Sometimes we are never really prepared for what fate hands us but then who really is?

We think death is for the elderly and never the young. Working in a hospital, you know that this is not true. Death has no age limit. It is waiting for any age.

A young mother and wife in her 30's was admitted for workup to see the results of all her chemo and radiation over the last several months. The treatments helped but this time the workup showed that the cancer was starting to spread again. The doctor told her that she would not go home this time.

She cried and cried for the longest time. When she composed herself, she asked what should she do now. What do you say to someone so young that was given a death sentence??? She and her husband had two small children. He left the hospital to go to his children to prepare them for what the doctor said.

Telling her that maybe she should prepare herself and her family and to get her death in order was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do. She wanted me to leave and I did. As I went out of the room, I could hear her softly crying.

The next morning when I came on duty, she requested that I take care of her that day. Oh how I dreaded facing her. She smiled when I came into her room. "Thank you for being so honest with me yesterday." I told her how awful I felt about the day before. She said " Now what do I do to get my death in order?"

I asked her " Does you husband know when the bills are due and where all the important papers and documents are and what of your funeral plans?" Since she did all the bill paying and household duties, she wrote down when the bills were due, where all the insurance papers and other important papers were. She then had me to help her plan her funeral, what songs, pallbearers, preacher, church etc.

She then said "Now all the hard work is done and now my husband and family won't have the burden or unpleasant task of doing all the planning." "Thank you for all your help and don't feel bad about anything. You and I got through the hardest part of our lives today. With God's help the rest of the day will be great."

So we are never prepared for what the day will offer us but sometimes we just need a little help. This lady faced her fears and doubts with courage. She lived for maybe another week.

Her husband gave me a big hug when she died and said "Thanks from both of us."