When I lived in LA, I used to run past a nursing home almost every time I went running. I always felt a nagging feeling that I ought to visit someday and never did. I hadn't really visited a nursing home since my teens. Unfortunately, again, running past them this week, I still felt that feeling, and since it seems I cannot shake it despite the years which pass between, I decided whether I succeeded or failed, I would visit, even if I am traveling.
I told Stacey this and she said she'd like to come with. We came in and immediately connected with the volunteer coordinator. She fast-tracked us in and gave us a list of persons to visit, and off we went! It was complex - almost every room seemed to be full of nurses or the persons were sleeping or too tired or in pain to visit. But at last, over several hours, we did visit 3 different women and had good connections with them all. A small price to pay to get a haunting off yor conscience. It's strange - when I was in LA - I was diagnosed (by 3-4 doctors & x-ray specialists) with a blood clot and confined to my house for several days at least, with my leg up. Simona even came to take me out one day in a wheelchair. There was the fear that if I was not careful, the clot could break free and kill me by going to my heart.
It was a misdiagnosis (humblingly, it turned out to be a varicose vein next to a benign cyst - what every 26 year old wants to hear), although bitterly painful either way. You tell yourself after things like that, "I know how it feels now. I will visit persons who are shut-in." - and then, more often than not, you don't.
Anyway, it was good to pay forward some of that. Not sure it made a huge difference, but to Crystal, Faye and Nancy, I think it did make a dent in their days. And for them and all the others we met or heard about, I know God heard our prayers. What is probably more important in the long run in some ways (& very probably how God wishes to answer said prayers) - is that WE hear our prayers and in them God's heart for the persons we pray for. Then our hearts and our actions toward them will be transformed. Hmm, definitely preaching to myself at this moment.
In the afternoon, I met my friend Julie Christman for happy hour after her work day downtown. We haven't sat and talked for ages. It was so nice! She's a teacher and a runner and one of the great crowd of us Kairos-starters who moved out there together. Her hubby Greg now pastors a new church in the LA area as well.
(photo stolen from FB - Julie w/hubby Greg, at the annual Christmas Toy Giveaway that Hope & Kairos do for hundreds of needy kids in the LA area)
After we caught up, I tried to whisk back to Hollywood to catch Pastor Ed. Alas, he had some folks he'd committed to, so we couldn't chat very long. On Tuesday June 14 - this is funny - he'd called to see if Tommy was still in town and to see if we wanted to get some box seat tickets for Motley Crue and Poison he'd gotten access to through a friend... sadly Tommy was gone, and I didn't get the message until too late. The man has connections! Turns out if he'd been free this night, there was an off chance he would have had seats for U2. THAT would have been awesome (even tho' I was really just there to catch up/chat about life/pick up whatever wisdom he might have for me :) ). We chatted a bit (Simona & Amos were over there too) and then I went "home" for the evening. It was my last full day in LA before takeoff...
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