Chaplain's Corner

Birthdays, anniversaries, and other mileposts in life serve to remind us to stop and reflect then turn and look forward. These are natural human activities: stopping to reflect, then turning to look forward. Although we live in the now, our present is always being informed by our past and our present is almost always being directed by where we are going.

I’ve never worked in a children’s hospital. I am certain though that in a children’s hospital spiritual care would have much to do with looking forward, to the hopes and dreams and aspiration of the young patients being cared for. I work primarily in geriatrics. Although our Regional Hospital serves younger people, the vast majority of those that we care for are older adults, people who look backwards a lot but have a hard time seeing that their earthly future has much to look forward to.

Take for instance Harry, now Harry is well into his 90’s. He’s got some pretty fantastic stories to tell. I like stories and I’m happy to give him an audience. Harrys’ present consists of living in the hospital until a room in a personal care home opens up. Life is utterly routine. Meals come and go on a precise schedule; sleep comes easy so between meals there is a lot of napping. In the afternoon there are a few visitors which Harry enjoys for the most part, then supper and long before the sun retires, Harry is asleep.

Now, Harry is not upset about his reality. He has little energy for anything so the routine of eating, sleeping, a bit of visiting and sleeping again is just fine with him. At times he reflects on the future hoping that he’ll slip away before a personal care home opens. He’s not sure he has enough juice left in him for another move, getting to know new people and adjusting to a new schedule. His 98 birthday is coming in a few weeks.

Harry’s had a few milestones: 97 birthdays, he and the wife enjoyed 63 years of marriage before she passed. He’s seen grandchildren have children and their children have children. He retires many years ago after working in a plant for 42 years. He took 20 fly-in fishing trips with a few buddies from work and received recognition from his church a while ago for teaching the junior boys Sunday school class for 30 years. Harry remembers the flood of 1950, 1979 and 1997. Each time he took a week off work to help folks sandbag their homes. He has lots of stories of those experiences.

Harry is a man who has come to understand God’s grace. He lives in the forgiveness provided by God through Jesus death on the cross. He looks forward to heaven, once he even said, “I guess in heaven being 98 won’t be a big deal, I don’t even think we’ll bother counting in heaven since we will live forever.”

Have you taken some time to look back? Looking back to wallow in our misfortune isn’t really helpful. But looking back to understand how we became who we are now is quite helpful. We are who we are today to a significant extent because of all the experiences in our past. Are we living fully in the present? Do we embrace each day and live it fully, engaging the tasks and the people that are part of each day. What about the future? Do we look forward fearfully, or do we look forward in hope.

I’ve learned a lot from the Harrys I have encountered along life’s path. I’ve learned that God can redeem the crummiest past, give meaning to any present and give hope to every future. As you mark the milestones of your life, take some time to look back, examine the present and receive God’s hope for the future.