Apples of Gold

This has been a long, hard season for all of us.  How do we support and encourage others, when we are facing our own battles with fear, isolation and loss?  I share a story from my sister, Linda, who was an ICU nurse for many years.  Her story reminds us of the lasting impact we can have on another human being through the words we speak. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” -Proverbs 25: 11

“I had an encounter many years ago with a patient that helped me become a little bit ’wiser.’ As a nurse I have always believed in the power of the human spirit to lift others. However, after taking care of so many desperately ill patients, most of whom did not recover, this belief had become a little ’frayed’ until I met Sister Veronica. Sister Veronica was a frail nun in her late eighties. She had a serious heart condition and was admitted to the ICU where I worked. The ICU was incredibly busy that evening. I was taking care of three critically ill patients. Sister Veronica was the only one not on life support. 

For the entire twelve hours of that night shift, I ran from bed to bed completing my nursing tasks. Sister Veronica was wakeful and lay watching me from her bed. There was no wall between us, just a curtain that she wanted to remain open. Every time I went to check on her or just pass by, she gave me a word of encouragement and blessing. This went on the entire shift. 

While the patients remained just as crucially ill, and I was just as busy, the work somehow became easier. When I arrived home, instead of being physically exhausted and emotionally drained, I was refreshed and rejuvenated. It was clear that she had been the nurse and I the patient that night. 

I never saw Sister Veronica again. 

One week later when I returned to work, I found out that she had died the night before. The entire unit, from the secretaries to the physicians, was in mourning. As I talked with my colleagues, I discovered that Sister Veronica had spent the last week of her life encouraging and blessing an overworked ICU staff. 

This event happened more than fifteen years ago. I will never forget Sister Veronica’s effect on my life and marvel that a penniless and dying nun could use what little strength she had to help so many around her. She has inspired me to be a more effective, compassionate nurse and a better person. I believe in the power of the human spirit to make a positive difference in people’s lives. Thank you, Sister Veronica.”

Let us remember that words of blessing and encouragement have the power to change the trajectory of a life. In the midst of heartache and loss, let us use what little strength we have to bless and encourage!

Pastor Dawn Volpe, Ephraim Moravian Church