I thought I would have this time with you as I wait while dear hubby is having surgery. It will be a long wait as he’s to undergo Anaesthesia for this particular procedure & we live far from the hospital.
I’m sitting in the hospital Café at the moment with a cuppa beside me & a gf treat. There are people milling around; physicians & nurses on their breaks, student nurses & doctors in groups as they do the rounds with their respective Supervisors, hospital workers in scrubs passing by, Wards men transporting patients on their beds to other wards or departments & many bewildered visitors .
Some ambulant patients have wandered down from their wards to grab a treat, while others are being pushed in wheel chairs by concerned family members. There’s a lot of activity & noise but I can filter these out as I sit & enjoy my cuppa with you.
As you may have guessed it’s a large teaching hospital which has a large food hall & Café area, there’s even a Grand Piano that is often played by pianists as Music therapy for patients, staff & visitors alike!
But not today…
Hospital’s are places of hope & healing
I often feel comfortable in hospitals, I know many don’t but I do. As they’re places that promote physical & mental healing, where new lives begin. Of course there are deaths too, although I always think when people die in hospital they’re not alone .
I look up from my keyboard & smile at the lady on the next table with her family seated around her, she smiles back. Her family looks concerned for her & she for them, I pray silently that the Lord will help them face whatever they may be facing.
Memories flood in…
I remember sitting here a decade ago, almost at the same table with my husband, his daughters & extended family after my father in law had just passed away in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) upstairs.
I also remember a time of waiting with my daughter, not too far from the ICU, at the Surgical Unit while my granddaughter underwent another major surgery.
And visiting the Children’s Ward a floor below on her many hospital stays for her many surgical procedures, then taking her & her siblings to the play area & Starlight room while their Mum had some much needed time out.
I also remember the urgent call I received at work from my daughter when that same granddaughter was only a few days old that they were being urgently transferred, from an outlying country hospital, by Ambulance to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) here because they had found serious congenital concerns for my new little granddaughter, who at that time was close to death.
Another time that comes to mind was when I met extended family members here for coffee after my uncle had been transferred to a ward on this floor, so physicians could assess his condition.
Yes, there have been many times I have sat here to give emotional support to different family members, so this isn’t an unfamiliar place to me.
But there was a time before all of these events when I came here not for family members but as a student, when I was doing my degree at the nearby University, exploring the Hospital’s Library (back in the day before online access was possible).
A time when I was in one of those student groups excited, expectant, enjoying the practical side of becoming a Healthcare professional.
Time marches on
Now being at the other end of that professional life, in retirement, I smile at the student groups as they go by with their expectant faces, knowing they have a long but rewarding journey ahead of them.
A little pause…
I need to stretch my legs now, as I’ve been sitting here awhile, so let’s slowly wander up the very long corridor to the Hospital Library together.
Passing the many Medical & Surgical Units on our way that vie off to the right or left of the corridor. One sign catches my eye, it’s the Cardiovascular Unit. Which prompts my focus upon heart conditions.
Then one particular heart condition that can’t be addressed by any Cardiac Unit comes to mind.
For it isn’t a physical heart condition but a spiritual one. You see there is a place of healing for our spiritual hearts.
And it’s only through the greatest Physician that this healing can be found & He is Jesus Christ.
For the peace that passes all understanding comes only through Him & His Spirit to dwell in the hearts of those who love Him.
For He is Peace, Grace, Comfort & Strength that is more than sufficient to face any & every situation in life.
“My grace is sufficient for you [My loving kindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Corinthians 12: 9 AMP
Let me ask you the following my friend;
How is the condition of your heart at the moment?
Do you need to sit with the great Physician for His healing touch?
Then please join me HERE.
Until next time,
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or
In Prayer
© 2025 Jennifer M. Ross, All Rights Reserved. Photo by Pixaby at pexels.com
Discover more from Tea With Jennifer
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Tea With Jennifer 
Trusting God provided for the care and recovery of your husband, Jennifer! I have many hospital memories too, it’s amazing to realize how many times you have waited there while loved ones were cared for!
Thank you Donna, God is indeed good.
I hadn’t realised (until I wrote this post) just how many times, in fact I remembered a few more as well, when my daughters were in their teens.
I hope everything went well with your husband’s surgery. During my husband’s last surgery and hospital stay, the hospital had everything in the surgical unit laid out nicely–a waiting room, a couple of places to eat, a small area with lockers if we wanted to leave our “stuff” somewhere until he got a room. I was thankful they did everything possible to make those of us waiting comfortable. He ended up having to stay an extra day, but I felt I knew my way around by then.
I so agree about the one heart condition that can’t be healed physically. I am glad our “great physician” can heal any spiritual wound, including the most important one: our need for His salvation.
Thank you Barbara. Wow, that hospital suite sounds amazing, similar to the Children’s hospital in Sydney that also has all those facilities for family members.
I’ve noticed in hospitals people are kinder to each other. Everyone is equal whether you are old or young, rich or poor. We’re all there for the same reason, either we are ill or injured, or someone we love is. We understand and empathize with each other. It’s kind of a glimpse of heaven.
I agree Aletha, it’s definitely a place that equalises all. And brings out compassion for others as all are facing suffering in one form or another.
I sat in the hospital last week while my husband had a massive blood clot removed. I’m thankful for caring staff and gifted doctors and nurses and glad to be home! I hope all is well at your home now.
Thank you Debbie. I’m glad your husband is home & hopefully all went well.
I hope all is well with your husband and his recovery. When my husband went through an aortic valve replacement in 2019 (he was born with a 2 leaf heart valve) and a few weeks later, they removed a lung lobe (they discovered a small nodule in his lung which was cancer but because it was so small no further treatment was needed) – and followed by an extended stay for over a week due to an infection that set in the removed lung area – I have learned how to create a rhythm of living there – for a day or for a week. During that time, I learned that when fear tried to creep in to our space, to keep my eyes on the Father – and stand on the scriptures he gave me for that season (which I turned into a devotional). It took intentional efforts over and over to keep turning away from that fear and focus on Him. An intimacy was born out of that intentionality.
Thank you for sharing your experience here with us Maryleigh. 😊 And how wonderful that God took you into a deeper place with Him during that concerning time.
As I was reading your experience I was transported back to my own experience when my late husband was going through surgery for a very aggressive brain Tumour, we were six hours away from our home, I lived in accommodation nearby for that three weeks. I too journaled that special time of God’s comfort & strength during that period (which extended to when we returned home & 9 weeks later my gentle husband passed into the arms of Jesus). That experience & those writings were turned into a book.
I’m glad your husband is doing well. 😊
I hope all went well with your husband’s surgery. I find I am comfortable in certain areas of the hospital but I tend to be squeamish around bodily fluids so I am often concerned about what I might glimpse accidentally while on my way to where I need to be.
Thank you Joanne. ☺️
I believe many have your same concern.
This post reminds me of so many times I was waiting in such places as my parents were the patients or my husband. There were also the 8 surgeries for our infant grandson. It was a reminder of how the Lord was so present even when the outcome wasn’t what I hoped for. I pray your husband’s surgeon’s hands were guided by our Lord’s and that he is doing well as he recovers. Blessings my friend, Pam
Thank you Pam 😊
Jennifer, I pray that your dear husband is doing well. I have sat too many times in the hospital, waiting and praying. There is only one cure for the gravest heart condition, His name is Jesus. I loved this post, my sweet friend🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
Thank you Pam 😊 💕
Dear Jennifer, my prayers are with you and your husband, for that procedure to go well. May the Lord be so near to you both.
Thank you for these encouraging words again. I especially loved the way you moved thru so many experiences there, from so many different angles, and then finally came to the deepest experience of all. What a Great Physician we have, who heals our souls! Oh praise His name!
May He bless you today dear friend.
Thank you dear friend. I always appreciate your prayers. Yes, what a Great Physician we have in Jesus who does indeed heal our souls. Blessings to you Bettie 💝
Jennifer, this touched my heart ♥️ I loved reading your reflections on the hospital. It encouraged me. I pray all is well with your husband. To parallel all of this with a heart condition~ God bless you! ♥️🙏🏻
Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed our time together! 😊