I was working at Saint Luke’s Hospital in the Human Resources Department and was an Elder for Lee’s Summit Christian Church. To help out the ministerial staff, I was doing some hospital calling for members of the church that were patients at Saint Luke’s. One of the members, Richard, was hospitalized in Intensive Care and was not expected to survive. Since employees of the hospital could move around to any area, I was able to get into Richard and to visit with the nurses overseeing his care. The situation was grim to say the least. In the visit I had with him the last day of his earthly life, he was in and out of consciousness. When he was awake, he motioned to me to pick up a letter that was on his bedside stand. His wife told me it was a letter he had dictated to her a few days back. Richard whispered to me that he wanted me to read the letter to the nurses after he was gone. I told him I would be proud to do so. Richard passed away that evening into the arms of God.
A couple of days later, I arranged a meeting with the group of nurses who had worked with Richard. I read them the letter. In the letter, Richard thanked each of them by name and told them he appreciated all of the care they had given him and how wonderful they were. He wanted to make sure each of them knew that they were special and that they made a difference – making his life better every time they walked into his room.
It is important to give thanks to those who are around us each day. There are many people who touch our lives that we don’t think a lot about. The person at the grocery checkout, the server at the restaurant, the person that hauls off your trash each week – all of them working to make your life a little easier. So take time to give thanks to someone that touches your life. The world will be changed and you will be the one changing it for the better.
A couple of days later, I arranged a meeting with the group of nurses who had worked with Richard. I read them the letter. In the letter, Richard thanked each of them by name and told them he appreciated all of the care they had given him and how wonderful they were. He wanted to make sure each of them knew that they were special and that they made a difference – making his life better every time they walked into his room.
It is important to give thanks to those who are around us each day. There are many people who touch our lives that we don’t think a lot about. The person at the grocery checkout, the server at the restaurant, the person that hauls off your trash each week – all of them working to make your life a little easier. So take time to give thanks to someone that touches your life. The world will be changed and you will be the one changing it for the better.
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