The children of Israel, of the Old Testament, were crossing the Jordan River from a wilderness into a new land of promise. During that transition, they were instructed: “take up 12 stones from the middle of the Jordan … and carry them over with you. … In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Tell them … These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4)

Those “remembering” instructions were meant to provide guidance for future descendants so they might draw hope from an old pile of rocks when called to cross their own treacherous rivers.

Two familiar quotes have been circulating in my head. One is from the classic Charles Dickens novel, “A Tale of Two Cities.”

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”

The other quote comes from that famous World War II Winston Churchill speech to the British House of Commons. After the English suffered a humiliating defeat at Dunkirk, he said, “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties…” He noted that in the future they would say, “This was their finest hour.”

Over the past year, Norton Healthcare employees have stepped into that abyss with the same dedication to service as has any hero of history. We are the “spring of hope.”

Despite fears of contagion, clinicians have walked headlong into the risky call of service. Environmental Services Department workers have cleaned the rooms of countless COVID-19 patients. Respiratory therapists have stood over patients laboring to breathe and offered hope through the life-giving treatments. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech and music therapists have walked with, sung with, and emboldened patients to take one more step, inhale one more breath, sing one more note into the reality of recovery. Patient care associates, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and physicians have entered the lives of patients as the human embodiment of healing. Medical interventions were critical, but the human touch has been divine.

Radiation techs, dietitians and pharmacy staff have provided sustenance, medication and imaging to further the process of recovery. My own profession has worked to create sacred moments and offer rituals on countless occasions for families who could not be present for struggling and dying patients. Prayers, tears and smiles through FaceTime, Zoom and Vocera seemed unimaginable on March 7, 2020.

Although it is impossible to name every compassionate contributor, each has shouldered their respective responsibilities, bravely carrying the baton of duty: Security, Supply Chain Management, social workers, Information Services, Human Resources, Administration, Accounts Payable, leaders from each rung of the management ladder, physician practices, Access Centers, those who are providing vaccines. All have dutifully stood in their respective places, doing what needed to be done. Each person walked into the gap between desperation and hope, sickness and healing, loneliness and companionship. All of us have stood in that daunting place grasping one hand to fear and the other to hope. We prayed for hope to win.

The England of Dickens and Churchill endured the crisis of their time and so provided the inspiration noted on this page. A caregiver will always outlast a crisis. So might the crisis of our time, which will soon be history, provide the inspiration for our children, grandchildren and yet unborn descendants. May our successful battle with COVID-19, that unseen microscopic giant, be a model of our worst of times, yet best of times. When that mysterious virus has been long vanquished, may we reflect that it was our “season of light.” If we are lucky enough to live a long life, many years may be forgotten in the blur of decades. But, this year will never fade from memory. This has been the epoch of our belief. It has been our finest year.

Rev. Wentworth is a chaplain at Norton Brownsboro Hospital

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“My hope is that it inspires,” Jaylin said. “I hope that families stop to take pictures with it. I hope that kids see their own potential futures here. If it makes someone smile, then I’ve done my job.”

Jaylin is the founder of the nonprofit Adah School of Art, an educator, a prolific artist and a community role model recognized with awards and accolades. While she has been commissioned to create several murals in other areas of the city, this is her first work in West Louisville.

“I grew up and live in West Louisville,” she said. “I jumped on the opportunity to create an inspirational piece here that shows children and young people an accurate and positive representation of themselves.”

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“My mom said when I was 6 I told her I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up, so I did!” Elaine said.

Elaine has followed her clear career path for nearly 45 years, serving as a nurse at Norton Healthcare. For the past decade, she has been called to expand her nursing practice to include a volunteer faith community nursing role at St. Andrew United Church of Christ in Louisville.

With enthusiastic support of the church’s pastor, the Rev. Lori Miller-Price, Elaine and a small group of volunteers on St. Andrew’s health ministry team sponsored a Soup, Salad and Smoothie event in partnership with the Norton Faith & Health Ministries team. Nearly 30 members gathered to enjoy fellowship, homemade soups, salads and smoothies. Norton Faith & Health Ministries educators Kathy Bryant, RN-BC, and Regina Bratcher, R.N., demonstrated the art of making the perfect salad and quick and affordable ways to eat healthier. The evening ended with simple smoothie recipes and tastings.

Each health ministry is unique and can include an umbrella of services ranging from writing health-focused articles for the church newsletter to visiting members in the hospital or other care facility. However, what makes faith community nursing distinctly different is the intentional care of the spirit as part of the process of promoting whole-person health and wellness. The faith connection, emphasis on disease prevention and wide variety of service options attract many nurses to the specialty.

One of Elaine’s most memorable moments occurred while visiting a church member who was dying. Elaine and other visitors joined a music therapist to sing songs.

“Although I wasn’t giving her medicine or doing anything ‘nursey,’ I felt the singing was the best medication we could give her! The smile and love on her face is one I will never forget,” she said.

Elaine and other employees serving with their faith community’s health ministry connect with the Norton Faith & Health Ministries team for free education and resources to build healthier lives.

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Many patients have voiced struggles with a loss of control to Monalisa M. Tailor, M.D., internal medicine physician with Norton Community Medical Associates – Barret.

“They share feelings of helplessness not being able to do anything to invoke change, or they feel they are losing their sense of routine and control,” Dr. Tailor said. “And what I remind them all is you are making a difference; it will be OK, and we have to keep doing what you’re doing.”

Dr. Tailor reminds us all, even herself, that this is hard.

“We are making significant changes to our lives that are hard, and we need to give ourselves some grace and understanding during this time of change as we adjust to a new normal.”

How do you keep a safe distance, stay healthy at home and still keep a level head? Dr. Tailor offers a few suggestions:

• “Most important is to continue to have social interaction,” Dr. Tailor said. “Reach out to people, check on them — especially if you haven’t heard from them in a while. We all need one another during this time.”
• Maintain a routine in all aspects of life, including eating and sleeping.
• Set times for work, relaxation, school for the kids and exercise. Keep a structure and don’t have one overlap into another if possible.
• Take a break from the news and social media, and that’s OK to take that break.

Keep in mind, you are not in this alone.

“All around the world, we are all doing the same thing to help protect each other, and that’s a very unique and special moment in our lives,” Dr. Tailor said. “It helps to think about this in the sense that we are together … all of us.”

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To find joy in trouble seems an unreasonable request. However, the challenge here is not merely that we be happy, but rather that we find meaning. To find meaning in times of crisis can be difficult. I can reflect on crisis points in my life, and with a 20/20 perspective, I can find meaning and value. However, in the middle of a crisis, finding meaning often eludes us. Quite frankly, we don’t have the time or energy to seek the meaning because, after all, we are in a crisis. The irony is that when we invest the time to identify meaning and purpose, even in the middle of it all, it helps us cope more effectively.

I am reminded of a book written by Viktor Frankl, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” The author was a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who attributed surviving a concentration camp to finding meaning in everyday activities. He summed up his philosophy with a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche: “He who has a WHY to live can bear almost any HOW.”

We know that this pandemic is far from the Holocaust in comparison. However, the lessons the Holocaust survivor learned from his crisis can help us during times like these. Even though this current crisis is shared nationally and even globally, the reality is it is deeply personal for each of us as well. We are responding as a unified team across Norton Healthcare, just as our community is responding as a unified group of citizens, and there is certainly significant meaning in that work. Yet, personally, we must all find our “why” or meaning in this crisis as it relates to our work, family, faith and community.

Is it possible that your attitude can help you find meaning? The human spirit has a defiant power capable of facing the most difficult situations with courage and dignity. Think about that. Is it possible that the attitude we take toward our crisis could actually provide fulfillment and meaning in itself?

Viktor Frankl suggested that making meaning in moments of crisis requires three things:

• The love that we give to each other
• The work that we do to reduce the suffering
• Our courage in the face of the threat

Resilient people and organizations view crisis as a shared challenge. This means that we can find meaning in the love we give to each as we journey through this crisis. We are not alone and should not travel that way. You are here, at this time, bringing the best you can to meet the needs and show hope to friends, family and, hopefully, self. There is tremendous value and meaning in that good work.

We also find meaning in the courage we muster in the face of the crisis. When we join together with love, support, grace and strength we can find the needed courage to meet challenges we otherwise would have felt impossible. As a hospital chaplain, I have seen firsthand the tremendous resilience of staff and patients and families who by leaning on shared support have found hardships to be manageable and, most importantly, meaningful. Think about how you have seen courage and teamwork in the face of this crisis.

When you’re faced with a crisis you can look at the situation and see lots of different things. You might see defeat or helplessness. You also may see fear. Perhaps you see an opportunity to strengthen relationships with others as you work through the crisis together. There’s a lot you may not be able to control about a crisis, but you can find grace in discovering meaning, and that is far greater.

The Rev. Nathan Schroeder is a chaplain with Norton Healthcare’s pastoral care department.

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We are living in imposed circumstances. We did not choose COVID-19; it’s happening to us. If we work hard and use safe practices we can blunt it, but we can’t unchoose it. A memorable Murphy’s law said it this way, “A crisis is when you can’t say, ‘Let’s forget the whole thing.’” Murphy would have us know that we’re squarely in a crisis.

“In that stillness, God will come to you. And when God does, then you’ll know that God’s got this and God’s got you.”

The Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of two characters: danger and opportunity. Regarding COVID-19, I don’t need to comment on the current danger — you’re aware and you’re doing your part. Keep doing that and we’ll come through this OK.

What, then, is our opportunity? What might we make of these imposed circumstances? I’ve already seen lots of good to-do lists. (Google, “what to do when stuck at home,” and you’ll get about 500 million results.)

Rather than finding things to do — replacing activity with activity — my urging is to invest some of this new “free” time into “not doing.” It may not have been so long ago that the to-do’s and the have-to’s dominated your calendar. Life was spent darting from thing to thing — good things that they were, but all going by so fast. Do you remember saying, “If I just had more time … ?”

Psalm 46 begins with hope even while enemy armies threatened war against Israel:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

In this passage, even with war on the horizon, the Psalmist concludes by saying, “Be still and know that I am God.”

With chaos at the door, the Psalmist’s call is to “be still.” In the stillness, God is known. It seems that the God of all creation feels no need to compete with our busyness. God doesn’t elbow a pathway through clutter to get to us.

So, what now? Really breathe. Let your mind wander. Be quietly curious. Look at the sky. Silence the noise in your heart. Create space in your soul. Be. Still.

Yes, these are trying times. And yes, it’s likely to get harder. As it does, “Be still.” In that stillness, God will come to you. And when God does, then you’ll know that God’s got this and God’s got you.

The Rev. Ronald C. Oliver, Ph.D., BCC, is Norton Healthcare’s system vice president for mission and outreach.

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Rain was pouring on the brisk day in February 2019, and Dr. Narcisse, an internal medicine physician and pediatrician at Norton Community Medical Associates – Hurstbourne, simply could not let the patient, a woman in her 70s facing the early stages of dementia, leave without handing over her shoes.

Although they happened to wear the same size, the woman hesitated to take Dr. Narcisse’s shoes, but after some encouragement, she finally agreed.

Dr. Narcisse said her kindness toward others comes from how she was raised. If her mother and father saw someone who was hungry, they would give them money or go to the store and buy food for them.

“My parents would literally take the shirt off their backs and give it to someone,” Dr. Narcisse said. “They set that example for me since I was small, so for me to give the patient my shoes, it wasn’t even a second thought.”

Dr. Narcisse went into medicine because she wanted to help others through the care she provides. She said helping people live better lives is what grounds her.

“To motivate patients to lead healthy lives and make them feel better about themselves, that’s how we as health care providers make the world a better place,” Dr. Narcisse said. “If I can change someone’s thinking about themselves, that’s huge.”

Norton Healthcare conferred the Good Samaritan Award to Dr. Narcisse in 2019 for setting the standard for quality and caring by exhibiting the highest compassion for her patients and others. 

The Good Samaritan Award honors The Rev. John N. Norton, whose name Norton Healthcare carries and who became recognized as a good Samaritan because of his dedicated, selfless service to individuals in our community. This honor is given to employees who go above and beyond the call of duty by performing extraordinary acts of service for others. It represents the pinnacle of recognition for service excellence at Norton Healthcare.

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“Ministry is not an act provided only by those who are ordained,” Anne said. “Ministry happens when individuals embrace belief that their good works, acts and volunteerism can serve a vision and mission for parishioners and the wider community. Caring is at the heart of our church’s life, which includes clergy and laity responding to human need.”

With their hands blessed each year by Father Michael, Anne and her team visit, pray with, sing to, feed, support and encourage parishioners and neighbors throughout the year. The faithful, trained volunteers offer physical and spiritual healing, connection, love and joy through an array of caring services.

Team members visit sick and injured members at home, in the hospital, at rehabilitation centers or wherever they are needed. Whether delivering homemade chicken soup or a prayer blanket, singing a favorite hymn such as “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” or offering the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, the lay ministers care for and spiritually connect with members.

The pastoral ministry team serves up fun surprises, too. A couple at church who were avid Kentucky Derby fans missed all the festivities due to a health issue one year. Although they could not partake in official Derby fanfare, the team brought the racing fans a feast, along with roses.

Comments such as, “What you have done makes my day brighter” and “Thank you for visiting me today. I am a little less lonely” written in notes, emails and text messages are frequently received, and that is pay enough for the dedicated volunteers.

According to Anne, these familiar words by Maya Angelou describe St. Luke’s lay pastoral ministry: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

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Is it the grace said before meals? “We always say the blessing before we eat.”

Is it an affirmation or encouragement? “The employee had the blessing of her boss to move ahead on the idea she had.”

Or perhaps the word blessing brings to mind something wonderful that has happened to you, something that brings you joy. “The birth of my first grandchild was such a blessing.”

Have you ever noticed that there are those kinds of blessings all around us every day, but we often don’t even see them? As a hospital chaplain I have had the opportunity to meet patients who have multiple health challenges and very difficult lives. What astounds and humbles me is how many of them I have heard say, “I am so blessed.”

I am secretly wondering, “How do you even keep getting up in the morning?” Yet they tell me the ways they are blessed. My problem is that I am often blind to the blessings all around me.

There is a well-known Christian hymn called “Count Your Blessings,” which encourages us, during difficult times, to count and name each blessing, and in doing so recognize God’s hand in them.

This hymn is a reminder to me that I need to pay attention. And when I pay attention I will see all that I truly have to be grateful for each and every day. As I write these words, the rain is falling outside, yet I am warm and dry and grateful for a roof over my head. I also need to pay attention to the smaller things in life and be grateful for them: the hot coffee I drank this morning, the dog nuzzling me as I began to wake up, my daughter telling me about prom the night before.

Gratitude for the big things and the little things is a spiritual practice that can transform our lives. Research has shown that having a regular practice of listing things we are grateful for, counting our blessings, can have a real impact on us physically, emotionally and spiritually. This is how The singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer describes this practice in the poem “Three Gratitudes.” The ritual is to name at least three things — sometimes more —to be grateful for at the end of each day, just before sleep, and to savor that sweetness.

But let’s not wait until we go to bed tonight. Right now, take a piece of paper and write down three things you are grateful for, three blessings in your life that give you joy. I bet you are smiling now. Isn’t life a wonder?

The Rev. Kelley M. Woggon, M.Div., BCC, is Norton Healthcare director of pastoral care.

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The history of our late November holiday holds in it a dual theme of hardship and thanksgiving. It is believed that early settlers gathered in their communities to give thanks even while their future and hopes were held captive to wrenching uncertainties. Some years later, as the country was in its earliest days, President George Washington issued a proclamation naming a day for “sincere and humble thanks.”

Nearly 75 years later, in the turmoil and pain of the nation’s Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln formally established Thanksgiving on the nation’s calendar by calling the nation “to set apart and observe the fourth Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise …” In 1939, while the shadow and hardship of the Great Depression loomed, Thanksgiving was called on by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help heal the country’s woes.

While Thanksgiving was born from and shaped by hardship, it has been the hardship that has brought into thankful focus meaningful relationships and important features of life.

Brother David Steindl-Rast noted, “It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful.”

In the transitions and hardships of life we are invited to be thankful IN all circumstances — not FOR all circumstances. By doing so, our very character is shaped, our view of the world refined, and our purpose revealed.

During this Thanksgiving month might I invite you to take this challenge? Say “thank you” at least 24 times each day — one specific act of gratitude for every hour of the day spoken to the people with whom your life intersects. And, since not many people will welcome a call in the middle of the night or whenever they sleep, you’ll have to share more thank-you’s during each of your waking hours. Choose this commitment as one of your spiritual disciplines for this month. Then, when November gives way to December, look back, and you’ll likely see that many people were helped, encouraged, and changed by your gratitude.

No doubt, one of those special people will be you.

The Rev. Ronald Oliver, Ph.D., BCC, is system vice president, mission and outreach, at Norton Healthcare.

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