Written by Samuel A. Kojoglanian, MD, FACC, FSCAI Tuesday, 26 November 2013 16:50
Arlene’s husband walked out on her because he no longer loved her. He left behind a wife and six kids and told her, “I hope you don’t make it, and I hope you all die!” Plain and simple, his love “had run out.”
One of her kids, now a grown lady and my patient, remembers how she used to keep a pair of shoes tidy to avoid going barefoot. World War II had ended and things didn’t add up for Arlene. She got a job cooking in a hospital kitchen and desperately scrambled to feed her children by working long hours, cooking and scrubbing, hoping and praying, crying and begging God to spare her children and give them life.
One of the patients in the hospital, an elderly man, wanted to know who cooked his wonderful meals. By now Arlene had worked for two long years. He and his wife got to meet Arlene, and within weeks, they helped her open up a restaurant, which grew into three restaurants and all six of Arlene’s kids chimed in to help. The death wish from an ex turned into a life-gift from the heart, saving a family of seven.
There are some gifts that make us cringe, some that make us smile, and some that save our lives. There is one gift that is not made of checks, cash, gold or silver. The gift is beyond the keys to a new car, house or a restaurant. It is the only gift that mends your heart when you’re weary and broken. It is the only gift that gives courage when you’re afraid. It is the only gift that provides guidance when you’re confused. And it is the only gift that gives comfort when you find yourself in the pits of loss, pain, rejection, failure and despair.
God sent this gift, His Son, Christ, to come to earth and give His life to provide light, love, truth, hope and salvation. He saves a lost soul like me, and can do the same for you if you accept the gift that gives eternal life. No worries, if you don’t have the strength to seek Him, He has the love to find you, even if it’s in the basement of a hospital’s cafeteria. He’s the true Mender of Hearts and for this life-gift, I am ever thankful.
For this Christmas, I wish you good health, great joy, immeasurable peace, and the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ who can change your very being because His love will never run out!