The Thanksgiving weekend afforded me the opportunity to visit with a friend who was on the road to recovery from surgery. The wait for the surgery had been bad enough, the recovery and rehabilitation grueling. My friend praised his physician, surgeons, hospital staff and rehab staff for the excellent treatment and care he received. His appreciation for his wife's care and patience was without question. After a moment of silence, my friend said "But it was my buddies who kept us going."
That conversation resonated with me on Sunday when a parishioner told me how much she had appreciated the care she had received from several of Christ Church's pastoral care teams. The funny cards, encouraging visits, the conversation and meals lifted her spirits and let her know how much she meant to her church family. The visits made her feel less isolated. The cards made her smile and the goodness of homemade meals awakened her appetite.
During this time of Advent, while we wait and reflect on the holy gift of Jesus's birth, I cannot help but think how the work of the pastoral care teams is a continuation of the light that came into the world with Jesus' birth. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, to be His light in the dark places of the world. During times of duress, when some of us find ourselves in dark places of illness and injury, the pastoral care teams bring into their lives gifts of comfort and joy. For those ladies who so faithfully serve Christ and His church through their work on the pastoral care teams, I lift my thanks to God.
May you have a blessed Advent.
Paula
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sweetness
I recently was talking with a friend who was recounting her experience as a young child in church. She does not remember any words that we...
No comments:
Post a Comment