THE ANGEL

Saturday, September 26, 2009

(Let me begin by apologizing for the length of this post. Many of you know I do not like long posts and will not read one if I think the person posting was too lazy to do the hard work to shorten it.Phillip Done, author of the book, Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind tells many funny stories that almost made me laugh until I cried. One story he told had me crying but not with laughter. I have made this as short as possible without losing the heart of the story)

One year Mr. Done had a child in his class named Michael. He called him Angel because in the Bible there is an angel named Michael. As he got to know Michael he thought he was an angel because of his kindness to others. Michael was a special little boy.

Michael loved to sing. The songs from Grease were his favorites. He wanted his teacher Mr. Done to learn them.

Michael had to quit going to school when he got leukemia. Michael loved to sing. So once when Mr. Done visited him in the hospital they sang every song he had ever taught Michael. They belted out "Do Re Mi" and "Food Glorious Food". They sang "Getting to Know You" and "This Land Is Your Land." And for a few moments, the cancer and chemotherapy and needles were gone. The music had made them forget.

The Wizard of Oz is Mr. Done's favorite movie and he wanted Michael to see it so he bought him a DVD of it. And he said to Michael, "I want you to learn the songs, Angel. And the next time I see you we will sing them together." He beamed. "Okay."

As the weeks went by Mr. Done didn't get to visit as frequently as he would have liked. One night around ten o'clock his telephone rang. It was Michael calling from the hospital. He surprised the teacher by telling him that he had already learned all the songs from The Wizard of Oz. He asked Mr. Done which song was his favorite. He told him it was "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and he started singing because he knew Michael would like it. Michael sang along with him. The teacher's voice wanted to break but he wouldn't let it.

When they finished singing he told Mr. Done he had to go and he said, "Bye." "Okay, Angel. Talk with you soon." That was the last time he ever heard his voice.

The memorial service was held at Michael's church. The pews were filled with teachers, classmates, and families from school. Michael wanted Mr. Done to speak. He didn't think he could do it but he decided he should--and he did.

After he spoke the pianist began playing and the choir filled the sanctuary with,"Somewhere Over The Rainbow." Mr. Done said, "I felt like crying and laughing at the same time. I cannot believe this. I thought. That little guy chose this song for me. I know he did. He picked this song to comfort me! I turned back around and looked up toward the ceiling. I knew Michael was up there singing. I sang with him."

Much later, toward the end of the school year, Michael's mom stopped by Mr. Done's classroom and handed him a bag. "Michael wanted you to have this." Before he died, Michael bequeathed most of his things. Out of the bag the teacher pulled a well-worn video of Grease. On the cover was a note in Michael's handwriting: Dear Mr. Done, Learn these songs! Next time I see you we will sing them together. Love Angel

Mr. Done said, "I stared at the note for a moment and shook my head. Then I looked up at Michael's mom with a big grin. "Well, I guess I know what I'll be singing when I get to heaven."