Remembering Kathryn... A young woman who got her wings

This time of year always always makes me think of hospice Patients I cared for. I don't know why. Maybe because it is a happy time for most people. And I just feel my patients are happy now.

They were all special. But Kathryn stands out in my mind. To make a long story short, let me just say this.... When I first met her, she was around 30 years old. She was a very cosmopolitan type of woman, savvy and strong willed. I was intimidated by her. As her nurse, I had to get past that. She hardly talked to me. She was kind of gruff, and kept her distance from me emotionally. But the nature of nursing kind of peels away those insulating layers. I had to reach her in order to help her. So after my nursing duties were performed, I asked if she liked angels. She looked at me like I was crazy....she thought minute and said "I don't know...maybe."

I bought some books on angel stories, pulled up a chair and read to her at each visit in her home. This went on for weeks, each night a different story. She was very I'll and was not expected to live much longer.
One night, her husband was helping me lift her up in bed. She could not move on her own, and we were having just a bit of difficulty.Then she said " Pick me up by my wings." I said " OK Kathryn, that's what we will do."

She died with love on her lips thinking she was an angel. It was Christmas time, and she got her wings. I will never forget her.