We’d all like to be blessed by our work, but it’s probably fair to say that not many of us actually get blessed at our work. Recently, my wife, who works with geriatric patients, had the unique experience of having three of her patients pronounce blessing over her. I am not talking about, the kind of “God bless you” that comes after a big sneeze, but rather the kind of “God bless you”, that comes when someone is particularly happy to see you, and tells you (as my wife’s patient told her), “God bless you.  God bless what you are doing today.  God bless what you do with your hands.  God is truly good to us, isn’t he?”  What makes this blessing all the more meaningful is that my wife works largely with patients who are suffering from dementia.

A few weeks ago, I asked a question about “How I would like to grow old?” This past week I was given an answer to my question. Many of my wife’s patients have been robbed of their memories and ability by Alzheimers and various stages of dementia. As a result of their infirmity they are unable to enjoy and engage in many of the activities and thoughtful conversation that once enriched their lives. They have seen many of their friends pass away. It would be easy to pity them and to consider their lives as less than full and to mourn all they have lost.  Yet, it’s touching to see that even after having lost so much, they still have the capacity to bless others and to remind others that God loves them.

Ultimately, you can’t fake blessing.  Blessing others comes from a place of being blessed. Regardless of whether I eventually move to a retirement community, I want to live in this “place of blessing.” When I am much older, and when my body is broken, and when I can do little else, I hope that I still have the capacity and ability to simply bless others and to tell the people in my life, “God bless you. He loves you.”