Barbara was a lovely woman, in the middle of her life, with beautiful, shiny skin and clear, electric blue eyes that seemed to have heaven in them.
What instantly drew most people to her was her loving and welcoming smile. It was like a magnet. She arrived one morning to early Mass and sat alone. She dipped her head with a shy smile when I caught her eye, but there was an air of sadness in her face that could not be denied. Sitting next to her one day, I heard her either make a slight sniffle or a cough, so I gave her a cough drop and a tissue. She smiled and nodded her head.
Pretty soon Barbara was coming to Mass every morning, where several friends and I attended. This particular day, Barbara was sitting next to Jackie, a friend who realized Barbara was crying. She slipped her arm around her shoulder and gave her a light hug, which Barbara nestled into. We came to know that she had recently been diagnosed with ALS and had very quickly lost her ability to swallow and to speak. ALS is a terminal illness and she knew it.
I and my group of friends fell in love with her and she with us. We went for coffee together each morning and in spite of her great challenges, Barbara would lend a great deal of humor and fun to our gathering. She felt that God had surrounded her with earthly angels to journey with her. We soon realized He was teaching us, through this experience, to love as He loves. Every time God invites us intimately into His work, we are living the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. It was never more evident than now.
In the beginning, Barbara drove herself to Mass, but as her hands and feet were less able to support her, the five of us had the honor of seeing her beautiful face first thing every morning. We saw a glimpse of heaven every time she smiled and accepted her “cross” with grace and simplicity. Her humility and meekness reminded all of us daily of Jesus’s own suffering.
Barbara had 7 sisters and a wonderful dad she adored, and as she began to decline, they all took turns spending a week at a time with her. Her dad arranged to have a special Mass celebrated for Barbara, on her birthday. Little did any of us know the magnificent gift God had planned for her on that special day.
I visited her in the early morning and told her that soon she would see Jesus, to run to Him and not look back. She nodded very softly. Joan and Carol visited with her in the afternoon. They told her how much they loved her and how privileged they felt to have walked this way with her. She understood it all. At about 4 in the afternoon, Jackie, who had given her the original hug, stopped by to visit. Realizing how close she was to stepping into her eternal reward, she assured Barbara of God’s great love for her. Barbara knew Jackie was walking closely with her.
When I called about 6:30 to check on her, her husband asked if I would visit with her. I was at her door in 10 minutes, and while we held her hand and encouraged her to step into her eternal reward, she closed her eyes peacefully, for the last time. It was her birthday.
God was intimately involved with Barbara from the beginning. He knew exactly who and what she would need as she faced this terrible illness. He guided her to a church that was new to her, placed five people around her who could help her and enabled her to die with grace and peace, surrounded by love. God used her to help us understand His love in a new way and taught us about joy, laughter and faith in the midst of great adversity. This is truly the Kingdom of God that Jesus tells us about in the scriptures.
