Last night a security guard escorted me out of the hospital.

All day yesterday, I couldn't get the hospital in Franklin out of my head. I didn't have any plans and my husband told me to take the night off and do whatever I wanted to do.
All I want to do right now is practice loving people with no agenda. I just prayed that my motives would be pure and that God would lead me to someone who really needed a visit from Him.
I went to the first floor first. I figured I'd start there and work my way up to the sixth floor.
I wanted to be respectful of the nurses and their stations so I asked them at the desk if there was anyone who might be in need of a visit. May be someone who doesn't have family around. The first nurse, I'll call her "Nurse First Floor" teared up immediately. Then she got really close to the glass and spoke softly to me, "I can't tell you who this is, or her room number, but there is a girl on this floor that really needs prayer. She is in isolation." I said ok, and went to the waiting room across from that station to pray for her. How did that lady know I loved Jesus? Does nobody come there to visit? I was confused. I was in the waiting room for about ten minutes. I was getting ready to go to the second floor when Nurse First Floor came in to the waiting room.
"I just want to encourage you to continue on, listening to that still small voice." she said to me.
Then she hugged me really tight and thanked me like I had given her flowers or something.

Second Floor.
The nurses were busy so I decided to just walk down a hall. On my left, in a hospital bed lay a woman watching "The price is Right." I walked in, introduced myself and told her I was driving by and wanted to come visit her. Her name is Faye. She told me she is so anemic she fell out in Wal-Mart and they took her there. We talked for some time and I asked her if she wanted me to pray for her anemia. She said, "I don't ever refuse prayer." I smiled and said, "I don't either."
I love Faye.

Third Floor.
Stopped at the nurses station. They seemed a little concerned what I was there for. They told me that everyone on their floor had family visiting them. I thanked them and left.

Fourth Floor.
Stopped at the nurses station. Nurse Fourth Floor started tearing up. "Really? You came here to visit someone? That is amazing, I have to find someone for you. Surely there is someone, come with me. That is so sweet..." she went on.
We couldn't find anyone. One lady was getting an enema and another had family. We went back to the nurses station and she said, "I can't believe someone finally came and we have no one." I gave her my name and phone number and told her if anyone came that needed a visit, I would come back. She hugged me, said a few more nice things and I left.

Fifth Floor
Riding up to the fifth floor, I began to ponder on those two nurses. They were so touched and nothing had been done. How compassionate they were. That is amazing to me.
I had the same experience with a nurse on the fifth floor. She pointed me to the room of this 87 year old woman. She looked really sick to me. She was all shriveled up, so small in that bed that nearly swallowed her small frame. She was confused when she saw me. I told her I wanted to hear her story and asked if I could sit down. She motioned to a chair and we sat for probably 15 minutes and talked. I could hardly understand her, she didn't speak clearly at all and she was hard of hearing, so it took that long for me to hear the outline of her story. This is what I understood. Her name was Margaret, she had four children, her husband was still alive, they lived in Franklin and she was at the hospital because she almost had a heart attack. I told her about my girls. Right before I left, I brushed her silver hair back off her face with my hands and told her she had the most beautiful face. She did. I looked into her eyes and all her wrinkles and saw her beauty. It caught me so off guard I started to cry. Gosh, she is sparkly.

I left, just one floor to go. I hadn't seen any miracles, but I wasn't there for miracles, I was there to visit and to practice giving freely what God so generously gives me daily...I was there for love.

Sixth Floor.

I got off the elevator and immediately noticed this big security officer looking at me. He stopped me, "Why are you here Miss?"
"I'm visiting people."
"Who are you visiting?" he asked.
"I'm just visiting anyone the nurses tell me doesn't get too many visits." I answered him honestly

Before I knew it, another officer was there. This guy was shorter and started asking me the exact same questions. He asked me for my ID and went to the phone. I was left with the first security officer who was writing notes down in this little pad. I looked up. The nurses were looking at me like I was a criminal. To break this tortorous silence, I asked the big security guard, "How are you tonight?" He didn't respond, he just kept writing. Um....awkward silence followed, and more mean looks.

The second security officer finally came back, handed me my ID and began to inform me the the nurses on the third floor had told them that I was wandering the hospital and it was strange. I was thinking in my head that they must have been looking for me while I was in with Margaret. We were all just standing there and I was starting to feel emotional. I just wanted to leave. They said I had to wait. Apparently this was such a huge deal that I had to meet with the chairman of the hospital. He finally came, white coat and all. He was a tad rude. He actually was so rude, I felt more humiliation as tears sprang into my eyes. It was completely out of my control. The last thing I wanted to do was cry in that moment....ahhhhhhhH!
"We have people for that miss." he was referring to visiting.
He scolded me a little more and then left. I heard the security guard tell him that he would escort me out of the building.

Walking to the elevator like a little girl being accompanied by her teacher to see the principle...made me feel so sad. "I don't need to be escorted." I said. "I'll go."
"It's just policy ma'am." he said kindly.
Once the elevator doors closed, he touched my arm. He said,
"Hold your head up! You heard that still small voice and you obeyed. That is more than most people are willing to do. You hold your head up! Don't let this discourage you."
Well his kindness had completely undone me. I was blubbering at this point. I had went there to love and here he was loving me. Isn't that the very nature of the work of Jesus.
"What church do you go to?" I asked him, trying to get past the "ORDEAL".
He told me he was a deacon in this Baptist church downtown and then he said,
"Aimee, you are welcome anytime."
That made me smile and then cry some more. We stopped at the front door and he said again,
"Hold your head up. Don't be discouraged, you have no idea the impact your obedience had on this hospital."
I thanked him ever so quickly as his kindness had just hit a peak that would cause me to be crying hysterically. I held it together until I reached my truck. When I was pulling out, I noticed I was being followed by another security officer in his truck. That is when I started laughing so hard and crying so hard. What a combination. It was hysterical. I was embarrassed. I have never been that thoroughly escorted out of anywhere.

We live in times where visiting strangers in hospital beds is a potential threat. I understand, but it is so sad. I learned two things, probably much more, but it is only the next day. The first thing is that if I ever go again, I won't stop at the nurses station (just kidding...kinda) and the second is that we may never know or understand the impact we have, but when we obey, we can be sure it was great.