sympathy, but
the #arine
interrupted her.
")ho was that man-" he asked.
$he nurse was startled, "e was your ather," she
answered.
"+o, he wasn!t," the #arine replied. " never saw him beore in my
lie."
"$hen why didn!t you say something when took you to him-"
" knew right away there had been a mistake, but also knew he
needed his son,
and his son /ust wasn!t here. )hen reali'ed that he was too sick
to tell whether or
not was his son, knowing how much he needed me, stayed."
$he #arine then said 0 came here tonight to %nd a #r.
)illiam 1rey. is son was
killed in ra& today, and was sent to inorm him. )hat was
this 1entleman!s +ame-
