The Second Miracle

Do you have tissues handy? If not, go get some and then come back. Trust me, you will need them! Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Okay, it's true, I love all holidays. But I love the message of Easter. I love knowing that Jesus Christ lived to show me the way, suffered my pains so He could understand me, died to redeem my soul and lives again to promise eternal life. As many of you probably know, I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The family in this story are also members of the church. For my friends who are not of my faith, I'll briefly explain some of the terms in the story so that you can more fully enjoy it. Primary is like Sunday School for the children of the church between the ages of 18 months and 11 years old. At 12 they graduate to the youth organizations. Sister and Brother are used as titles to refer to anyone in the church. It is simply a title of love and respect. Home Teachers are two men assigned to visit, serve and teach certain families in a congregation. Each family is assigned home teachers and most men in a congregation are assigned as home teachers. Women in the church are assigned as visiting teachers with the responsibility to visit, serve and uplift the women of the congregation. I hope that you will enjoy this story and remember that the greatest miracles of all, are ones of faith. Have a blessed Easter!

Robert walked slowly down the hallways, his shoes echoing on the tile floor. His mother had been begging him to make this trip for a while. Until now he had avoided it. He had never liked hospitals. They filled him with a sense of hopelessness and despair. Hospitals were where people went to die. After washing his hands at the station, he continued on his way. When he reached the door, he paused. She hadn’t seen him yet. He could still leave now and she would never know. He knew it was selfish, but he didn’t want to go into the room.
“Robby? Is that you out there?”
Knowing that he had no alternative, he sighed and tried to smile as he walked inside. The sight of his younger sister sitting in the bed wrenched his heart. Her head was mostly bald with thin patches of short, brown hair and a bright pink headband with a large white flower. “Hi, Sheila. How did you know it was me?”
“Mom said you were going to come visit me today,” the ten-year-old said as he came in.
“Oh. How are you?”
“I can’t complain too much. Look at all the lovely flowers the Primary made for me.” She pointed at a large vase filled with tissue paper and pipe cleaner flowers. “Doesn’t it make it look like springtime in here?”
“Sure,” Robert replied. He sat down in the uncomfortable guest chair next to Sheila’s bed, unsure what to say next.
“Did you know they have an Easter egg hunt here for the children?” she asked after a moment.
“No.”
“They do. Sallie told me that they have one every year.”
“Who’s Sallie?”
“She’s my day nurse. She comes and checks on me a lot. She said that when the weather is warm enough, they have it out in the gardens. But a lot of years it’s too cold, so they do it in the atrium instead.” Sheila frowned for a moment. “What’s an atrium, Robby?”
“It’s kind of like an indoor garden,” he replied.
“Oh. Well I can’t wait! Either way it will be beautiful.” She looked at him and asked, “Are you going to come see me on Easter? Mom said that everyone else is coming, but she wasn’t sure about you. She said you might be too busy with school.”
Guilt gnawed at him as he said, “I don’t know, we’ll see. I have a lot of homework.”
He could see disappointment in Sheila’s eyes for a moment before she smiled again. “Well, you better come. Mom promised to make me a special Easter dress this year like she used to before I got sick. This one is going to be pink with white roses and daisies on it. If you don’t come, you won’t get to see it. Will you come?”
“I’ll try.”
“Good. I want you to be here. Easter is my very favorite holiday. You wanna know why?”
“Because you get to eat lots of candy?”
“No, that’s what makes Halloween so much fun. Easter is my favorite because it’s all about Jesus being resurrected.”
Robert scowled.
“You’re still mad at Him because I got sick, aren’t you?” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “It’s not His fault I got sick. He doesn’t like to see people suffer.”
“Then why hasn’t He made you better?”
“I guess because that’s not in His plan right now. Sister Macksen came this morning and she read to me from the New Testament all the miracles that Jesus did. She said that miracles come in all sorts of different ways. She read to me about the father who brought his son to Jesus because he had an evil spirit. She said there were two miracles in the story. The first miracle was that Jesus healed the boy. Do you know the second miracle?”
“No.”
“The second miracle was that the boy’s father received greater faith. Sister Macksen told me that she doesn’t know what kind of miracles Heavenly Father has planned for me, but that I can have the miracle of increased faith too, just like the boy’s father. Then she read to me about the Atonement. I want to read some of it to you.”
“Sheila, I’m not really in the mood for a scripture story. Maybe some other time.”
“Daddy says that when you’re not in the mood is when you need it the most,” she replied, reaching over to the bedside table and picking up a colorful scripture case. It had once been pink, but she had let all of her visitors sign their names so she could feel like they were with her all the time. There were so many names scribbled in different colors that there was hardly any space left. She opened her Bible and began reading aloud from Matthew.
Robert listened half-heartedly as she read the stories he had heard often as a boy, but now never read. She read to him of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsamane. She read of the trial and crucifixion. Then she read about the empty tomb.
“Robby, do you believe that Jesus was really resurrected?” she asked.
He hesitated. “Sheila, I don’t really know what to believe anymore.”
“I believe He was,” she said. “I believe it with all my soul. When I read these stories, my heart feels big and warm. Mom says that’s what the Spirit feels like. Have you felt that way?” She didn’t wait for him to answer but continued, “I know that because Jesus was resurrected, that I can live again too. I can live with Him and Heavenly Father. I know that because of Him I can be healed, even if not in this life. I know that I can be made whole again, like the miracles in the Bible. I know that our family can be forever because of Him. Robby, life is a miracle because of Jesus. Did you know that? Maybe I got sick so that I could learn from all these people that Jesus loves me,” she said, pointing at the names on her scripture case, “and that because of Him, anything is possible. That’s why Easter is my favorite holiday. I get to spend the whole day thinking of all the things that are possible because Jesus died and lives for me. He did it for you too, Robby. He did it for all of us.”
Robert didn’t say anything. His heart was too full and his emotions had overwhelmed him. Feelings he hadn’t felt in the years since Sheila’s diagnosis surged through him, filling him with peace, hope and faith. His watch beeped and he looked at it. He cleared his throat. “I’ve got to go or I’ll be late for work.”
“So, will you try really hard to come visit me on Easter?” Sheila asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be here.”
“Okay,” she said, reaching her arms out for a hug.
He hold her close. “I love you, Sheila.”
“I love you too, Robby.”
“Thank you for reading to me.” He got up to leave.
“Wait! You haven’t signed my scripture case,” she said, holding out a purple permanent marker and the case.
He looked for a long time to find a clean place to write. Finally spying a semi-open patch on the bottom, he wrote: Thanks for the second miracle, Sheila. Love, Robby

That Sunday the whole family was gathered to celebrate Easter with Sheila. Her condition had worsened and she barely had the strength to participate in the Easter egg hunt. As Robert pushed Sheila through the atrium, helping her to fill her Easter basket, Mom snapped photos at every chance she got. For a moment he watched as the other children scurried around the room collecting plastic eggs filled with goodies. His heart broke for their suffering, but he noted the joy on their faces. Each child was smiling, even Sheila who was feeling weak and tired.
When the Easter egg hunt was over, they went together back upstairs to her room and their father helped her back into her bed. Their home teachers arrived not long after to help Dad give Sheila a blessing of peace and tranquility. They took pictures of the family with Sheila wearing her new, pink Easter dress. After seeing if there was anything else they could do, they signed Sheila’s scripture case and left the family to enjoy their time together.
Then Dad read aloud the same scriptures Sheila had read earlier that week during Robert’s visit. He led them in family prayer and they sat together and talked quietly. Sheila laughed and smiled, telling each of her brothers and sisters that she loved them. They talked about their memories and the trip they had taken just last summer to see the Salt Lake City temple as Sheila’s wish. “We are a forever family, just like the song says,” Sheila said. “We’ll always be together.”
As the sun began to set outside, Sheila slipped peacefully into eternity. With broken hearts, the family said their final farewell. Robert picked up the pink scripture case near Sheila’s bed as nurses came in to help the family. As he turned it over, he noticed a note pinned to the case next to his. Tears filled his eyes as he read his sister’s final message.
Dear Robby, the second miracle is my favorite. Don’t forget the real meaning of Easter. It’s more than bunnies and candy. Easter is all about how Jesus lived, died and now lives again for me, for you and for everyone. Because of Him, all things are possible. I hope you’ll go on a mission soon to share the second miracle with others. You’re stronger than you think. I love you and will see you in eternity! Forever your sister, Sheila