A Heart Full of Treasures:

I knocked on the door. I did not want to ring the bell, in case Harry was sleeping. The night nurse opened the door, greeted me with a smile and stepped aside for me to come in.

"Good morning, Rosie. It's good to see you this morning." she said quietly.

"Good morning, Adele. How are you?" I replied.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. "

"How was his night?" I asked, as I carefully scrubbed my hands. I was anxious to hear how Harry was feeling.

"He had some trouble sleeping," Adele explained. "He seemed anxious, like he had something on his mind. He couldn't tell me what was bothering him. He's sleeping now, but he was asking for you. I told him you would be here this morning."

"Okay, thank you. Is there anything else I should know?"

"No, dear." she said.

"Thank you, Adele. Get some rest and have a good day."

"You have a good day too, Rosie."

I gloved up, checked the placement of my mask and quietly slipped into Harry's room. He was sleeping soundly. I sat in the chair beside his bed, staring at this sweet old man who had had such an influence on my heart. My mind was flooded with memories of how our relationship began and the road we have travelled since that day.

I had needed a breather. My patient had just passed away, alone and separated from her family, due to the pandemic. My heart was heavy, so I took a walk through the garden of the assisted living facility. It was such a beautiful and peaceful place. The flower gardens were well tended, there was a magnificent little waterfall and an abundance of benches to sit quietly and take it all in. Harry was sitting at a table, accompanied only by a chess board. He motioned for me to come near. I walked over to the table.

"Hello. Do you need something?" I asked him politely.

"Hello, sweetie. Would you do me the honor of playing a game of chess? I was hoping someone would come along, and here you are."

Not many of the residents were able to see their families right now. I was officially off the clock and felt the need for a distraction, so I accepted his invitation.

"It's been a long time since I played a game of chess. Yes, I'd enjoy a game again." I said with a smile.

"That's ok, sweetie. You don't mind if I call you sweetie, do you? My name is Harry."

"No, I don't mind at all. It's nice to meet you, Harry. My name is Rosie."

My friendship with Harry began that day ten months ago in that beautiful, peaceful garden. We played a competitive game of chess and shared stories and laughter. When our game was over, we walked the winding path through the garden and sat on a bench near the waterfall. Harry walked with a cane and felt steadier when he held onto me as well. I learned that his wife of fifty years had passed away ten years earlier after a long illness. He had taken care of her until the very end. I told Harry about the passing of my husband from a sudden, tragic accident, and we immediately had a bond that connected us. We understood the pain we each felt at having such a deep loss tear our hearts wide open. The only difference between my situation and Harry's is that I had a little girl. Harry and Esther never had any children.

"What's her name?" Harry asked.

"Harper. Her name is Harper." I replied with a sigh. "She's five and the joy of my life. I see her daddy in her every day and I am so grateful she is with me."

"Rosie, you are a strong woman. It must be a struggle to be a mom, work and take care of your little girl. You are brave. And strong." Harry said reassuringly.

"Thank you, Harry."

Silence followed for a few moments, as if we just wanted to embrace those moments of remembering. In that silence, I felt as though I had known Harry my whole life. I was surprisingly comforted that day by my serendipitous meeting in the garden. I began to call it the Gratitude Garden, because I was so grateful to be there and spend time with Harry. Over time, he came to be the father I never had. Every conversation contained little "pearls of wisdom" from Harry that I came to treasure and tuck away in the recesses of my heart.

"Teach Harper the value of money, sweetie. It is important to save."

"Don't look at your problems. Seize your opportunities."

"Never pass up a moment to show someone you love them."

As time passed, Harry became physically weaker. Our walks in the garden grew shorter. For a time, I pushed him in his wheelchair so he could still get outside, but even that venture began to take its toll on him. Harry had made the decision that he did not want to die in the assisted living facility. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be where he was most comfortable, at home, in his own bed, with his treasured memories. As the arrangements were being made, Harry also made the decision that he wanted me to be his home nurse. Because I had Harper to take care of, he understood that I could not be there all the time and I would need to share the responsibility with other home visiting nurses. He agreed to the arrangement. I occasionally brought Harper to visit and say hello. She sparked a smile out of Harry and he seemed delighted to see her.

"There's my sweetie, Rosie." Harry spoke softly.

The sound of his voice brought me back to the present moment. I reached out to hold his hand.

"I'm here, Harry. How are you feeling this morning? Adele told me that you didn't sleep well." I said as I squeezed his hand.

"I need you to do something for me. I keep thinking about it. I don't think I have much longer. Will you help me?" Harry spoke with a sense of urgency in his voice.

"Of course, I'll help you, Harry. What is it you need me to do?"

"I have a shoebox. On the shelf in the closet. Will you get it for me?"

"Absolutely." I let go of Harry's hand and walked over to the bedroom closet. I found the shoebox. I carried it over to the bed and set it down next to Harry.

"Rosie, this is my treasure box. It's important to me. I wanted to show it to you, and I wanted just to see it one last time."

The box was filled with Harry's most treasured belongings. One by one, with his weak hands shaking, he carefully took things out of the box. An old dog collar from his beloved dog; a medal he earned for his service in the war; love letters from his precious Esther. I read each letter out loud to Harry as he quietly listened. At times, there would be a silent tear softly sliding down his cheek.

"I miss her."

"I know, Harry. I know." I felt like crying with him.

Harry looked in the box. There were newspaper articles and some old photos of him and Esther. As he took out the photos, Harry told me the story connected to each one. There were more treasures in the box, but Harry was getting tired.

"You should rest now, Harry. We can finish looking through the box later, after you have rested a bit." I reached out to put the letters and photos back in the box, but Harry put his hand on mine.

"Leave them here, Rosie. I want to be surrounded by my treasures for now."

"Okay, Harry. Close your eyes and rest. I will be right here with you." I reassured him.

Harry closed his eyes. I sat on the edge of his bed, holding his hand until he fell asleep. After awhile, his breath grew soft and slow. Then slower and more shallow. Harry took one final deep breath and he was gone. I checked his vital signs and noted his time of death. My sweet Harry. He left this earth on his terms, surrounded by his treasures, in his own bed, in his own home. In that moment, I was certain that he was dancing in heaven with his precious Esther. I could just see him, smiling and laughing, like nothing else mattered but that moment.

I took off my mask and my gloves. I could not stop the flow of tears over the loss of my friend. I left the room for a few moments to cry. I went to the bathroom, washed my face and pulled myself back together. There were phone calls to be made, so I took care of that. I went back into Harry's room. I picked up the treasure box. There were a few more photos, some old stamps, a few old coins, a very old chess piece and a little black book. I sat down on the bed to look at the little black book. There were some names and phone numbers. There were countless pages of Harry's deepest thoughts and feelings that he had journaled over the years. The back pocket held some old tickets from dance contests and a small envelope with Rosie's name on it. Inside was a handwritten note from Harry.

"Rosie, sweetie, remember my pearls of wisdom. Call this number. 406-377-9191 and ask for Jeffrey West. Harry."

"What? Harry, were you going to explain this to me?" I was talking out loud to Harry as if he were still there and could answer me. I was very confused by this message and I did not understand. I collected up all of Harry's treasures, put them back in the shoebox, and returned the shoebox to its place on the shelf in the closet. I kept the little black book and put it in the pocket of my scrubs. After all of the necessities of taking care of Harry's body had been completed, I locked the house and went home to my little apartment and my little girl. The next day, I called the mysterious phone number and discovered that Jeffrey West was an attorney in charge of Harry's estate. We scheduled an appointment for later that day.

"Hi Rosie. Please sit down. Let's get right to business. I am executor of Harry's estate. He and I met about a month ago because he wanted to make some changes in his will. He was very fond of you and considered you to be the daughter he never had. There are no other parties connected with Harry, so he left everything to you." Mr. West explained.

I sat in shock as I listened to him.

"Harry wanted to make sure that you and Harper had a home, with a nice yard for Harper to play in, so he leaves you his house. You can do as you please with the contents. There is also $20,000 in a bank account that can be transferred over to your account, effective immediately. Do you have any questions?" he asked.

I was overwhelmed.

"No. I don't know what to say." I replied.

"Harry was a generous man and a kind soul. He wanted to leave a legacy that would be remembered." said Mr. West.

"Yes, he was. He left me a new opportunity and a heart full of treasures. His legacy will live on through me and my little girl. Thank you, Mr. West."

I left his office holding that little black book close to my heart.