One patient, who was developmentally disabled, asked if she could sing a song. She sang “Jesus Loves Me.” She sang it well even with her severe challenges.
She sang until the other patients sang with her. She sang until another patient stood up who never says anything. She stood up and began to sign with her hands the song “Jesus Loves Me.”
The patients and staff were so astounded that they applauded for the lady who sang and the lady who signed. Tears of joy were flowing in the room.
Another young lady also sang and was very inspiring to the group. In conclusion, in the group a male patient wanted to pray. He gave an inspiring prayer.
It was a very inspirational, powerful moment in the hospital. There was a peace in the room.Patients, while at there lowest estates, were able to find inner strength to smile, cry tears of joy, sing, unite, commune and fellowship with each other.
I choose to remember what others choose to forget. THE NEXT LEVELI remember meeting a patient that was an elderly lady. She informed me that she did not want to go back to live with her daughter and her boyfriend because they are verbally and physically abusive to her. So right now she is homeless. She also informed me she has a son out of state who is also homeless.
She was hysterical, depressed and crying regarding her problems.The very next day, when I arrived at work, she ran up to me with a smile on her face. She informed me that her son is no longer homeless, but now lives in a shelter and is doing well. Not only that, but she also has a place to go, once she leaves the hospital.
That day we celebrated God for what he did for her and her son.I asked her if she forgotten what God had recently done for her and her son. She said “no.” I told her to write her revised desires down again and thank God again.
The next day she came to me with tears in her eyes and she said, “James, I have a place to live and it’s near my family and friends.”
I had an opportunity to meet a man, who to others as well as myself, appeared to be an individual who would be a member of one of the motorcycle gangs. You know, the Harley Davidson type. He wore the classic confederate flag bandanna on his head, hairy broad shoulders, tattoos and a sleeveless shirt. He had the bad boy attitude. However, he was in a hospital where he needed help. He was already complaining how bad the services were on his first day in the hospital. He bragged about how he hurt folk in the past. He made threats that if someone would touch him, he would hurt them. However, he needed help and support. In fact, he was crying out for it. He just didn’t know it at the time.
Well, he attended one of my groups. He complained that staff was ignoring him. I tried to explain to him that was not the case. The staff was simply engaged in other job responsibilities at the time. So I asked him what his request was and I assisted him in fulfilling his request. He still had a chip on his shoulder after I helped him.
Well, now it was time for those that smoked to smoke. He had no cigarettes, and no family or friends to bring him some. So he found himself begging others in the community for cigarettes. His peers weren’t willing to give him any because of his attitude and his threats during group.
So eventually he came to me again and asked if I would purchase him some cigarettes. Well, I agreed to purchase the cigarettes. He gave me the money. When I got to the store, it wasn’t enough. So I added my money to pay for his cigarettes. I took the cigarettes back to this man and told him that I wanted a pack of cigarettes for the other patients that don’t have any.
I told him I had to add money to buy his cigarettes. He gladly gave me the pack of cigarettes.And he said thank you several times that day. He had to let go of the pride, the attitude and any other feelings he had against people like me at least for that moment. Hopefully I made a positive impact on him that hopefully will change his thinking and attitude concerning people who don’t look like him. I don’t smoke, but I felt it necessary to demonstrate to him real love. I hope he got the message.
I choose to remember what others forget. For God is not finished with me yet.I remember working with and observing two patients both looking uncomfortable on their beds. One patient was a black female, the other an elderly white male. The black female needed to be positioned correctly in her bed. She also requested an extra blanket. I repositioned her in her bed and gave her another blanket. She thanked me for the assistance. She was too weak to move.
Now, when I finished with her, I remembered the white male in his bed. He was also weak and needed to be assisted. However, he needed additional assistance. You see, he was laying on dirty sheets and blankets. His area was filthy. I heard these words in my ears. The way I served the black young lady, I needed to serve the white elderly gentleman with the same quality service.
So I cleaned his area, washed his mattress, put clean bedding on his bed, picked up his personal property off the floor and assisted him in his wheel chair.
I choose to remember what others choose to forget. For God is not finished with me yet.Today a middle aged lady reminded me to keep writing. She stated it was a gift of God and that the poetry was beautiful and inspirational. She says, “You write like me.” She says, “I don’t think of it, the thoughts of inspiration. It thinks of me.” She told me not to stop writing for truly it is a gift from God.
You see, I choose to remember what others choose to forget. For God is not finished with me yet.