Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio , Texas
. She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr.        
Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite      
patient was Edith Burns.                                                   
> >                                                                        
> > One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was        
because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat   
Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young     
mother sitting beside her.                                                 
> >                                                                        
> > Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my  name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the
meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved.                   
> >                                                                        
> > Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse,  
Beverly. Bev erly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood        
pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in
Easter?"                                                                   
> >                                                                        
> > Beverly said, "Why yes I do."                                          
> >                                                                        
> > Edith said, "Well, what do you believe about Easter?"                  
> >                                                                        
> > Beverly said, "Well, it’s all about egg hunts, going to church, and    
dressing up." Edith kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter,    
and finally led her to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.                 
> >                                                                        
> > Dr. Phillips said, " Beverly , don’t call Edith into the office quite  yet. I believe there is another delivery taking place in the waiting room.
                                                                           
> >                                                                        
> > After being called back in the doctor’s office, Edith sat down and     
when she took a look at the doctor she said, "Dr. Will, why are you so     
sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?"                         
> >                                                                        
> > Dr. Phillips said gently, "Edith, I’m the doctor and you’re the        
patient. " With a heavy heart he said, "Your lab report came back and it   
says you have cancer, and Edith, you’re not going to live very long."      
> >                                                                        
> > Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do   
you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I’m going to see my    
precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me     
that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here you are having       
difficulty giving me my ticket!"                                           
> >                                                                        
> > Dr. Phillips thought to himself, "What a magnificent woman this Edith  
Burns is!"                                                                 
> >                                                                        
> > Edith continued coming to Dr. Phillips. Christmas came and the office  
was closed through January 3rd. On the day the office opened, Edith did    
not show up. Later that afternoon, Edith called Dr. Phillips and said she  
would have to be moving her story to the hospital and said, "Will, I’m     
very near home, so would you make sure that they put women in here next to
me in my room who nee d to know about Easter."                             
> >                                                                        
> > Well, they did just that and women began to come in and share that     
room with Edith. Many women were saved. Everybody on that floor from staff
to patients were so excited about Edith, that they started calling her     
Edith Easter; that is everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse.       
> >                                                                        
> > Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith because
she was a "religious nut". She had been a nurse in an army hospital. She   
had seen it all and heard it all. She was the original G.I. Jane. She had  
been married three times, she was hard, cold, and did everything by the    
book.                                                                      
> >                                                                        
> > One morning the two nurses who were to attend to Edith were sick.      
> >                                                                        
> > Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross had to go in and give her a shot.  
When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, "Phyllis,  
God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you."            
> ; >                                                                      
> > Phyllis Cross said, "Well, you can quit praying for me, it won’t work.
I’m not interested."                                                       
> >                                                                        
> > Edith said, "Well, I will pray and I have asked God not to let me go   
home until you come into the family."                                      
> >                                                                        
> > Phyllis Cross said, "Then you will never die because that will never   
happen," and curtly walked out of the room.                                
> >                                                                        
> > Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith would say,  
"God loves you Phyllis and I love you, and I’m praying for you."           
> >                                                                        
> > One day Phyllis Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith’s room     
like a magnet would draw iron. She sat down on the bed and Edith said,     
"I’m so glad you have come, because God told me that today is your special
day"                                                                       
> >                                                                        
> > Phyllis Cross said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the          
question, "Do you believe in Easter but you have never asked me."          
> >                                                                        
> > Edith said, "P hyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait  until you asked, and now that you have asked." Edith Burns took her Bible  
and shared with Phyllis Cross the Easter Story of the death, burial and    
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Edith said, "Phyllis, do you believe in      
Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to     
live in your heart?"                                                       
> >                                                                        
> > Phyllis Cross said, "Oh I want to believe that with all of my heart,   
and I do want Jesus in my life "Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and      
invited Jesus Christ into her heart. For the first time Phyllis Cross did  
not walk out of a hospital room, she was carried out on the wings of       
angels.                                                                    
> >                                                                        
> > Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said, "Do you know     
what day it is?" Phyllis Cross said, "Why Edith, it’s Good Friday."        
> >                                                                        
> > Edith said, "Oh, no, for you every day is Easter. Happy Easter         
Phyllis!"                                                                  
> >                                                                        
> > Two days later, on Eas ter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into work, did   
some of her duties and then went down to the flower shop and got some      
Easter lilies because she wanted to go up to see Edith and give her some   
Easter lilies and wish her a Happy Easter.                                 
> >                                                                        
> > When she walked into Edith’s room, Edith was in bed. That big black    
Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible. There was a sweet      
smile on her face. When Phyllis Cross went to pick up Edith’s hand, she    
realized Edith was dead. Her left hand was on John 14: "In my Father’s     
house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, I will come      
again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."  
Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4, "And God will wipe away every tear  from their eyes, there shall be no more death nor sorrow, nor crying; and  
there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."      
> >                                                                        
> > Phyllis Cross took one look at that dead body, and then lifted he r    
face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down here cheeks, said,       
"Happy Easter, Edith - Happy Easter!"                                      
> >                                                                        
> > Phyllis Cross left Edith’s body, walked out of the room, and over to a  table where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My name is Phyllis
Cross. Do you believe in Easter?"                                          
> >                                                                        
> >                                                                        
> > If you believe in Easter, forward this on. God works in wonderful      
ways, and to believe in his power is to truly be free. If Jesus had        
e-mail, he’d do the same for you.                                          
> >                                                                        
> > (Actually, maybe He just did)                                          
> >                                                                        
> > "Father, bless this person in whatever it is that You know he or she   
may be needing this day"