St. Peter rushed up to the Lord and said, “My books are quite a mess.
Could you please send out right away a very urgent SOS.”
Before the Lord could answer Pete, St. Francis said, “I’ve troubles, too.
The children all are crying and I really don’t know what to do.”
St. Michael said, “I’d like to add that Heaven doesn’t look so neat.
It seems an age since anyone has even swept the golden street.”
St. Anthony was next to speak: “There’s one more thing, for Heaven’s sake:
The food they’re serving here of late gives me an awful tummy ache.”
The good Lord sat and thought and thought; the saints stood waiting breathlessly;
And then He turned to them and said, “We’ve problems up here, too, I see.”
“St. Michael thinks we need someone to tidy up the place a bit;
St. Francis feels the children need someone who’s sweet to baby-sit.”
“St. Peter wants a bookkeeper; St. Anthony, the best of cooks.”
Then all the saints said, “Please, Sir, while you’re choosing, pick someone with looks.”
And then the good Lord smiled, and there was a divine celestial glow.
“I know the perfect one, “He said, “Though she’ll be sorely missed below.”
Then as the angels sang, the Lord called Grandma to her heavenly home,
Where she looks down and watches us, no matter where we chance to roam.
She’s happy – she has lots to do. She sweeps and dusts and sews and cooks;
She tells the children stories and she straightened out St. Peter’s books.
She made the angels all new robes and did so many other things;
And just the other day, I’m told, she mended St. Cecelia’s wings.
But she has not forgotten us; she looks down on us every day.
And someday we’ll be joining her in that Great Place so far away.
Lois McKinney
1958
