A hug speaks a 1000 words

The thing that crowned off my second year was the opening of our new hospital block by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He is one of my hero’s. There was a lot of excitement around the hospital in the build up to that day. I was asked to create a display about the work of the Chaplaincy Department. I was really pleased to do this and the panels I had made up reflected the spiritual as well as the religious aspects of the work of the department. They looked very professional. 

I arrived at work at 7.30 that morning in order to set up my display area. The clouds looked ominous and it was really quite cold. Eventually everyone started to arrive in the big marquis set up in the field at the back of the hospital and we waited eagerly for our guest of honour to arrive who was having a tour around the wards with the Chief Exec.

When the Archbishop arrived he lit the place up with his beaming smile. He went straight passed the “important people” to the school children and was giving them high fives. I was impressed by this. Even though the heavens had opened by now Archbishop Tutu was his own little ray of sunshine.

After all the speeches and presentations had happened the Chief Exec brought him off the stage to meet some of the people. I was really made up when she introduced him to me. I asked him if it was ok if I gave him a hug to say thank you to him for being such a good man and making a difference to the world in his work for peace and justice. His face all crinkled as he smiled at me and said of course you can. That hug was very precious to me and inspired me to continue to work for peace and justice and challenge inequality wherever I encountered it. What a year!