I never could have anticipated what would happen when I brought “Ashes to Go” to a parishioner who resides in a local nursing home. She is someone who I have recently been blessed to meet and gotten to know through Lay Eucharistic Visits. After a short devotion and prayers with her and her roommate, followed by the imposition of ashes, I signed out at the reception desk and was on my way out the door, when I heard a voice calling to me. “Excuse me miss, could you come back for a moment? Do you have ashes?” It was the Recreation Director. He had contacted another local church, requesting ashes for the residents, but no one had been available. He asked if I would be willing to give ashes to the residents, and then said, “I know you probably have something else you need to do.” I responded that nothing I had to do was more important than this, and I would be happy to offer ashes to any resident who wished to receive them. Not only were the residents happy to receive the ashes, many of the staff were lining up to receive them as well, excited because they didn’t have time to get to church due to their work schedules. Spirituality seems to grow in importance in the lives of many people as they age. I looked into the eyes of many of the residents while we prayed, I saw gratitude for the opportunity to have this God-connection today.
This was a spiritual experience for me, as well. I had been questioning why the on-boarding process for my new job was taking so long. I had expected to start working last week. Now I believe that I was right where I needed to be. I found meaning and purpose by sharing God’s love, praying with those who are sometimes forgotten and often lonely. I connected with God and with this community of elders and their caregivers. It was an unexpected blessing to go from bringing ashes to one parishioner, and her roommate, to sharing God’s love with many, many residents and staff. I was both humbled and blessed by this experience. Amen!