I had the opportunity and pleasure during my CPE experience to meet numerous people, both in good and troubling situations. I had one person that will always stand out for me. I first got to know him in the Emergency Department. I will call this person “David”. I was asked to take David to the washroom. David was very intoxicated at the time and could not be allowed to go to the restroom on his own. Over the next 10 weeks, I started to get to know David through numerous visits.
David would come in often to the ED and sometimes he would be there two to three times a day. He and I built up a report of trust between the two of us. Often David was brought in not because he wanted to but either he had become hurt in some way relating to his drinking or out of the kindness of the police or fire personal who brought him in because they were called due to David’s public intoxication. Usually David did not want to be in the ED and often would be very loud about wanting to leave.
When David and I would talk, he would calm down. I began to find out his story and how he ended up being intoxicated most of the time. We spent a lot of time talking about the “ISMs” of life. What I began to realize is that all David wanted was someone to talk to and someone to care about him. He felt that he was not cared for and no one really wanted to talk to him. At some point I really looked forward to David coming in to the ED. We had some conversation about God but not to much.
My last day had come and I was in the ED. I had hoped to see David but the day was getting near the end and I had not seen him. Then David was brought into the ED. When he was awake, I approached him. David had been brought in for public intoxication again. As I spoke to him I let him know that I truly cared for his well-being and wanted to see him take better care of himself. I also let him know that God loves him as who he is, right here and now. I was moved by our conversation and had to hold back tears. I did not want David to think that he was being abandoned, so I let him know that my time of being at the hospital had come to an end. I also told him that I wanted to be able to see him again sometime and that I hoped to bump into sober on the street someday. As I looked at him and he looked at me, we both could see some tears in our eyes.
I looked more deeply into his eyes and began to wonder, just who is this person? Was this a human being or was there something more going on here. Had I actually been talking to an angle or maybe even the Spirit of God and had not known it. Something hit me like a ton of bricks, something I just cannot really describe. I believe there was something more to David and maybe there always had been but I had not seen it today.
God of faith, I praise you for the faith you instill in me.
God of Love, I lift up your love that you shower upon me and others.
God of Compassion, I hold up the compassion you shower upon your children and announce this to the world.
God of Mystery, did I see you in David’s eyes? I believe so and thank you for that experience.
That which you do for others you do for Him. Good observation that no matter what the external package — a drunkard, an addict, deformed, comatose, or even fetal — all human beings have a dignity bequeathed them by virtue of having been created in the image of God. What a blessing to you that you could recognize such in “David.” Pax et Bonum.