A story of hope. In 2007 I was at a low point in my life.
Angered by the loss of a good job,
betrayed by my best friend. I didn’t know where to turn and had no answers
to the problems. It all seemed so hopeless.
One day, I was on a park bench and contemplating the different ways
I could end my life and stop the heartache I was feeling.
I could see out of the corner of my eye an elderly lady
slowly walking up the path in front of the bench I was sitting at.
She was slightly hunchback and looked like a sweet, fragile old lady.
My Angel Brings Me Hope
As she approached, she looked at me and said, “If you don’t mind,
I’ll sit next to you to rest my weary bones.”
“Sure,” I said, but in my mind, I was wishing she would
keep walking.
I didn’t want any company; I just wanted to be alone
in my despair.
I noticed how much effort it took her to sit down.
Very slowly, slower than her walk, and how she positioned her hands
to catch herself in case she started to fall.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. During this time, I was watching
her facial expressions and feeling an interest in something other than
my despair for the first time in quite a while.
The woman had a presence
about her, and under her many wrinkles, she looked happy.
Her lips kept curling into a smile and softly laughing, eyes bright
and expressive, a look of contentment on her face.
She was enjoying life.
I thought to myself, how odd for someone to feel so happy while just
sitting on a park bench, what brought such joy to her?
Soon she started laughing and pointing to the children
playing on the nearby playground. “That one there,” she said,
“the boy in the blue sweater swinging with all his might,
reminds me of my oldest son when he was that age.
Jake, that’s his name, would swing as high as he could,
he told me one day; he would swing so high he would make a loopy loop.
And let me tell you; he came close a few times. Scared the tar out of me.”
Her laughter was contagious as she reminisced about her child’s youth.
She pointed to the flower bed close to the gaint oak tree on the right of us.
“Oh goodness, “she exclaimed, “the daylily buds will soon bloom,
wonder what beautiful color will they be?” She kept chatting and smiling
and laughing.
I found myself smiling at her and feeling peace
inside a place of my heart that had been void for so long.
Oh, where did she find her joy? I just wanted to know.
I wanted to go there and find joy in myself.
As we sat in silently for a moment, I pondering the thoughts of life and death.
I felt the warmth of tears rolling down my cheeks and then falling into my lap.
She looked into my eyes and said with a sincere heart, “Dear, what troubles you?”
Tears ran down my face as I told her everything wrong in my miserable life.
Conclusion to Park Bench – A Story of Hope
I asked her, “How can you be so happy on an ordinary day at in ordinary place?”
The lady’s eyes sparked as she said her Joy is not in this world; but in Jesus.
She continued to tell me of his unconditional love
and the love she has for the Lord.
She told me if I was to turn my life over to the Lord with a sincere heart,
I ,too, would find the joy that eluded me.
Then she asked me if I would pray with her. She held my hands,
and I could feel love, joy, and peace as if her energy was coming through
her hands and into my heart.
As we prayed, I knew she had brought me back from my deepest despair;
she sparked a light in me.
I knew I could get through this and overcome my troubles.
After our talk, the elderly lady said she must go now
and she would continue to pray for me.
As I watched her walk away, a light radiated from her,
my guardian angel had come to save me.
Years later, I can still feel deep in my soul the joy radiating
from the lovely elderly women
who sat next to me on what I thought was my last day of life.
On an ordinary day, at an ordinary place,
I found out how extraordinary life is
when you turn your life over to the Lord.
Philippians 4:12- 13
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
