Angela’s Angst

I had a patient named Angela who lived alone. She was 90 years old but was able to manage herself with limited supervision from her daughter who lived nearby. I was her only constant visitor. Every Friday, she would wait near the window, looking through the blinds for my arrival.

One Friday, I found her extremely upset and distressed because her TV had stopped working. Television was Angela’s life-line. She always kept it on to mask the monotony of loneliness. Without her TV, she felt afraid and lonely.

Angela was on a limited budget and the thought of paying for a repair man distressed her. When I walked in, she began crying. She told me that her TV had stopped working and asked me if I could repair it.

Being totally mechanically challenged, I didn’t dare. When Angela went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, I just looked around, and to my surprise, I found out that the TV was not fully plugged into the outlet. There was a table lamp next to the TV, sharing the same outlet, and it had come lose, but Angela did not have the ability to check behind the giant TV.

I plugged it in, and voila, The Price is Right came on! “Angela, it is a miracle,” I cried out in excitement.

She could not believe her eyes. She hugged me tightly and said:

“You made my day; you have no idea what this means to me. I thank God for sending you here.”

That day, I realized that a simple act like plugging in a TV can make a huge difference in someone’s life, and that apparently insignificant and unimportant things can be significant and meaningful for others.

I also determined never to judge the impact of my behavior on others based on my perceptions, because what I consider to be insignificant could be very significant for somebody else.

The thought of “Almighty God” being concerned about an old lady’s television and “sending” me to her may be considered “faith-stretching.” But maybe not!

The God, who adorns the fragile lilies of the field and takes care of the tiny sparrows of the air, is equally, if not more, concerned about Angela’s TV too.

There is a saying that “when a butterfly flaps its wings in San Francisco, weather changes in Singapore.” It is a poetic way of saying that every little act can make a difference in somebody’s life, somewhere in the world, like the ripple effect of a small stone thrown in the middle of a lake causing waves all around.

My prayer today is that the Jesus, who takes note of the “widow’s mite,”(Mark: 12: 43) impress upon me once and for all that everything I do is important in the eyes of God, so that I may do it with compassion and devotion; that I won’t look at anything casually, or treat anyone callously; and that I will pay attention to every event, relish every experience, embrace every moment, and cherish the person right in front of me.

*****

Ponder and Practice

> Make a list of ten people in whose life you are making a difference today.

> If you were to die today, who will be most affected? How and why? Write down in detail all the ways they will miss you.

> Make it a daily practice to offer at least three compliments to the people around you.

(from Sunset Stories: Lessons from the Dying for the Living)