Needled

I missed the Nominations Committee meeting this morning for a meeting of another sort: I had to go to the Tropical Disease Clinic at the Montreal General Hospital to get the second part of my Hepatitis A vaccination. This should give me immunity for life.

I must say, it was interesting to be back in a hospital environment. Long-time readers of this blog will know that I was once a hospital chaplain, which was a rich learning experience for me. I even bumped into a doctor who also works at the Lakeshore General, the hospital where I once served, and we chatted about his work and my upcoming trip to Mexico. I also found myself striking up a conversation with a patient and his girlfriend, sitting on chairs in the hallway. I used to do that a lot as a chaplain — start random pastoral conversations — and as any priest can tell you, you can’t walk through a hospital with your collar on and not have it happen to you. Sometimes it is just a pair of pleading eyes that let you know someone is suffering and needs to talk.