Making other people happy.....

My uncle was sleeping so the three of us sat in the corner of his hospital room and talked in hushed tones.

The doctor took my aunt's hands and gently smiled. "You're making the right decision. We can't make him any better at this point. Hospice will take good care of him."

She talked about the dying process, trying to reassure my aunt, telling her it's in God's hands now.

My uncle knows he's dying or at least understands he's too sick to go back home, so he agreed to be taken to a hospice facility versus home care.

He was apprehensive because now my uncle is starting over again at a new place. We'd gotten close to all the hospital staff these past couple months.

The nurse who was getting him ready to leave the hospital, knelt down by his bed, gripped his hand and said, "You take care of yourself, okay?"

"You're a super girl," my uncle replied in a weak voice. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said giving him a hug.

I did my very best NOT to cry at that moment.

My cousin drove in from Ohio for Father's Day weekend so my uncle could see his grandchildren....probably for the last time. She brought with her a cluster of helium-filled balloons (9 in total). Colorful and shiny, they bobbed and weaved, adding a little fun to the atmosphere.

So when my uncle was being transported out his room yesterday evening to go to the hospice center, I told the nurse we no longer needed the balloons. To please give one to each patient on our floor, especially those that don't get a lot of visitors or have family.

I talked with my cousin on the phone that night, mentioning passing the balloons along to cheer up the other patients and brighten their day.

"Good idea," my cousin said. "That's what it's all about. Making other people happy."