I like to share good news. Below is a letter that movingly describes how things we do every day – a friendly greeting or a hospital visit from a pastor – can make a big difference in the lives of the people we serve and encounter. This writer describes these kind gestures with the wonderful image of a “wink from God.” I think you will enjoy her note:
Dear Archbishop Kurtz:
Happy New Year! I just wanted to write you a note to tell you “thank you!” Back on Monday, December 22, you did something very special. It was a simple gesture but in that moment, it was monumental. You saw three ladies standing in the lobby at Nazareth Home that morning. You said to them: “Merry Christmas, ladies!”
What you don’t know is this…that morning had been a sad and tearful morning. Two of my sisters were taking my mom to be admitted to the Alzheimer’s Unit at Nazareth. I was not with them, but my sisters told me that Mom had cried a little bit as they shared their excitement with her new surroundings. The home is beautiful; the nurses would be wonderful; we had gotten her room all ready for her….She was excited but also sad. When they arrived at Nazareth, my mom stopped at the entrance to admire the Nativity, and then they heard your voice. She knew who you were, and she immediately smiled. You made her feel so special in that moment. In that moment of sadness you brought a smile to her face.
I told my sister that it was a wink from God. We have seen these winks from God many times in our lives. It gives us great comfort to feel his presence in our lives, and on that day, it was you! Thank you.
God sent a wink to me a few years ago. My husband was having surgery. I sat in the waiting room to get word on his condition. I was taken into a small conference room late that day. I was alone. The doctor informed me that during the operation, they found a tumor. My husband was diagnosed with cancer. As I sat there, in shock and disbelief, I cried. I heard a voice and see before me Fr. Dick Sullivan, my pastor. He knew we were there that day, and he stopped by to check on my husband. God winked at me that day. He sent Fr. Dick to be by my side just as the doctor told me that they found cancer. In my saddest moments, God has always been there….I give thanks for the many blessings. You are a blessing!
