Leonard was
eight years old
and was chatting
with his father
on their porch
when a friend
passed by and
seeing them,
waved his hand,
smiling:
- Good Morning!
Beautiful day,
huh? What a
wonderful sunny
day!...
- Beautiful
indeed! But come
in, Lauro. Come
talk to us! -
said his father,
making a
friendly
gesture.
The newcomer
opened the gate
and went in. He
settled on a
porch chair and
they started to
talk. Lauro,
tired of
walking, told
them that he had
gone to the
house of a
colleague who
was ill, to keep
him a little
company, and
explained:
|
- John, our
colleague who
worked in the
construction of
a townhouse,
fell and hurt
himself. He
broke his leg
and pelvis. Now,
he will have to
stay in bed for
some time. He is
a cast and, with
this heat,
suffers greatly.
He can stand up
a little but
quickly goes
back to bed.
- Ah! How sad,
Lauro! So John
is bedridden!
But is
everything else
all right with
him? - asked the
father, full of
compassion.
- Certainly,
Paul. John is
very optimistic
and always sees
the bright side
of things. When
I visited him,
he told me it
could have been
much worse! He
could have
fallen from the
roof and died.
John talks about
his fall and
thanks Jesus who
protected him.
|
 |
- I would like
to visit him.
I'll bring him
books because
being stuck in a
cast for a long
time he will
need to get
distracted with
good things, and
I know he loves
to read.
After talking a
bit, Lauro said
goodbye and
left. The father
suggested to his
son that they
could visit
John, the friend
who was
bedridden,
bringing him
support.
Leonard agreed
and, as they had
that day off,
they decided to
pay him a visit
after lunch. So
father and son
had lunch and
left. Both liked
to walk so they
walked there.
When they
reached John’s
house they
knocked. His
wife came to the
door and, seeing
them she smiled
pleased:
- Welcome! John
will be very
happy with your
presence. Come
in, please!
Soon father and
son were in
John's room. The
house was very
simple, and
Leonard’s father
became worried,
realising that
John would not
be able to work
for some time
and probably
would have
trouble to
support the
house.
They talked a
lot and John,
always
optimistic,
said:
- Thank God I'm
fine, Paul. It
could have been
much worse. And
as soon as I can
get out of this
bed, I am back
to work. I have
faith in God's
help and all
this will pass.
The important
thing is that my
family is well.
The rest, I'll
manage.
Leonard, who
heard the
injured man talk
with such good
cheer,
commented:
- I'm sure Jesus
will not fail to
help you, John!
Soon you will be
well again!
- Thank you,
Leonard. I
appreciate your
encouragement.
At that moment
a colleague from
John’s company
arrived and
seeing him in
bed in a cast,
rolled his eyes
and muttered:
- Good heavens!
I did not think
you had been
hurt so badly,
John! You are in
a cast! It must
be really
uncomfortable,
right? Poor
thing!...
Paul and Leonard
looked at each
other, startled,
then they looked
at John, who
before those
comments would
probably be
feeling much
worse. But Paul
gave a
good-natured
chuckle and
answered for
injured man:
- John is great!
He isn’t in
pain, he is
being well taken
care of by his
wife and, as
soon as he has
recovered he
will return to
the job he likes
so much. Right,
John?
The injured man,
looking at Paul,
smiled:
- No doubt! What
happened to me
was nothing! It
could have been
much worse! But
I know that God
protected me,
because
otherwise I
would not have
survived this
accident! So I
have to thank
Jesus for these
days in bed.
I'll seize the
opportunity and
read the books
that Paul
brought me.
 |
His colleague
cleared his
throat and then,
with an angry
face, said:
- Oh, if it were
me it would be a
different story!
John fell
because safety
in the
construction
site is bad! If
it were me, I
would file a
lawsuit against
the company. Why
don’t you do
that, John?
He thought for a
moment, looked
at his colleague
and, with a
smile,
considered:
- Thank you for
the suggestion,
but I trust our
|
|
boss,
who came
to visit
me and
assured
me that
I can
take the
time I
need to
heal and
that my
place in
the
company
will
always
be safe.
He put
himself
at my
disposal
for
whatever
I need
and
assured
me that
every
expense
I have
will be
on the
company.
So, what
else do
I want? |
The other,
agitated,
complained:
- Ah! If it were
me!... I would
leave the owner
of this company
with nothing.
John smiled and
said gently:
- Well, I do not
want to create
problems with
anyone. I fell
for not taking
the necessary
care. I thank
God for being
alive and well,
with only a
couple of
fractures and in
a cast. Don’t
you think like
me, Paul?
- Yes, I do,
John. You're
absolutely
right. You are a
serious, caring
and responsible
man. I am proud
to have you as a
friend! Soon
you'll be well
and back to
work. May the
Lord support you
and enlighten
you more and
more.
Hearing that,
disappointed and
annoyed because
his suggestions
were not
accepted, his
revolted
colleague said
goodbye quickly
and left.
MEIMEI
(Psychographed
by Celia Xavier
de Camargo on
05/10/2015.)
