A Red Cross Chaplain’s Advice for Comforting Others

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Hello Guideposts. This is Earl Johnson, I’m from Arlington, Virginia.

I’m publicizing my book, Finding Comfort During Hard Times, which is based on my reflections of hospice and hospital chaplaincy and my continuing journey into disaster chaplaincy.

What advice do I have for people living in the era of Covid, and dealing with isolation? Well, be a good neighbor. Go old school, use the telephone, connect with people. You don’t have to physically be with them, but you can offer to do shopping for them.

We’ve seen so much, so much altruistic behavior in the last four months. And we will continue to see it because the need is going to be there, the needs are still great. People are grieving, know people are mourning for the world that used to be. And that grief must be mourned.

We’re living in a very hard time and quarantining is not easy and so we have to be mindful of just how complex all these issues are. All of these help define who we are as people and how we act and how we support one another during these critical times, times that we have not seen in our lifetime but knowing that there is a continuity of love and support. We really need to be there for one another and be good neighbors, and be good instruments of hope and healing.