My dentist doesn’t expect me to answer questions when my mouth is full of equipment. That’s one of the things I like about him.
I’ve been going to him for a while now. He knows I have grown daughters, where I live, that I taught at Blake. I know he’s a young dad, lives in a suburb, doesn’t know what to get his wife for their anniversary.
A couple of visits ago he asked me if I was retired.
“Sort of. I still work part time in a church. I write. I preach.”
This got a surprised response (as it usually does), and a rehearsal of his own religious background (Lutheran; doesn’t go to church much; feels guilty about it). Molly, the hygienist also chimed in that she was (and will always be) a Catholic.
At the end of the visit, Dr. Paul asked me, out of the blue, “what I say at the end of a service.”
Feeling a little weird about it, I launched into my favorite dismissal which most of you have heard dozens of times:
“Go forth into the world and know
that there are words of hope and healing
that will never be spoken unless you speak them
and deeds of compassion and courage
that will never be done unless you do them.
Go in peace…..”
Dr. Paul and Molly both said they loved it.
I don’t even know where I got these words. I think I wrote them myself, or they seeped in from something I’ve read. Hard to tell, except that they always provoke a strong reaction. I think it’s because they remind us that our sphere of influence is unique and we have responsibility for it – and opportunities within it.
I oversaw a funeral service last week for a man who died at age 98 and truly was one of “the greatest generation.” He and his wife used to attend a church where I worked. I hadn’t even seen the family for thirty years, was astounded they called me, and I knew almost no one at the large service at the Lakewood Cemetery Chapel.
I did the same dismissal. Got the usual response. Even the soloist asked for a copy.
Several weeks after the aforementioned dental appointment, I was at a follow-up appointment at the dentist and the first thing Dr. Paul said was that he had told his wife about my words and “she really liked them. “
And as I was leaving, he said, “Well?”
So I recited the dismissal. I think it will be a thing from now on.
Some words put us in touch with our better selves, and connect us of with our immense power for good. And when we hear them, they go straight to the heart and remind us that God believes in us.
See you in church.
Barbara
