Joshua

Some of you will remember a few nights ago when I met the pastor who was singing in the middle of the night. He was tending to a young boy named Joshua who is right next door to Judah. Joshua, only 13, passed away this morning.
I clearly misunderstood the pastor about the boy being abandoned. His entire family was with him, plus a cadre of ministers, friends and caregivers. Early this morning he came close to dying but he was successfully resuscitated. When I asked Pastor Johnson how he was doing, the pastor told me that he was in God's hands. I told him that I had put out an internet request for prayers on Joshua's behalf and he was truly grateful.
This morning, before all of this happened, my mother and I walked past Joshua's room. His young brother was asleep sitting in a chair with his head laying upon Joshua's lap. My mother whispered to me, asking me to bring some of Stella Stricke's cookies over to the brother. I said I would, but I didn't want to wake him. Then, thank God, Mom left for an hour to run some errands. I wouldn't have wanted her to see and hear what happened when Joshua passed away. A dozen people wailed at once. A nurse came by and closed Judah's door, but we could still hear and feel the cries.
It is an indisputable tragedy to see someone so young, so loved, die this way. It had a palpable impact on the entire floor. The nurses and doctors walked around somber faced. Judah's nurse disappeared for a while, asking another nurse to cover. "When I come home to my husband at night, sometimes I say 'I just need a hug,'" she told me.
When my mom returned, I told her what had happened. She immediately reached out to the family and offered to help in any way she can. She offered her professional contacts to the pastor on behalf of the family, and she has been busy make phone calls ever since. It's truly amazing how the same cultural and religious divisions which separate us all outside of here disappear as soon as you enter the City of Hope. My God becomes Our God. My Prayers become Our Shared Hope. Your Sadness becomes Our Understanding.
Although Joshua has left us, perhaps it is not too late to say a prayer of gratitude and hope for his family, and for his spirit. We are all always such a short distance away from the chasm that is infinitely deep, from which there is no returning.
Seeing and hearing the grief of Joshua's family today has made me intractably grateful for Judah's life. As bad as things are, today, we are the lucky ones.