As Chair of the Finance Committee yesterday I took a historic step for our church and moved 4 of our accounts from a bank that has given us poor customer service to one that we expect will be much better in showing respect.

While on vacation I visited 4 financial institutions to inquire about what each could do to meet our needs.  One institution told me they were too busy and I should come back tomorrow.  Another handed me a brochure and told me I could choose any account I wanted.  The other two sat down with me and explained their features and also listened to my needs.  The bank we finally selected went an additional step and customized the account features to meet our specific needs.  They called me and kept me informed each step of the way through the process of account opening and obtaining the required signatures.

Whether you are a banker, a chaplain or any other type of employee customers (clients) recognize when you treat them with respect and they appreciate it.  Respect is not optional, it is the basic ingredient in every interaction!  Unfortunately respect seems not to be something you can’t depend on in our fast paced world.  As you show respect you will have an easier time building relationships in a world where more consistent respect is desperately needed.

Today I was scheduled to do a graveside service at a local cemetery.  I was told ahead of the service that the burial could not take place because 7 skunks had made their new home in the open grave.  So the plan was to go to the cemetery and and have the service in another location.  Tomorrow the funeral home will go back and do the burial if the skunks are gone by then.  At the time of the service 2 of the 7 skunks have been trapped in cages with 5 more to go.

I initially was worried about how the family would react to this news.  When I was at the cemetery and was waiting for the service to begin some of the family told me they thought the skunks were so appropriate because the deceased loved skunks.  Here I was expecting the unusual circumstances to be problematic, and instead it was not an issue at all.

Emotionally I moved from fear to happy when I realized the family was not bothered by the 7 skunks making their temporary home in the freshly opened grave.  It is a lesson to me to see what happens when an unusual situation happens instead of going to a worry mode before I even know if a problem exists.  This is a good lesson for all of us.

One of my favorite TV shows is the drama “24”.  The final episode of the most recent season was tonight.  The show is known for the unexpected twists and turns the plot takes.  The constant in the show is that the main lead, Jack Baurer (played by Keifer Sutherland) is always doing what he does for purpose of protecting the USA.  He often uses methods that are not legal because according to him, “You have to follow the rules the enemy uses, and the enemy has no rules.”

I will readily admit that I know very little about real life espionage.  But I do see a lot of real life illness in my work.  I would like to paraphrase Jack’s philosophy as we learn to deal with illness.  It would read something like this, “Illness knows no rules, its strikes the just and the unjust and is not something you can avoid by being of noble thought and behavior.”   When I am working with a patient who is trying to make logical sense out of why they are sick, I see they are in a lot of emotional turmoil.  So we discuss that turmoil and most of the time through the conversation process they come to realization that being ill was no their choice.  It was not a punishment handed down by a divine being.  It was not the result of a predesigned plan for their life.

We can take a lot of precautions to remain healthy and we should take those precautions.  But even with all the precautions known and available illness still happens.  The only thing we can control about an illness is our response to it.  If we remain true to our faith, and do not give up research shows we will have a better outcome than if we give up at the onset and say the illness has won.  I recently dealt with a patient who died.  This patient was originally given a prognosis of 3 months when diagnosed.  The patient lived 24 more months.  Knowing what I do about the personality of this patient, I venture to say the response of the patient to the illness is at least partly responsible for the extra months that she lived beyond the original prognosis.

If all we do as chaplains is remind people that hope has power, we have given them a great gift!  Who have you given hope to this day?  Please post a response so we can all learn examples of how the power hope works in relationship to illness.

On June 22nd I preached a sermon in my local church contrasting the similarities of Jesus to those of the comic book hero Superman.  As the message developed I shared some of my Superman collectibles with the congregation.  One of our members also collects Superman memorabilia and on two Sundays following that message she has brought me items from her collection as gifts.

It is obvious that my message that day struck a chord with her.  It has added a new dimension of connection to our relationship as church members.  When I preach a sermon I don’t ever assume what the lasting effects of it will be.  I am thrilled when I am able to observe some lasting effects.  This opportunity to share what is important to me with people who are important to me was awesome.  The fact that people have connected with it and continue to make reference to it shows our relationship is deepening.

I had true joy in my heart as I unpacked the box of collectibles I received today and found places in my home to display them.  Our faith should be a source of joy.  When we serve God the service should produce joy in our hearts.  Today I am a joyful person.  I am curious, what about your faith has brought you joy recently?  Please post a reply so we can all be affirmed by stories of joy in discipleship.

Today I assisted in officiating at a funeral.  My experience has been that if those attending get 1 chance to laugh during the service it lowers the emotional load they carry out of the service.  During the service I reminded the family that the deceased did not like the concept of disposable cups because she would insist they be washed and used again.  As I had hoped the family laughed and it did lighten the mood of the service.

Some would probably argue that laughing at a funeral is not a healthy practice.  I differ with that opinion based on the years of experience I have had leading funerals and the reactions and feed-back I have received from the families involved.

The next time you are stressed out think about a happy memory from your past.  If you feel inclined laugh as you remember it.  I hope once you try that you will see the power of laughter and how it can help us in times of stress.

This picture is not from our hospital.  I am using it from the Internet to illustrate a typical hallway that I encounter when in the hospital.  You see both staff and patients in the hallway.  Today I was asked, “Will it make any difference if you visit patients today?”

To give you the context for this question you need to realize that on Wednesday and Thursday I was occupied with hospice patients and other departmental duties and did not visit any patients in the hospital either day.  It was suggested that I not work today, but I felt I had to work at least half a day because Tuesday had been the most recent day rounding took place on my units.  In looking at the census list there were many patients who had been admitted since I was last on the units.  I wondered what their situations were and if they would value my visit.

Here is a snapshot listing of the situations I encountered:

• 20 Family members in a CVU waiting room waiting while the patient was in surgery.
• 1 woman who has been primary caregiver for her mother who is on hospice.  The caregiver is now an inpatient herself and feels badly she can’t assist in her mother’s care.
• 2 staff members who wanted me to listen to concerns they have in their personal lives.
• 1 patient who was having a pacemaker placed and wanted a prayer prior to the procedure.  This patient is the mother of one of the staff members on one of my units.
• 2 people that have a strong faith but were lonely and wanted someone to talk with and to pray for them.

I ended my shift feeling that I had been “in the right place at the right time” to make a positive difference in the lives of these individuals.  I don’t have a measurement device to show the difference between how they felt when I was there and how they would have felt had I not been there.  But from their body language and conversation content I know my presence was valued.  I know the visits were able to reduce stress, reduce loneliness, increase hope, and continue to build the relationships I have with staff.

Was it time well spent?  My answer is an emphatic YES!!!!!!!!!!

I regret that my postings have been slow again.  In the picture above you see a downed power pole.  This pole was 3 blocks from me and from Tuesday at 5 PM through Thursday during the day I was without power.  My poor computer did not respond to the candles I was using for light, so I therefore could not post.

The extended experience of lack of power did cause me to feel  many emotions.  The most frequent was frustration (anger) because so many of the things I wanted to do required power.  With the power off for so long I also had to replace the food in my refrigerator and freezer so that was an additional expense.  So there was also an element of sorting out the cost of something I did not want in the first place.

On the positive side, having power back on gives me great joy and showed me just how much I enjoy my home and base of “cyber-world connection”.  I hope now to resume daily posting.

Over the past few days I have been with families who know they have to let go of someone they love as their loved one transitions from life on earth to life in eternity.  It has been said differently by each of them, but theme has been consistent.  The don’t want to the patient to suffer but they are not ready to say good-bye either.

For those of us who have encountered the death of someone we have loved, we know those moments of letting go are not easy.  I try to find ways to let the family members know that letting go is not an act of being weak.  It takes strength of faith and conviction to trust you will see the dying person again at a time of God’s choosing.  Finding the words to tell the patient that he or she does not have to hang on to life for those they love, but they can go with God and be free from pain and other losses in quality of life is difficult.  I am not there to say the words for the family members.  I try to create a sacred space and use word images the family has given me without their even realizing it, to give them the peace to make that statement.  In most instances when family members can say a sincere “it is okay for you to go” their grieving process given them strength in a time of sadness.  What helps you when have to prepare to say that final “good-bye” to someone you love?  I would love to hear your story and celebrate your faith.

If you live in or near Cumberland MD currently you would know the phrase, “The Lucky 33” refers to 33 dogs who were rescued from a home where they were all living together without proper care.  Our local animal shelter took over possession of the dogs and is giving them the care and re-training they need so they can be adopted out to loving homes.  People throughout our area have been discussing how horrible it is to subject a dog to dangerous life threatening or abusive living situations.  I agree with them 100%!

What has been good news about this tragedy is that being moved by emotions many people have come to the animal shelter to help.  Some have donated products for care of the dogs.  Veterinarians have provided immediate and reduced cost medical care.  Others have made financial donations. Still other concerned people have become foster parents of dogs already at the shelter to make room for the unusual influx of 33 dogs at one time.  Their are a variety of ways their caring turned into action, and all are needed.  I am reminded by this that it is not enough to simply care, we must act on what we care about to be part of the solution.

For proof that action is of great value look at the photo below which is representative of a dog after it has been nursed back to health.  Yes, we can all make a difference!

Several days ago I remember watching a news interview on TV with a couple in NC about what they were going to do regarding their 4th of July plans in response to Hurricane Arthur.  At that time they were hoping the weather service was incorrect and they were planning to stay right by the beach until they had certainty the storm was coming.

Now the power of Arthur is fact and we have pictures to prove it, similar to the one I have posted above.  I pray for everyone who is having to restore their homes following the devastation of the storm.  I also am thankful for all those who are engaged in rescue and relief efforts.

Back to the couple I was in the TV prior to the storm.  I have no idea at what moment they decided Arthur was reality and took preparatory action.  I do hope they acted before it was too late to find safety.  It reminds of though of patients who receive signals of pain from their bodies but choose not to visit a physician.  When the pain becomes so severe then we see them in the Emergency Department.  Often because they have not taken action when the pain signals first appeared their chances for a full recovery are reduced.  Sadly for some patients, putting off seeing a physician means we are not able to prevent their death by the time they enter the Emergency Department.

I see the regret loved ones feel when they wish their patient had acted more proactively to address their pain and save their life.  Please do yourself and your loved ones a favor and seek medical attention at the onset of pain rather than waiting until the pain is so unbearable you have no choice other than to seek assistance.  Consider pain as the weather service for your body giving you an advance prediction of when a storm is going to appear.  Proactive action is not only a gift to yourself but it is also a gift to those who love you.