Dan

When I first met Dan he was a handsome six foot tall, two hundred and fifteen pound arrogant egoistical pompus dope smoking 59 year old jerk.  He had been a teacher and a coach and had taught in some of the native american schools and had the attitude that he was the only white man who had ever done anything that propeled kids away from drugs and alcohol and into higher education.

He was diagnosised with esphogeal cancer that was located at the bottom of the esophogus at the sphincter  going into the stomach.  Within six weeks he dropped fifty pounds.  Although food tasted good to him, it was not being digested.  His weight continued to plumage to one hundred forty-three.  Soon he was equipped with a clostomy bag.  He was skin over bone. He still very much enjoyed massages. With the drastic changes in his physical appearance came an attitude change as well.  He became kinder, softer, and appreciative of those around him.  One late afternoon he even offered for me to sit in the massage chair and he would rub my shoulders.  I tried deperately to say no but his wife gave me the look. It was a begging sort of look.  I agreed.  He had hands of gold.  He gently used the finger tips and moved clockwise on the top of the trapezius, then across to the shoulders and back to the neck.  When he finished I ask him what I owed him and he smiled.  His wife later told me that he talked about that for hours.  He laughed and said how different life would be if he could be well. 
He went on and on about much he learned from the hospice caregivers about loving people and doing good just because you can. 

Today Dan weighed in at one hundred and twenty-six pounds.   His back is nothing but bony promineces at best.  He smiled and joked and ask me if I needed an assistant because he thinks he is up for the job.  Today I noticed his eyes. So vivid blue. So clear.  When I commented on his eyes, his response was, " I guess when I cleared up my soul the windows clearedup too." 

I am not God and I do not know how much longer Dan has on this earth with us.  What I do know is that if by a miracle he were made well, I would want to be his friend.