MORE GOOD NEWS FROM LAKE MOORE: One Family’s Faith

Gordon E. Ellis
September 2, 2007

MORE GOOD NEWS FROM LAKE MOORE: One Family’s Faith

Well, it’s been a quiet week in my hometown, Lake Moore, that tiny VILLAGE that sits on the map where Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire all CONVERGE into a single DOT. The BIGGEST news this week is that old Bob Cally, the former town COP, had a HEART attack. Strangely enough, AS he was having it, his DOCTOR called to CANCEL Bob’s next appointment. And BOB said: Doc, I was just about to call YOU. I have a TIGHTNESS in my chest. It FEELS like I can’t BREATHE. The doctor WANTED to send out an AMBULANCE right away, but Bob said: I ain’t having no AMBULANCE! I’ll CALL my sister to bring me. The doctor said: OK, Bob, I'll MEET you in the EMERGENCY room at ATHOL Memorial Hospital.

Well, much to Bob’s DISMAY, the doctor made him STAY in the hospital. OH, he PROTESTED, but he STAYED! There were only 5 PATIENTS in Athol Hospital this week, the LOWEST it’s been in TWO years. And it was all MEN. So they ASKED Bob whether he’d like to be in the same room with the OTHER guys, so that he’d have COMPANY, OR, whether he’d like a PRIVATE room. He said: Gee, if I take that private room, can I bring my DOG in? I don’t know WHO’S going take CARE of old SAMMY. My sister HATES him! Well, of course, they said NO, so Bob chose to have 4 roommates. And you should HEAR those guys COMPLAINING -- ALL day long. Of course, SOME of it’sJUSTIFIED. There IS only 1 nurse per SHIFT. The COOK says that he just can’t COOK for so FEW people – and he CAN’T! And the room DOES get CROWDED and NOISY when all 5 have VISITORS! SO, it’s been a LONG week for poor Bob Cally.

Well, Bob’s HEART attack was not the ONLY news in Lake Moore this week. At the

Lake Moore Community Church, Bertha Johnson’s FUNERAL was held. Bertha lived up on WHITE Road. For the past 10 years, she’s been confined to a WHEELCHAIR. She has some kind of degenerative ARTHRITIS. In fact, they DIAGNOSED it back when she was 16 years old, and SINCE then, it’s gotten progressively WORSE. But she was a WONDERFUL old woman. EVERYONE loved Bertha! And THAT’S why that little church was so FULL on Tuesday. They EVEN had to open the WINDOWS and bring chairs OUTSIDE, so that ALL those who couldn’t fit INSIDE could listen from OUTSIDE. The only PROBLEM was that the church DOESN’T own a SOUND system, so no one OUTSIDE could HEAR Pastor Peters. And of course, when they couldn’t HEAR, they started TALKING, not REALIZING that everyone INSIDE could hear everything they SAID.

Well THANKFULLY, they were talking about BERTHA! And thankfully, MOST of what they said was GOOD. In fact, everyone INSIDE began listening HARDER to the people OUTSIDE than to Pastor Peters INSIDE, which Pastor Peters REALIZED when HE started the Lord’s Prayer and NOBODY joined him. SO, to get their ATTENTION, he said: we’ll NOW have a moment of SILENCE to reflect on our own PERSONAL memories of Bertha Johnson. And SLOWLY, the crowd DID grow SILENT.

Now DURING the silence, Pastor Peters INTENDED to go OUTSIDE to tell the people to quiet DOWN. However, before he MOVED from the pulpit, Pastor Peters found HIMSELF listening to the people OUTSIDE. They were sharing a story about Bertha that HE had never heard before. It seems that WHEN she got married, her BONE doctor told her NOT to have children because it would ACCELERATE her arthritis. It could put her in a WHEELCHAIR very QUICKLY. Well, BERTHA and her new husband ANGUISHED over that NEWS. They WANTED children, more than anything ELSE! But THEN one night, as Bertha was CRYING herself to sleep, she had one of those HALF-DREAMS that you have when you’re not SURE if you’re AWAKE or asleep. And IN her DREAM, her deceased MOTHER said to her: Bertha, WHAT is happening to your FAITH? Didn’t I TEACH you better than THAT? And that’s ALL she SAID. So, the next DAY, Bertha went to visit her PASTOR, Pastor Daniels at THAT time. And she TOLD him about her DREAM, and ASKED what it might MEAN. He replied: Well, WHAT does it mean to YOU, Bertha?

She said: I don’t know! MAYBE it means that it’s OK for me to have a CHILD? After all, that DOCTOR isn’t GOD, is he? He can’t be SURE what will happen to ME. And if I HAVE to, I can live in a wheelchair. COMPARED to all the pain and struggles that my PARENTS and GRANDPARENTS had to endure, that’s NOTHING! And BESIDES: I truly believe that the LOVE of God and TRUST in God that I LEARNED from my PARENTS and grandparents is so STRONG that it NEEDS to be passed ON! I can’t IMAGINE that GOD would want MY family’s strong FAITH to END with ME! And IF God DOES want that, then I won’t be ABLE to get pregnant, WILL I? That DOES it, Pastor! Frank and I are GOING to have a BABY -- at LEAST we’re going to TRY! THANKS for all your HELP!

And SURE enough: within a YEAR, Thomas Pierpoint Johnson was BORN, and Bertha was HAPPIER than she’d EVER been, even though she DREADED having her arthritis get WORSE. Well, her BONE doctor lectured her unmercifully, WARNING that IF she ever got pregnant AGAIN, she could FIND herself a NEW doctor. Well, that’s EXACTLY what Bertha DID, just 2 years later, when Henry Russell Johnson was BORN. She said that she just HAD to have another BABY, because: God forbid, if something happened to her and FRANK, poor little THOMAS would be all ALONE in this world, and THAT just wouldn’t be RIGHT!

When Pastor Peters looked down at his WATCH again, he was HORRIFIED! His MOMENT of silence had lasted 7 MINUTES! The people INSIDE the church were looking CONFUSED, probably WONDERING if Pastor Peters had fallen ASLEEP. Quickly he said: And NOW, Bertha’s 8 year-old GRANDSON, Christopher, will play a PIANO selection.

AS he watched the boy PLAY so beautifully, Pastor Peters remembered a FRANTIC phone call that he had received from HANK Johnson on the day of Christopher’s BIRTH, 8 years before: Pastor, can you COME to the hospital right away? We’ve got a terrible PROBLEM here! He remembered seeing HANK and his wife, Sharon, both in TEARS as he entered the room. And he remembered Hank’s EXPLANATION: Pastor, our baby has a PROBLEM! The doctors told us that we have a DECISION to make. It SEEMS that little Christopher has Spinal Bifada. THAT’S that disease that the March of Dimes kids have. He’ll need all sorts of MEDICAL attention ALL the time. And IF he’s ever able to walk at ALL, he’ll probably need BRACES on his legs. He’ll NEVER be like OTHER kids. He’ll NEVER be able to RUN or play sports. SHARON will have to give up her WORK, which she LOVES, and stay HOME with the BABY all the time, because he’ll need CONSTANT care, and spend some of EVERY day with physical therapists. Oh Pastor, THIS is just AWFUL!

But to make things WORSE, he was ALSO born with a DIGESTIVE problem, which will require SURGERY right away in order for him to LIVE. SO, the doctor wants us to DECIDE whether we want him to HAVE the surgery! In fact, he told us that MAYBE it would be BEST if we just let Christopher DIE. What do YOU think, Pastor?

Pastor Peters remembered how he had REFUSED to ANSWER Hank’s question. He asked the couple to say MORE about THEIR feelings, and he LISTENED for nearly 2 hours as they STRUGGLED and ANGUISHED and PRAYED together. They questioned their FAITH, and wondered out LOUD what God might WANT from them. On the ONE hand they thought: well, if God WANTED this child to LIVE, WHY would he be BORN needing SURGERY! On the OTHER hand, MAYBE if we were more FAITHFUL, we’d TRUST that God would give us the STRENGTH and perseverance that we’ll NEED if we give this BABY a chance to LIVE!

Finally Pastor Peters asked: Well, WHAT did your PARENTS say about this?

Well, we haven’t TOLD mine yet, said Hank. THEY probably think Sharon’s still in LABOR! But SHARON’S parents said that we should LET Christopher DIE, because we’re ALREADY so BUSY and stressed out. AND they think that taking care of such a NEEDY child will totally WEAR Sharon OUT. I don’t know. What do YOU think, Pastor? Should I tell MY parents yet? Well, HE hadn’t gotten the WORDS out of his MOUTH when BERTHA herself through the door. MOM, what are you DOING here? Hank asked.

My friend, PEGGY, is a NURSE here, remember? (THAT was in the days before the HIPPA laws took affect.)….. She CALLED me and told me all ABOUT it! It’s a tough DECISION that you KIDS have to make! Have you DECIDED yet?

Not YET, said Hank. Do you have any motherly ADVICE for us?

NOT on your LIFE, Henry Russell Johnson! I’M not going to have you resenting ME if I give you the WRONG advice!

But we TRUST your JUDGMENT, said Sharon. Please HELP us! YOU’RE Christopher’s GRANDMOTHER, after all! You’re ENTITLED to have an OPINION!

Well, ALRIGHT then, said Bertha. I’LL ask you the SAME question that I’VE been asking MYSELF. But, before I DO, I want you to KNOW that no matter WHAT you decide, I will SUPPORT you 100%! And IF you decide to allow the surgery, I PROMISE that I will HELP you in EVERY way I can. YES, I’m in a WHEELCHAIR, and in PAIN every time I MOVE, but I will do WHATEVER I’m ABLE in order to make this EASIER on YOU! OK?

You KNOW, said Sharon, I can’t TELL you how MUCH we appreciate your UNCONDITIONAL kind of LOVE and support. It just feels SO good, and means so MUCH to BOTH of us. So MANY of our friends are having so much TROUBLE with their PARENTS, who want to be in CONTROL and NOT allow them to grow UP and make their OWN decisions! But YOU are just so WONDERFUL that way! THANK YOU! So, what’s your QUESTION, Bertha?

Well, said Bertha, we KNOW that little Christopher is NEVER going to play FOOTBALL. He probably won’t even be able to play T-BALL. In fact, HE may NEVER be able to WALK, much less RUN. But the question keeps HAUNTING me: WHAT if he can someday play the PIANO, and ENJOY it? And WHAT if he has a real TALENT for it? WOULD it be WORTH it THEN? THAT’S what I keep ASKING myself. And MAYBE it would help if YOU ask it.

Well, AS Pastor Peters LISTENED to young Christopher play the PIANO so BEAUTIFULLY at his grandmother’s funeral, even though he MUST feel so SAD, he THOUGHT to himself: Bertha, what an AMAZING woman you were! And what strong FAITH you HAD! And you were RIGHT: you HAD to pass it ON! And you DID! Because of YOU, the good Lord has at least TWO more generations of FAITHFUL Johnson’s here in Lake Moore. And AS he glanced over at HANK and Sharon, they were both SMILING at him. And HE knew that THEY were thinking EXACTLY the same thing!

Well, that’s the GOOD news from Lake Moore, where all the WOMEN are STRONG, all the MEN are good-looking, and all the CHILDREN are ABOVE average. AMEN.