As I board the shuttle bus and the driver greets me with a smile

As a nurse sits with a patient who’s had both legs amputated

As a person suffering from addiction asks me to pray with him and requests forgiveness

As the interdisciplinary team collaborates on treatment for a patient

As the medical staff disconnects life support from a twenty-two year old man who leaves behind a wife and children

As a patient asks me to visit another patient who needs support

As a husband stays with his wife while she has kidneys dialysis

As the interns share their stories

As a social worker asks me to sit with a patient after his first chemotherapy treatment

As a physician expresses gratitude for my presence

As an oncology patient who reveals he hasn’t talked to God in a long time, asks me to pray with him

As I see the body of a baby who will never take another breath

As a patient asks for a Bible

As I read prayer requests in the chapel

As a cancer patient without hair places a baseball cap on her head

As a nurse welcomes me to a unit

As a patient slowly nods off to sleep while sharing his story

As a female security guard dies while on duty

As our mentor shares his wisdom and experience with us

As our spirituality and faith deepens with every patient encounter…

There is a kaleidoscope of witness.

 

From the Archives of Teresa Schulz Essays as a Chaplain, June 2005