As we were getting ready to eat, a 91-year-old lady slipped in the kitchen and went down, hard. We had to call the paramedics to come take her to the hospital. It was later confirmed that she broke her hip, and will need surgery tomorrow.
We had a good Bible study, and prayed for Janet (the lady's name) especially. Shortly after that broke up, the Venturers came in to finish their lap quilt fundraising project. They were here from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. Then came choir practice.
Finally, it was rising 8:30 p.m. when I took off for the hospital to see how Janet was getting along. As I entered the hospital, I heard the PA system calling for some kind of assistance for a Neonatal Code Blue in Labor & Delivery. I was shocked at that, and prayed for that family all the way up to see my parishioner, who was (predictably) worn out. I stayed only a few minutes, shared prayer with her, and then left her to rest.
I made my way to the Labor & Delivery section and introduced myself to the nursing staff, asking if there was a chaplain on call. I don't know if anybody was called, but they said the baby was now OK. I'm not sure I believe hospital personnel any more, but I had caught a snatch of a new Dad's cell phone call by the nursery that seemed to be telling the story to somebody, so I decided that it must really have turned out well. I toddled off on my way. I'm continuing to pray for that family.
There is still a lot to do, but I don't know that I'm going to get much more done this evening. I'm pooped.