From My Friend J.

I wish you could meet my friend J. He's a cool guy, an excellent hospice nurse, and someone I love talking with about the deeper stuff.

J. has recently gone through some tough times. We were chatting last night and J. told me that even though he's known God and gone to church off and on most all of his life, untill last October his faith had never done that much for him. What happened last fall is that he finally found a church he likes. He and his wife and his two little girls have gone most Sundays ever since. J. says without this change in his life, he doesn't know how he would have made it through this recent rough patch.

"Going to church an hour or so a week makes that much difference?" I said to him last night. We were sitting at the nurse's station halfway through our shift.

"It does. I can't explain it."

"It does for me too" I said. "I used to go to church because I thought something bad would happen to me if I didn't. Now I go because something good happens to me when I do."

J. nodded. He got it. That's the way it is for him too.

Then, a patient's call light rang.

A family member came to the station with a question.

J. Smiled at me.

I smiled at him.

Enough church talk.

We went back to our work.