Today I spent a good part of the day on the road. I'm on Chaplaincy rotation at the local hospital (riverside tappahannock hospital), and did that for a couple of hours this morning, but had to leave to drive to Richmond to visit a couple of folks who are ... connected with the church who are in one case undergoing radiation treatment and surgery to complete a hysterectomy. Tomorrow morning I'll be heading back to Richmond to be with another family while the husband has the battery replaced on his implanted defibrilator.

Spent a lot of time in Richmond last week as well. The downside was and has been that I've not gotten around to my local visits like I'd been used to. Hopefully I can do that Thursday during the day. :-)

I knew ministry would entail a lot of time in hospitals ... and i'm fortunate to have gotten something of a background in medicine in one of my previous jobs, it has helped me understand what to expect, and I've found myself not too intimidated by the surroundings.

A well-placed, polite question does a world of good in unfamiliar situations.