Today I felt as though I was walking a road filled with Cactus plants; the roads are rough and uneven, yet it is a known fact that the flower of this plant symbolizes warmth, protection and endurance.
From the outward and inward perspective all I hold in my heart is the hardness of difficulty and the reality of pain, where life itself has become a burden to so many of my patients and families. The darkest night has stars; these nights they are obscure from view.
I struggle to grasp, or even touch with my fingertip the very fringe of their need. This morning my first visit with Emanuel Hospice to Elizabeth did not take place, this precious lady was taken from the scene of time in a moment, so soon, so unexpectantly.
Time is short for so many, they need to know that in the midst of their personal storm the Lord is the only one who can calm the raging seas, torrential rain to a whisper Psalm I have no doubt that I will see things differently, remembering how the Lord stooped to pick up little children in his arms, how his humility touched so many.
Visits today where somewhat different ranging from the local shopping mall to a small kitchen area with one wizened apple lying on a bare table. It was quickly washed, dried and offered to me with a face of sincerity that touched my very heart strings. The humbleness of my friends makes me feel so small, so inadequate and I pray that the lowliness of Christ be real to those who pass my way if only once.
