Thoughts from Pastor Pete

I was called to the hospital about 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning. What a terrible time for a family tragedy. John had been hale and hearty the day before. He had gone to the Thanksgiving Eve service sponsored by his church, and sang lustily, if somewhat off key, "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee."

That morning, about 4 a.m., John suffered a broken blood vessel in his head. The leaking vessel caused his brain to swell irreversibly. The prognosis was simple. The brain would continue to swell until the lower brain stem was affected, then John would quit breathing. Death could come within a matter of hours.

The wife, Mary, and three of the four children were in the waiting room, outside the Intensive Care Unit, by the time I got to the hospital. I dreaded going in. Tragedy is always bad, but on holidays...?

As I walked into the room I was greeted with tears and long hugs. I didn’t try to hold back my own tears. After the usual greetings under such circumstances, I looked at the family to try to understand their mood. They were in grief because the Doctor had given them no false hope. And yet, there was a peace. A peace of faith, a peace of acceptance, and peace of understanding...call it what you will...but it was a peace that surpassed the holiday season.

Mary and her children had accepted the reality of the situation! They would have wished otherwise, but they seemed to know that ultimately, John’s life or death was not in their hands. Although they prayed for a miracle of healing, their ultimate prayer was for what was best for John under these circumstances. Their prayers were for strength to accept what they knew was an inevitability of all life.

Mary and her children gave thanks. Thanks for John’s long and good life. Thanks for having had the gift of his life. Through their tears they could smile...smile at the memories of someone who was loved and who loved...smile because of the support of friends and pastor and the understanding hospital staff...smile because they knew they were not alone in their grief...smile because they knew in their hearts that this was not the end for John, but the beginning...

My visit ended with the family ministering to me. Assuring me of their faith, they could speak of the future. They were already making plans for the funeral and the events thereafter.

As I returned home I gave thanks to my God that such people as John and Mary and their children could both receive and give courage as they accepted the realities of life and death. They were not victims of life. They were conquerors of life and death.

What a wonderful example that family is!

Pastor Pete is a recently retired United Methodist Pastor, serving six years as the Southwest District Superintendent of the Dakotas Annual Conference. Prior to that he served as Sr. Pastor at the Watertown, SD, First United Methodist Church.

We thank him for his contribution to our site.


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