Getting Into the Holiday Spirit

Recently I and other members of the Spiritual Care Department at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis decorated a window for the holiday season. A number of other departments also got into the holiday spirit and creatively and colorfully decorated a window in one of the hospital's ground floor hallways.

Above: Fellow Spiritual Care colleagues (from left) Parker, Simeon, Verna, Chandler, and Hae – November 29, 2017.

Most of the windows were decorated in a light-hearted and fun way (above and/or left) which, of course, is fine.

We wanted the message on our window, however, to be a little more serious, to share something of depth in a simple yet powerful way. We also wanted our message to reflect the interfaith character of the Spiritual Care department. Accordingly, we went with the following . . .

Hope is the star that illuminates the dark, lifts your spirit, and nurtures your heart.

The original (uncredited) quote, which I found online, is slightly different, as you can see in the image below.

Above: My friend and fellow resident chaplain Hae, who was recently ordained as a Presbyterian minister.

Above: Chaplain intern Parker, expressing his artistic side!

Above: Verna, Ken, Parker, and Simeon.

Above: Simeon, Rev. Verlyn Hemmen, and Hae. Verlyn is Director of the Allina Health Metro Hospitals Spiritual Care and Pastoral Education Department and is a CPE supervisor at Abbott Northwestern.

Above: Chaplain intern Simeon, putting the
finishing touches on the Star of Hope!

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Interfaith Chaplaincy: Meeting People Where They're At
• Chaplaincy: A Ministry of Welcome
• Spirituality and the Healthcare Setting
• Christmastide Approaches