Chickens and Chatter | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Chickens and Chatter | Previous Challenge Entry
By John Esposito
11/25/14
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It’s 1am and I’m listening to my dad argue with his sister. He is also talking and joking around with his brother. He is going back and forth between conversations and the frustrating part about this was that I was only able to hear half of the conversations.

This was due to the fact that my aunt passed away 5 years ago. My uncle Joe, who I have never met, died about 68 years ago when he was around a year old. My dad is also telling me to get rid of all the chickens that were running around the room.

“Giovanni get these chickens out of here.”

“OK, I’ll see what I can do.”

“No, get them out of here now, there’s feathers flying around all over the place.”

A hospice nurse told me one time that in the final hours of someone’s life that they sometimes talk with others that have already passed and that on many occasions they will see animals. She also said that sometimes a patient’s feet will face towards the North Star.

So now I’m in a room with an uncle I don’t know, an aunt that I miss, and my dad in his final hours. I not sure I understand what any of this means or why it happens. But one thing is for sure, it’s happening before my very eyes, and it’s very entertaining.

It’s now 2:30 in the morning, the chickens are gone and the chatter in room has stopped. My dad is sleeping and I’m sitting next to the window reading my bible with the light from a small lamp. For what ever reason that night I glanced out the window. The brightest star that I have ever seen was now twinkling and shining through the glass.

Curiosity got the best of me and I looked over at my dad’s feet. Both were facing left and pointing towards that nightlight in the middle of the sky. Maybe the North Star is the gateway to heaven. Maybe the Three Wise Men were not only trying to find the baby Jesus, but also showing us how to find Him.

A nurse came into the room to check on my dad and with her hand on my shoulder said to me,

“Honey its quiet now, why don’t you get a little peace and rest?”

“I’ll find some peace and rest when my dad is resting in peace.”

With a wink and a smile she let us be. The clock on the wall was moving, but I could no longer hear it tick. Time in that room was getting ready to stop.

8:45am breakfast arrives. My dad points to the vanilla pudding. I open it and begin to feed him. By the look on his face he must have been thinking that 41 years earlier he was doing the same thing for me. I think that was a coming of age for the both of us. My last official moment with my pop; and so blessed that we got to share that together.

My dad was always there when you needed a couple of bucks here and there. To switch vehicles with you if you needed some extra room for that family day trip. And he would be ringing the door bell before you hung up the phone after asking him if he could baby sit the kids

9:05am, it’s over. My security blanket is now covered by a sheet. The nurses are doing their thing. The undertaker is waiting outside the door. And a woman from the administration office needs me to start filling out paperwork.

Honestly, all I could think about at that moment was having to tell my two boys that grandpa is now walking our old bulldog Archie in heaven. This will be their second coming of age. The first was around the same time in the morning and exactly 359 days earlier on September 11th.

I think we all have more than one coming of age story. I think that our coming of age is the many milestones in our lives. Just like the many journeys on our Christian walk. They go hand in hand; they have to happen and they need each other in order for us to grow. Whether they are joyful or sad occasions; the glory of God will always make it’s self visible. And we will grow together as Gods people and together will sing Gods praises. And all God’s people will say, “Amen!”

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