I am an Administrator at a small, Critical Access Hospital in south-central Mississippi. Our needs are great and usually outpace our budget.

One day recently, I was working in my office when the daughter of one of our patients came to see me. She said, "I do not mean to complain, but my father must get out of bed and sit up in a chair from time to time to clear his lungs. The chair in his room has to be propped against a wall to keep it from opening all the way out and the only way to elevate his feet is to rest them on a trash receptacle."

I apologized to her and told her that because of money constraints we did not yet have on hand what her father needed: a "geri-chair," which is a padded recliner with adjustable positions for seating and feet.

As it so happens, I had just a few days prior ordered such a chair for heavier people, but it had not yet arrived. When I had placed the order, our sales rep had brought to the hospital a standard-sized model for us to look at. I would have loved to have bought that one, too. But we could not afford both right then, as each costs almost $1000. So he took it back.

I was at a loss for what we could do for the lady's dad.

After meeting with the concerned daughter, I immediately went to our purchasing director to see what could be done. As we discussed this dilemma, a van pulled up outside. Out of it jumped our geri-chair salesman.

He came in and said, "Remember the chair I showed you the other day? I have decided to give it to the hospital and it is on the van right now." We took the geri-chair off the van and I wheeled it down to the room of the lady's father.

Less than ten minutes had elapsed between the time the daughter came to my office seeking a geri-chair for her father and a brand new one was wheeled into his room.

Sometimes God says wait. Not this time. Divine intervention happened immediately. Is there any question of the involvement of God's miraculous hand?

Kerry G.

Mendenhall, MS