Vicki Farley

To be a chaplain is, for me, a journey. I have the honor and privilege to walk alongside, to be a companion with, to be with another person on his or her life's journey.

Poignant moments arise and God's grace flows freely.

One such moment emerged as I held open sacred space which allowed a mother and son to connect again on the deepest level of love.

Her son, dying of AIDS; she struggling to put her love for him into words. He a self-professed agnostic; she a firm believer in God. She finally lifted her hands up and shared, "I do not have the words to tell you how much I love you." He responded in a soft, gentle voice, "That's where God is, in the inexpressible." As a chaplain I am blessed to walk on holy ground and to be present when God's love overflows.

Other moments are still, quiet moments, as I sit with a gentleman living with dementia. He no longer knows his family. I sit next to him saying to him I enjoy visiting him. He looks at me with furrowed brow and says, "why?" I reply "because I think you are a wonderful person." Moments slide by as he seems to ponder my response. He looks at me and says, "That's true." Somewhere it resonates with him that he is loved. God's presence fills the space between us.

Another moment involves struggle as a father and I break the news to his nine year old son that his mother has died. To hold them in love, to allow them to cry, to give them a space to be safe and together is one more facet of being present on another person's journey of life.

These are moments that touched my life. I received on many occassions thoughts of thanks from patients and families sharing how the presence of a chaplain touched their lives. I know there are many more moments we do not know how the seed planted flowers in another's life.