Rose Marie is here! She has come for me!

Many years ago, I used to work at a senior assisted living facility. There were 14 rooms with about 20 residents. Despite the many years since I have worked there, I cherish the many wonderful memories of the residents and my love for each one of them. One resident, in particular, holds a very special place in my heart.

Jim was an elderly man who lived in room #1. He was quiet and said very little. Although he did not talk much, I greatly enjoyed his company. He was sweet and kind. A few months after I started working at the assisted living facility, Jim was diagnosed with throat cancer. He was in constant pain and soon saying even a few words was nearly impossible as the cancer destroyed his ability to speak.

One night, as I was doing my rounds to administer the night-time medications and check in on the folks before they went to bed, I entered Jim's room. Jim had a medium sized bird cage which housed about six small birds. At this time of night, the birds were usually sound asleep. Tonight, however, they were all awake and making a loud racket. When Jim saw me, he warmly greeted me and had a smile on his face. I was surprised he spoke to me as he had not said a single word in over a week. He told me, pointing toward a photo of an elderly woman hanging on the wall, "Rose Marie is here! She has come for me!" I rejoiced in his bright mood, but I was a bit concerned the cancer/cancer drugs might have made him a bit delusional. It was 9:30 at night. No one but me and the birds were in his room.

As I approached Jim in his room, I felt as though I was entering an incredible energy vortex. It was one of joy, excitement and happiness. Shivers ran up and down my body. The hair on my arms and neck stood up. I was overwhelmed with a sense of reverent awe and felt great power in the room. Although I was standing still, it felt as though the entire world was spinning around Jim and me. I was so excited Jim was talking, I lingered in the room for about a half hour. During the entire time, the birds kept squawking and making loud noises and a powerful presence seemed to be in the room. Jim continued to talk and talk. His face was radiant, and all traces of the months and months of suffering with cancer seemed to have vanished. I longed to stay in his room and enjoy this incredible experience, but I pulled myself away. I needed to complete my rounds and get everything in order for the over-night shift.

The next day, I began work at 11 a.m. The overnight worker informed me Jim had passed away during the night. I was a bit shocked as I had such a wonderful conversation with him the night before. I mentioned to my colleague, Jim had mentioned something about seeing a person named Rose Marie. My colleague exclaimed, "Oh, Rose Marie! That was Jim's wife for the last 40+ years. She passed away about 6 months ago, before you started working here. Before her death, Jim loved to talk and took dear care of his wife. After she passed away, he stopped talking and his health declined quickly."

Upon hearing these remarks, I suddenly knew the full scope of the previous night's experience. Rose Marie had indeed come back! She came back to guide Jim to heaven. I was not alone with Jim in his room. I felt tremendous gratitude to have been able to experience such an incredible event. I weep with joy and anticipation at the thought that one day, I too will be called to heaven. Oh what a joyous day that will be!

"Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' He was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'" (Genesis 28:16-17)