EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2021 I began a new venture writing a newspaper column titled "Finding Faith" for the Forum Communications Co. network of newspapers and websites. I was asked to contribute to the company's ongoing conversation about faith, lending a Lutheran and fairly ecumenical approach to the discussion. The column was published in several of the company's papers and websites, including The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. This column originally appeared as a "Finding Faith" column on Aug. 25, 2023.
By The Rev. Devlyn Brooks
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11)
It is a travesty how in the months following the pandemic our public appreciation, praise, respect and admiration of the dedicated and tireless workers in our healthcare sector has waned.
I’m just as guilty as anyone.
The number of deaths decreased; the hospitals emptied; and we simply forgot about the many tens of millions of healthcare workers who shepherded us through two frightening years of care.
But in recent months, as our mother’s health has declined after a courageous year and a half battle with cancer, we have come to depend on the loving care given to her by the staff of the care facility to which she has moved.
Luckily for mom, it wasn’t a move of great distance. Her assisted living apartment building connects to the long term facility to which she moved. And so now we are getting to know a whole new set of angels without wings who are caring for mom.
We were already grateful for the many who cared for her these past years and allowed her to maintain a somewhat independent living, and now we’ve come to know an even greater appreciation for them and for the staff of the long term care facility where she will spend her final days.
I’m ashamed how much I have taken for granted all of these earthly angels who care for our loved ones, night and day, without end, in care settings big and small, urgent and long term, often in less-than-optimal circumstances.
I felt as if the pandemic had taught me a lesson or two about the importance of respecting the work of those first in line to take care of us. … Turns out, I am just as susceptible as the next person to moving on and not “seeing” those who provide our care.
Now, we have turned a corner in our mom’s journey. She is in hospice, and requires increasing care with each passing day. And it’s times such as these that jar your awareness, make you realize things you’ve taken for granted.
So today, I want to thank all of you who’ve had a hand in caring for our mother in recent years, from the moment she moved into her assisted living apartment, to the moment she was diagnosed with cancer, through all of the radiation and chemo treatments, and now as she has moved to her final residence.
From our family to you: Thank you to those angels caring for our mom -- and to the many millions more unsung heroes working in healthcare. You deserve so much more, but please accept our heartfelt gratitude for the love you’ve shown our mother. Blessings to you!
Devlyn Brooks is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and serves Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He also works for Forum Communications Co. He can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com for comments and story ideas.
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