David,
A wonderful message here and how much it could mean to someone who had 
nobody with them.
Thanks for sending it.
Virgie and Hoshi
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Stahl" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, May 27, 2006 11:36 AM
Subject: stay


>A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
> "Your son is here," she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words 
> several times before the patient's eyes opened.
> Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly
> saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen
> tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his fingers
> around the old man's hand, squeezing a message of love
> and encouragement. All through the night the young Marine sat
> there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and
> offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse
> suggested that the Marine rest awhile. He refused. Now and
> then she heard him say a few gentle words.
> The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all
> through the night. Towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine
> released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went
> to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
> Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but
> the Marine interrupted her. "Who was that man?" he asked.
> The nurse was startled, "He was your father" she answered.
> "No, he wasn't" the Marine replied. "Then why didn't you say
> something when I took you to him?" she asked.
> "I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he
> needed his son, and his son wasn't here. When I realized that
> he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he 
> needed a son, I stayed."
> The next time someone needs you... Stay.
>