I settled into

my favorite chair and glanced down at the mail I'd just retrieved from

the mailbox. In the midst of the pile was a colorful eight-page magazine

entitled "Today's Healthy Outlook." It was from Georgia Baptist

Meriwether Hospital and Nursing Home.

Tired from

my walk to the mailbox, I wasn't thrilled about the article on page six

telling me I can walk my way to better health, even though I already know

it's true. I'm doing better with my food intake now (since the August

surgery) and can eat almost anything I want, so I enjoyed the New Food

Pyramid piece that followed. Pages two and three discussed cancer screenings

and page four warned me that flu season is just around the corner.

It was page

five that really drew my attention. There, in his first paragraph, William

Hayes, CEO of the hospital, welcomed readers to the inaugural issue of

the publication. It sounded like a typical spiel from a CEO or even an

editor of a publication, until I read in paragraph two, "Our mission

is to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ through a health care ministry."

Regretfully,

cynicism has become more and more the norm for me when it comes to today's

health care system. So, for a week, I hang onto this little magazine.

I leave it open to the message from the CEO. I re-read that paragraph.

Finally I call and ask for an appointment to interview him. Little does

he know I want to take him apart, that I don't believe his line about

the love of Jesus.

Little did

I know what lay ahead.

Actually, I

had stopped by the Meriwether hospital in Warm Springs three times last

year, hoping to meet this gentleman. I had heard he was from Sylvester,

that he had been CEO of the hospital there. It was Sylvester where I worked

for three months as a nurse's aid back in 1966 before I entered nursing

school that fall. So much happened that summer that would shape my life

forever. Some part of me wanted to connect again to the past.

So finally

I had an appointment to meet William Hayes, but all thoughts of some kind

of Sylvester hospital connection were fading. As I drive in his direction,

all I want to know is does he really mean, "Our mission is to demonstrate

the love of Jesus Christ through a health care ministry"?

I had the good

sense not to be too abrupt with him. I like to think I was warmly professional

as I eased into the interview. But within ten minutes I could contain

myself no longer. I asked.

He answered.

We spent about

two hours together after that. Turns out, prior to 2000, he might have

written those words just because his hospital was part of the Georgia

Baptist Health Care System or because it was the thing to do. But two

years ago, he nearly died (actually, he did have a cardiac arrest). Major

surgery, with near fatal complications, kept him in the hospital for a

month. There were those who didn't believe he would survive, much less

regain his health.

Today, he is

a picture of health. He glows. His love for others is apparent, as is

his joy and enthusiasm for life.

He said everything

changed after his confrontation with death. Life took on a new perspective.

What once was at the top of his list may not be on the list at all anymore.

Family and friends matter most. True Christian service is a really big

deal now, not just lip service, not just a going-through-the-motions kind

of thing.

He talked about

how he would hate to leave his family behind, if he were confronting death

again, but said so many of the other things that worried him two years

ago wouldn't even cross his mind now. He strives to keep his slate clean,

live each day to the fullest, and seeks ways to love others with the love

that God allows to flow through him. It was awesome to visit with a hospital

administrator who came across as laid back, caring and really happy with

his job!

Within six

months or so, the community hospital now under the direction of William

Hayes will be sold. It is the last of the Georgia Baptist properties to

go. I hope my new friend stays on board under the new management. It is

good to know that kind of leadership is at the helm of our Meriwether

County hospital.

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