The Gate

The gatekeeper said, “You have come to my gate, but I do not have a key to open it.  Have you not heard that going to church, even if you attended regularly, is not enough?” 
And with those words ringing in his ears, the old man became sorrowful as he retreated from what he thought would be the right gate to heaven.

Called Out of Darkness – Part III

On the fifth night after surgery while still in ICU, I awoke around 1:30am. I listened to and loathed the sound of the suction machine plugged into the wall that pumped extra fluids from my incision. The pump to keep circulation in my leg compressed and released, compressed and released. I looked at all the IV tubes that hung like a tangled mass – drip, drip, drip.