I will always remember Stella. Elderly, blind and living
alone, one might think she should have spun long tales of
hardship and misery. And I suppose she could have told
such stories, but she made little room in her life for
self-pity.
She might have mentioned the deaths of friends and family,
including her husband; the glaucoma which finally claimed
her eyesight; the small pension on which she was forced
to subsist and the arthritis which kept her homebound in
a little trailer house.
And nobody could blame her had she despaired that she had
grown so dependent on others. She never did lament about
all her hardships, either past or present. But I frequently
recall her enumerating her good fortune. Speaking of her
son, she often said:
"My Jimmy came to see me today. He's so good to me!"
Of her friends, she often commented: "I've been talking
on the phone all morning. I'm so thankful I have such
good friends."
Then, with a slap on her knee and a broad smile on her
lips, she would invariably exclaim,
"I'm the richest person in the world!"
And maybe she was! She had love. She found it in her
friends, her family and her faith. She had everything
she needed for a happy and fulfilled life. And what"s
more, she knew it. Stella spoke of her upcoming 90th
birthday.
"All my family will be here," she smiled. And with that
familiar slap on her knee, she exclaimed, "You know, I'm
the richest person in the world!"
But she barely made that birthday celebration herself.
Several days prior she was laid in a hospital bed and
slipped into a coma. Her family was told she would die
shortly. I felt sad that she would not experience her
long-awaited celebration.
However, a strange thing happened. On the day of her
birthday, she opened her eyes and greeted the smiling
faces of family and friends surrounding her bed. She
sat up and enjoyed birthday cake while someone read
cards.
They told her they loved her and they said, "Good-bye."
At one point, she looked at me with that familiar twinkle
in her eye, smiled and whispered,
"I'm the richest person in the world!"
Stella went to sleep that night and slipped peacefully
away. I have often wondered if she felt sorry for those
who have everything but happiness.
After all, they could be just as wealthy and happy as
she, if they only realized that the greatest of all
riches is love.
Thanks to Stella, I have now decided to become the
Richest Person in the World! And I think I can!