If you’ve been watching the news,

Some call him ‘The Grim Reaper;’

To me, he is an Angel of Mercy,

And, most definitely, a Keeper

“The name ‘angel’ refers to their office, not their nature.

You ask the name of this nature, it is Spirit;

You ask its office, it is that of an Angel,

Which is a Messenger.”

St. Augustine

He works in a nursing home

In the state of Rhode Island

His job is to bring comfort

To humans facing their end

He very diligently makes his daily rounds

And he somehow senses our earthly deaths

He snuggles on the bed of those about to die

He comforts them until their very last breath

Nursing home staff now rely on this tiny furry angel

To provide at least four hours of notice to their families

This gives these family members sufficient time to arrive

To be by the side of loved ones as they face life’s mortality

Oscar is this two-year old furry angel’s name

He has comforted at least 25 dying patients here

He has received an award for Hospice Compassion

In his efforts to comfort and console death bed fears

Most family members have truly appreciated angel Oscar’s gift

But just a few have demanded that he be removed from their sight

When this happens, Oscar diligently remains right outside the door

Until the now dying nursing home resident’s soul departs for The Light

When it’s time for me to face death at the end of my journey

I pray a compassionate soul like Oscar is there to comfort me

I have always known that animals possess many God given gifts

And I know this furry angel will lead many more souls to eternity

ÿ2007, Mr. Ed