Submitted to Baptist Church News by Phil Gramling



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>>THE APPLE BASKET
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>>One day an elderly man entered into a hospital. He was grumpy from being 
>>on medication and the nurses thought him to be insane, as he yelled for 
>>his wife to get the apple basket. By the time they had checked him into 
>>his room the nurses were exhausted from the fight he was putting up.
>>
>>"Sir you have to calm down we are doing everything we can for you" they 
>>would try to explain.
>>
>>"I don't need your help" the grumpy man would yell "I want my apple 
>>basket". He finally slept. The nurses sighed with relief and talked among 
>>themselves whether they should call the hospital psychologist about the 
>>old man and his obsession with the apple basket.
>>
>>As they talked and laughed about the situation the wife came in carrying 
>>the basket of apples. They looked kind of stunned as she asked if she 
>>could see her husband and deliver his basket. Sure, they agreed as they 
>>watched her slip past into his room.
>>
>>Curiosity consumed them over the next few weeks as they tended to the 
>>elderly man. He was eaten with cancer and the doctors had given him no 
>>hope of survival. He turned out to be a very calm, happy man once he had 
>>his basket. His wife, they noticed, would come in with apples and go out 
>>with apples and the curiosity grew even more till one nurse couldn't stand 
>>the suspense.
>>
>>One night as he was nearing the end, the nurse sat down in a chair by the 
>>wife." May I ask why do you have that apple basket? I just don't 
>>understand the significance."
>>
>>"I am an apple farmer by trade he sighed. From the time I was 20 till the 
>>day I do die I will forever have my apples." The nurse nodded thinking she 
>>understood. He just likes his work, she thought, assured now he was a 
>>little bit crazy.
>>
>>As she started to leave, the old man asked her to sit down.  "At age 20 I 
>>was saved, I accepted the Lord as my Savior." Oh no, the nurse thought. 
>>Here comes the lecture on religion. The old man continued. "The day I 
>>accepted the Lord as my Savior I got this basket, and each time I had a 
>>problem or concern that I could not handle, I put an apple in the basket 
>>un-shined."
>>
>>"Why?" the nurse said shaking her head.
>>
>>"Because it reminded me to give those problems to the Lord for him to 
>>shine. See my basket now, he stated. As my problems disappear so do the 
>>apples. As I get new problems, ones I cannot handle alone, I put an apple 
>>in."
>>
>>The humble nurse looked into the basket...only one apple was there.
>>
>>With that, he took a big breath and grabbed his wife by the hand and faded 
>>into eternal sleep. The wife paused for a moment and got up from her place 
>>to take from the basket the last remaining apple. She whispered in his ear 
>>that his reward awaits him in heaven.
>>
>>The nurse stayed still and asked with tears in her eyes, "what do you 
>>think his riches will be?"
>>
>>The wife knew what they were, eternal life with Jesus Christ. But she 
>>could see the concern and sadness upon the young  nurses' face and handed 
>>her the apple and said "the biggest apple pie you can imagine!"
>>
>>That was the day the young nurse was saved, and from that day on she 
>>always had a basket by her bed.
>>
>>-- Author Unknown
>>
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