A Figure in the Carpet

Can't he also reveal his glorious riches to the objects of his mercy that he has prepared ahead of time for glory. . . ?

Romans 9:23

She does the most delicate pencil sketches on the back of napkins.  It amazes me that she can do such fine work without having her pencil point tear the delicate ply.  She also loves watercolors and has the nurses bring paper towels in from her bathroom dispenser for her to use as canvases.  After awhile she's taken them and composed a whimsical little scarecrow or a cabin in the woods with smoke issuing from its stone chimney.  When she works in watercolor, she uses her water glass from lunch or, failing that, Coke from a can.  In between colors, she wipes her brush off on another piece of paper towel and, before long, the wiper towel has an irregular patchwork of dabbings.  It was one of these dabbings towels that she handed me on Saturday.

"Here, look at this," she said.

I looked at it.  "Nice,"  I said.  "You've been busy."

"No, look at it again.  Look closer," she insisted.

I took the towel again and stared more intently and I saw.  She had outlined in the faintest of pencil lines two small animals, a teddy bear and a bunny rabbit.  There they were plain as day - pink ears, button nose on the rabbit; club feet and rotund belly on the brown bear.  I smiled.  "Well I'll be!" I remarked.

"See 'em?" she beamed proudly.

"I do."

"Well, this is how my mind works," she mused.  "I see things everywhere.  You know, I lie here in bed; I'm stuck.  But  I look out my window and I can see all sorts of things."

"In the clouds."

"Mostly, " she said.  "But in the sunlight too and in the snow storms and in the leaves of the oak.  David says I'm out of my mind," she laughed.

"Sometimes that's a good place to be," I offered.

"This week I saw my father and my brother and my sister and they smiled at me and my brother told me that they're okay and not in any pain and he thanked me for what I had done for him."

"That's amazing!" I said.

"It is," she smiled.  "I see the Lord too, you know. . .often."  She looked at me and smiled and her eyes brightened with tears.  "I ask him, 'Lord, when?' and He always says, 'Not yet, but don't be afraid'.

"He has work for you yet,"  I said taking her hand.

"Yes, I must be patient."  She looked past me out the window again.  "One time I asked Him to tell me about Heaven."

"What did He tell you?" I asked.

"He told me that it will be most wonderful but when I pressed Him for more details He just said 'Wait and see."  And then He just faded away as quick as He came.

I sighed, "Well I'll guess then you'll just have to wait."

She smiled and returned her gaze.  "And see. . ."

"Yes," I said.  "And see."

Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

                                                                        Isaiah 40:5