Sunday Reflections: The Wisdom of a Cigar
'There is something even better than the gifts and glimmers of hope we have even now—there is more.'
By Rev. Ben Black Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, I lived in Boston, where I spent a summer as a chaplain at one of the local hospitals. My job was to go room to room and talk with patients about whatever they might be dealing with. I had many memorable conversations that summer, but as I was reflecting over all that I have to be thankful for, my conversation with Mr. Arnold came back to me. I stood in the doorway of his room. In the corner, there was a small television tuned into the local news. Mr. Arnold was a hefty man in his mid-60s and was sitting on his bed with his hospital gown draped haphazardly on his shoulders as he focused on reading an article from the day's paper. Apparently, he had been at this for some time as pages of …
