“Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
Psalm 116:2
“Chaplaincy is enabling patients and their loved ones to tell their stories, the telling of which is good for the soul—and the mind and body.”
“Chaplaincy is about discovering the little things that mean a lot to patients and their loved ones.”
“Chaplaincy is about both feet planted responsively amidst the realities and strengths and needs of patients and their loved ones.”
“Chaplaincy, like any meaningful relationship, is about taking the time to respond to human need...”
“Chaplaincy is about helping patients get better not be better.”
“...the bottom line of chaplaincy is not about belief but about caring for patients and their loved ones.”
These are just a few of the things that I do everyday. I call it a calling. You may call it a vocation. For me love is the foundation that God made for me to work from. I have found that in the midst of the pain, sorrow grief, sickness, uncertainty, and weakness that illness brings that I can also do all of those things that are a part of patient and guest satisfaction. As a matter of fact by taking those steps I realize a great deal of personal satisfaction, balancing out my inner and outer persona. I can be a part of the greater organization and still maintain high quality in my specific discipline.
“Pastoral care is about being a witness to the pain and courage of human love.”
“Pastoral care is about being fully present and staying with grieving loved ones—however long their need.”
“Pastoral care is about remembering and saying people’s names—not just about praying for them in another’s name.”
“Pastoral care is about enabling patients to tell their stories, the sharing of which affirms and empowers the teller and often provides wisdom for the listener.”
“Pastoral care is about giving grief the hearing it needs rather than remaining bottled up and beside itself.”
“Pastoral care is about embodying and facilitating and revering kindness.”
These are just a few of the things that I do everyday without having to deliberately think about doing them. I believe that in this case love is the foundation that God made for us all to work from. I would ask each of you to think about these actions that you can take while you are performing your specific role at work, use at home, in Wal Mart, or wherever you are. A little ‘pastoral care’ can go a very long way in speeding someone’s recovery, validating them, to say I care, or give them hope. You can bring these things into you what you are doing and serve your patients and guests to the benefit of them and the greater organization, while bringing a warm and fuzzy feeling to your heart.
Please consider this a spring pep talk from the chaplain. Spring cleaning means throwing out all the frowns, bad vibes, tension, and stress accumulated over the winter and bring in the smiles, great attitudes, serenity, and joy that lie ahead. I love you all and pray for you every day; and, I am here if you need any help with your spring cleaning.
Everything in quotation marks came from "A Hospital Chaplain at the Crossroads of Humanity" written by William E. Alberts, PhD ~Bill Alberts was a hospital chaplain at Boston Medical Center from December 7, 1992 to July 15, 2011, when he retired. Dr. Alberts is a nationally known writer and an occasional contributor to Counterpunch.
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