Have been thinking quite a bit lately about a wide range of unintended consequences. A lot of times, those consequences are none too pretty. Sometimes, they are wondrous.
This past Monday is a prime example of a bright, shining unintended consequence. The Presbyterian chaplain at a grannie client's senior residence has made a significant difference in her life. She enjoys his Bible study class & takes special interest in his series on comparative religion. She always has a lighter step & a beaming smile after one of Chaplain Tom's presentations.
On behalf of my grannie client, I arranged a tour of the church we both attend. Two recently retired (semi, in Jeremy's case) church leaders accepted our invitation to join us. The three ministers & both of us enjoyed the tour, which was capped off by lunch at the nearby Be Well Café.
What had been intended to be special thank you to a gifted minister turned out to be a special gift to my grannie client. Since entering the senior residence, she's been wistfully regretful about living in two different, unconnected worlds - - her longtime hometown, where she still goes to church, and the very nice senior residence.
When I first suggested arranging the tour & lunch, it hadn't dawned on me that the two would serve as a bridge between her two worlds. What a wonder it was, experiencing her in the presence of three men she knew so very well - her pastor & bishop & the minister currently most present in her life - enjoying each other, sharing life experiences & playful banter & some truly awful jokes.
Building a bridge between my grannie client's two worlds - now forever connected - wasn't my plan, but it's right up there with the top three unintended consequences in my life!!
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