Dolores isn’t well
and is having to spend several weeks
in hospital.
Nursing staff are wonderful –
taking blood samples
and giving blood transfusions,
administering medicine,
helping Dolores to wash and dress,
treating Dolores with generosity, patience
and dignity
at all times.
This morning at dawn
a member of staff approaches me
and asks me quietly,
“Tell me, are you a Christian?”
When I tell her that I am
she grins with delight,
clasps her hands
and exclaims, “I thought so!
I can smell Jesus in here!”
Wow!
I am absolutely amazed
to hear this
and I look around the room
as if expecting to see Jesus standing there –
but I see nobody
except Dolores and Paul
who are both fast asleep.
“It’s not just you in here, you know”,
explains the nurse,
“Jesus is here too”.
These words bring to me
a great sense of calm
and reassurance.
When I enter Dolores’s room now
I remember those words
and they remind me
that Jesus is with us at all times.
This calms me,
reassures me
and give me hope
that maybe, some day,
I too will be able to say
that I can smell Jesus!
© Claire Murray, 22nd May 2018