St. Vincent’s Women’s Hospital, Indianapolis Indiana
See what great love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1 (NIV)
“In a church we learn to do ministry together. We teach each other what Grace looks like and how it feels to be treated like a child of God.”
Douglas Brouwer, September 3, 2006
Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana
There are many reasons to write books, tell stories and share facts about this world. There are books, stories and facts that change our lives and the recent book by Mitch Albom, Finding Chika, does exactly that! It is a story of how lives change when love intrudes.
What is particularly interesting is the physicality of this healing story. We see and hear details of the life of Chika - her clothes, her care, and her smiles. We hear those intimate details of living and by telling them we are all reminded to remember those small but important details in our lives. Another observation is that her life and death were lived in a very large community. This is more than just a “beautiful girl” story. This book makes it an even bigger story.
What I experienced and saw, as a reader, was how writing and sharing the memories was the beginning of the healing. It is a reminder that remembering is an essential function of the church. We begin our Christian stories with a baptized name as a “Child of God” and we are called to live into that name. What the church does is help us learn together how our stories connect to the larger story of a God’s love. That is a beautiful story!
Thanks Mitch Albom for sharing and making beautiful healing memories even at times of profound loss.
Marvin
References:
Albom, M. (2019). Finding Chika. HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
How our Brain Makes Memories
The Resilient Brain
Hage, M. L. (2016). Healing Hate.
