Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A Chaplain's Journey


A terminally ill, intelligent, and gifted poet wants God to “hurry and come get her” after being diagnosed with six months to live. Two years later, the patient is still physically alive, still writing poetry, but dying daily emotionally and spiritually.

A family is overwhelmed with grief as their love one is connected to life support with a bullet wound in his head. Blood begins to drain from the ear of the patient as I quickly move to divert the family.

A young mother calls for the Chaplain to baptize her baby – this is her third loss in childbirth.

A homeless woman locks herself up in the hospital Chapel. She is addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol.

A husband of 60 years pleads with God to let his terminally ill, bed bound wife speak to him again. Due to a series of debilitating illnesses, she has not spoken in years.

“The loss of coherence is an unmistakable signal that something is amiss in the fundamental health of an individual.” (Leading Causes of Life, Gary Gunderson with Larry Pray pg. 88). And, the lack of COHERENCE is exactly what has happened in the life of the terminally ill poet, the bullet wounded son, the mother that lost her baby, the homeless woman, the patient that cannot speak, and every family member involved with these patients.

Each and every one of the above real life patient stories allows me to CONNECT as a Hospice Chaplain, and as a Chaplain in a major trauma center. There are many more CONNECTIONS and heartbreaking life stories. The leading causes of life are evident in each – CONNECTION, COHERENCE, AGENCY, BLESSING, and HOPE.

As a result of AGENCY, I am fortunate to work with a team of professionals (nurses, doctors, Social Workers, Certified Nursing Assistants, etc) within the hospice arena that assist me in CONNECTING with these individuals. In the Trauma Center, Chaplains wear pagers and are immediately connected with patient and family to provide pastoral presence and pastoral care.

With God as my guide; I am BLESSED to be an agent of HOPE to the hopeless. The terminally ill woman is assured that God has heard her cry to hurry, and in God’s time she will go with God. With whatever time God chooses to grant her, she is exhorted to live for those who love her; and to continue writing her beautiful poetry to leave as a legacy of love.

The family overwhelmed with grief as their love one lays with a bullet wound in his head comes to terms with organ donation, and agrees to pass on the gift of life to others.

The young mother who has lost 3 babies to death has received some counseling and is moving through her stages of grief. The motherhood seed still planted within her has now led her to believe that God wants her to become a mother to many. She is considering adoption and opening a day care.

The homeless woman addicted to drugs and alcohol received food and clothing from the hospital clothes closet. After providing salvation for her physical needs, she opened the door to her heart to receive salvation and confessed Jesus Christ.

The husband of 60 years prayers are answered. One morning at 4:00 a.m. his wife begins to call his name.

HOPE is alive. The BLESSINGS are flowing in the midst of suffering, and the life stories continue through CONNECTION, COHERENCE, and AGENCY.