Hoping for a miracle…

Hoping for a miracle… It’s been my experience that when the life of a loved one is coming to a close, family members often ask the Chaplain if he/she has a miracle for them. I don’t mean that in a harsh way. It’s just what loving family members want. Are they in denial of the finality of death? Can they not see that their loved one’s breathing has longer periods of apnea? They might be in denial. Perhaps denial is what moves them to desire a miracle. At this point, they cannot fathom life without their spouse, their Mother or Father or sibling. I think we are looking at human nature square in the face at this point. Yes, they can see the signs of decline… labored breathing, apnea, and so forth. So, Chaplain, do you have a miracle? What is your response to the family member? The reason I ask is simple… this happened to me recently. I stood at the bedside of a dying woman whose daughter responded to my statement that if there was anything she needed to be sure to ask with: “Yes. If you have a miracle, I would like that.” What is there to say to that? What would you have said? I would like to hear.