Thank You Sister Kathy

I went on an absolute cleaning spree this morning at my house! I don't know if it's the cool weather, finally having a weekend without major pressing deadlines, or the fact that I don't want to grade papers, but I cleaned everything from top to bottom today! The house looks awesome! As I was clearing a mess of papers from the kitchen table, things that I have let pile up for months now, I found a brochure from Stella Maris, the hospice where my Nana spent the last day of her life. Floods of emotion came back to me with that one little brochure. I remembered how my world completely stopped that one day. All that existed to me was that little room, my immediate family members, and a little nun named Sister Kathy.

My sister and I first met Sister Kathy about 1/2 hour after we arrived to see Nana that morning. I had already been to the airport to pick up my sister who had flown in from Kentucky. She was only going to be there for the day, to say goodbye to Nana, and then fly home that evening. When we arrived, Nana's breathing was raspy and we knew it wouldn't be too long until she met Jesus. Since Nana was catholic all of her life, we asked for the priest to come and give last rites. Sister Kathy came with him. She hugged each one of us; she spent time talking to us about our Nana and asking questions about her life; and she guided us through what Nana would be feeling in that moment. She encouraged us to talk to her because she COULD hear us, even though she could not respond. Sister Kathy came back throughout the day to offer us something to drink, bring us a prayer shall handmade by volunteers who were praying for Nana, and to help us understand how Nana's body was experiencing death.

Today, when I found the Stella Maris brochure, I knew that I needed to thank Sister Kathy. It had always been on my heart to do so, even shortly after Nana's death, but for some reason I never wrote her. I guess the busyness of my life got in the way. I'm so very glad that God reminded me to do so today. I wrote Sister Kathy a note which told her how much we depended upon her that day and how God had used her to guide us through. Our entire world was that little room and she was so important in it. It was amazing how we didn't care about a single thing on the outside world--none of it was important. And that afternoon at 4:45pm, we were in the room with God as he escorted Nana to heaven. I can't imagine having a calling like Sister Kathy's. Think about it--she is in a room with God nearly every day!

Who in your life needs a huge THANK YOU? Maybe it's a parent or a friend. Maybe it's someone who has been there your entire life, but you never stopped for a moment to say "thank you." Maybe it is someone you hardly know, like Sister Kathy, who shared a brief moment with you that you'll never forget. Either way, let someone know that you appreciate them today!