Elizabeth Hugo

Just arrived home after about 5 hours at the VA Hospital with my husband who split his head open. Seven staples later, a tetenus shot, and an x-ray verifying that all was OK with his neck, we headed home with pain killers and antibiotic in hand. His biggest concern was the area in front of his head where they had to shave his hair. He is being ordained on Sunday and had planned to look real handsome in his suit. Looks like he’ll have to sport a lovely white bandage on his head with his deep blue pinstriped suit.

I should be typing my last Individualized Home Instruction Plan after 21 years of homeschooling for my final senior, but instead chose to tell you about Leonard. Leonard too was wearing a suit with an outstanding tie of the American flag. He wore special bootlike shoes with an open toe, and had a walker with a basket full of surprises that he would pull out periodically. One surprise was a can of Off which he had us read from the label. He was offering us the can because there was a fly that had come around and felt we might need some protection from the West Nile virus.

We spoke with him for about an hour while my husband held a soft red rag on top of his head waiting to be seen. Leonard started the conversation by offering to tell us a joke. He was sharp as a tack and pretty funny. He told us that he was born in 1924, 90 years old. Actually he wrote it down for us after pulling out some paper from his basket. He also wrote down his many degrees after he told us how he announced to his parents that he was quitting school….after 19 years. The Veterans Administration paid  for college, so he went and continued to go.

He told us about how his father bought him and his two brothers huge houses and the rags to riches story of how his father made his millions. A family tree on that same paper illustrated his heritage as he carefully drew the chart and wrote the names. Leonard told us how he would make $6,000 dollars in 15 minutes time as a dental surgeon. His staff would do all of the preparations and testings while he finished his golf game, and then he would slip in to do the surgery needed. He also emptied the contents of his wallet to show us a picture of his lovely wife Esther, and asked us to now tell him what was left in his wallet. It was empty…inferring that, like his father, he too passed on his inheritance to his own children.

Leonard told us how his wife, Esther, died 20 years ago and advised him to re-marry. He did so at 86, and made a phone call on his antiquated cell phone to let us speak to his new wife of 4 years. She was very pleasant as we chatted a bit. Every now and then, Leonard would tell my husband not to press down on the soft red rag on top of his sore head and aggravate the wound. My husband smiled politely as he was becoming delirious working hard at listening to our new friend.

Leonard told us that we had clean hands and pure hearts.  I asked him if he knew that those words came from a good Book.  He did not, so I told him it was in the Bible and asked him if he knew who said it. He replied that it was probably the good Jewish boy, Jesus. We told him that it was the psalmist, David, to which he replied very seriously, “He was a thief and a murderer! He killed that beautiful woman’s husband and stole her!” I told him he was right, and that David had also repented.

We then started talking about laughter and healing. He knew people healed of cancer by laughter. I told him that the Bible said that a merry heart does good like a medicine. He was shocked and asked me where. We looked it up, and I read him Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” I excused myself to use the ladies room and came back to him still talking to my husband with the soft red rag on his head. It had been close to an hour that we talked while waiting, waiting, waiting.

Finally, it was time for Leonard’s ride home, and he asked us to call him to let him know the outcome of my husband’s injury. He wanted to give me his cell phone number which I took thinking that this might not be such a good idea. He asked me to try the number to make sure it worked, which I also did looking to my delirious husband with the soft red rag on his head for a possible way out. None was given. I just didn’t have the heart to say no even though I am a suspicious New Yorker.

A couple of hours went by and we were finally on our way home. We had almost forgotten about our new friend Leonard. I turned to my husband and asked if we should call him and let him know what had transpired. He dialed the phone and once again spoke to Leonard who had not forgotten us. He advised my husband that the doctor should have given him dissolveable stitches so he wouldn’t have to go back to get the 7 staples removed. He chatted some more, and we said our goodbyes.

My husband is sound asleep right now resting after the trauma of the day, but Sunday he will  be ordained at our local church. His hair may not look so good, but I suppose that won’t matter much. If I were still talking to Leonard perhaps I would tell him yet another Bible verse about David, the man he called a murderer and a thief. God says to Samuel, the prophet, to annoint David to be the new King. Samuel is surprised because of God’s choice being David was the least likely amongst his seven brothers.

God tells Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7, … For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God saw the potential in David, past the murderer and theif, to the repentant heart of David who was wholehearted in his devotion to God. My husband’s outward appearance today was a man with a soft red rag on his head, and this Sunday his outward appearance will be a man in a deep blue pinstriped suit with a white bandage on his head. However, I believe God has chosen to annoint him because He sees past the soft red rag or blue pinstriped suit or white bandage, to a heart filled with compassion. A heart that would be a friend to Leonard despite his personal pain and even call him back because he said he would.

Sunday is going to be a great day. My husband will look very handsome with his heart shining and his potential awaiting. I know there will be many more Leonards in his life in the days ahead. Perhaps I too will wear a white bandage on my head for support. Nah, I don’t think so.