People
A FRIEND IN THE END
Keith was a heavy-set man; heavy-set to the tune of almost five hundred pounds.
I met Keith circa 1980, when I was about 15 years old; he was the step-dad of a friend that I ran around with. I hung out with my friend quite often, causing me to be at his house more than I was home with my mother.
Keith wasn’t a friend of mine in the beginning. When I began running around with his step-son, Keith was a mean and hateful man. His obvious weight problem restricted his mobility, and he relied on other people to do things for him, namely his wife and step-son. When they refused to do what he told them to do, he would get mad and revert to domestic violence to get them to submit. It was for that reason that I didn’t allow myself to be within Keith’s reach, nor allow him to corner me in his house; I didn’t want the same abusive treatment to be given to me that he gave his family.
Keith didn’t just lay around though, he had a lawn mowing business that he really did work at. Of course, he incorporated the help of his wife and step-son within the business. Keith didn’t just mow lawns for a living, he collected and sold scrap iron, tore down buildings for the material, and would wheel and deal anything he thought would make him a buck.
Keith had a deceptive side to him as well. If he thought it would benefit him, he would swindle whoever he could. Keith wouldn’t always pay people their wages for work performed; I learned that from personal experience. I didn’t trust Keith, and wouldn’t do any work for him. Later in life, Keith’s deceptive side would earn him few friends.
When I graduated high school in 1986, life moved on, causing me to not have any contact with Keith for several years. I moved away and got married, had children and then circumstances caused me to move back home again.
At first glance, Keith didn’t seem to be “all there” mentally. His facial features, aided by his weight, caused him to look like a madman. Yet, Keith was intelligent, intelligent enough to be able to live by himself without any live-in assistance. Keith managed his own money, bought and sold vehicles, and had a swap shop where he sold collective items.
When I moved back to my hometown, there was Keith, still living in the same town. It just so happened that I wound up living about two blocks away from Keith. I would see him traveling up and down the street in his wheel-around wheel chair; he would even stop at my apartment and holler at me to come to the window so he could talk to me.
Keith began inviting me to come to his apartment and visit with him and his dog. I was hesitant at first, but I felt compelled to be his friend. After all, I noticed that Keith didn’t have very many so-called “friends”. Keith had separated from his wife, and his step-son had moved on with his life as well. It didn’t seem as if anyone wanted to be a friend to Keith; in the end, it hurt his feelings.
After I began visiting Keith in his home, I noticed a difference in his attitude, Keith wasn’t as mean and hateful as he once was. I was curious as to what exactly had changed Keith. Was it the fact that he was getting older, and regretted some of his past dealings with people? Had Keith realized how his mean and hateful attitude pushed people out of his life? I didn’t press Keith about his obvious change at first, I would just go for a visit, watching a couple of hours of TV with him. One day, I just out and questioned Keith about his change of heart. That’s when Keith told me that he had accepted Jesus Christ as his LORD and Savior. I knew it had to be something serious, I just never thought Keith would become a Christian. This was great news to me. I was impressed to say the least. At that point, knowing this about Keith was refreshing. I became good friends with Keith as I continued to visit him in his home.
Keith’s wasn’t always in good health. His over weight problem caused problems as well. Keith developed sores on one of his legs that the doctors couldn’t figure out how to cure. Eventually, the doctors forced Keith to move into a nursing home so they could monitor the sores. Per doctor’s order, Keith would not be able to return to his own apartment until the sores healed. Tears filled Keith’s eyes when he told me the sad news. In a way, Keith knew he would never be afforded his freedom of living on his own again.
My heart broke for Keith. Regardless of how much prayer I committed towards Keith’s illness, God wasn’t granting any form of a healing.
Keith made the move to the nursing home, going from a four-room apartment to a single room just big enough for a single bed, his wheel-around wheel chair, and a visitor’s chair. I did my best to visit at least once a week, yet, there were some weeks when I would visit every couple of weeks. It was one such two-week span when I found out Keith had been taken to the hospital with “complications.” It was about 8 PM when I walked in to visit Keith that particular time, the nurse informed me that Keith had to be taken to the hospital; after becoming alarmed, I drove straight to the hospital to visit my friend. I was able to visit Keith for about 30 minutes where he informed me that all was well, and that he would be back at the nursing home the next day. Once Keith was back at the nursing home, I visited him once again. I sat with him for my usual couple of hours visit and then said my usual goodbyes.
Keith asked me to come back the next night (Monday night) and visit him again. I felt it a little strange for Keith to ask me to come back and visit a second night, he had never done that in times past; it was always, “Well Jackson, come see me when you can.” I did visit him that next night for about an hour. I felt it necessary, finding it an odd request.
I missed the next Sunday visit after that, but made it a point to get back two weeks later. I walked in to the nursing home as usual, expecting to see my friend. Once again, Keith’s room was empty and dark. I knew something was dreadfully wrong. I went to the nurse’s station to inquire of the whereabouts of my friend. The nurse didn’t seem to want to tell me, opting to call for another nurse. I had a sick feeling in my stomach as I waited to talk to the other nurse. When the other nurse came to answer my calling for my friend, she plainly said that “he has passed away”.
I couldn’t believe it. How could my friend leave this world like that, bringing an end to our friendship? After balling my eyes out, I accepted the fact that Keith was in a better place.
I believe Keith knew he was going to die; he just didn’t want to tell me because he didn’t want me to be sad for him. I was sad, and losing my friend still brings tears to my eyes.
In the end, Keith had very few friends; his family deserted him as well.
At Keith’s funeral, I took the liberty of telling all in attendance of how Keith had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, also telling them how he was now in Heaven, feasting with Jesus.
John Jackson
January 2, 2017
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
This article has been read 763 times < Previous | Next >
Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.