All across Lexington County hundreds of people are engaged in care giving.

You know who they are: Nurses, doctors and medical technicians at Lexington Medical Center, physicians practices and the health department. They work at drug manufacturers such as Nephron Pharmaceuticals, as emergency medical technicians, and in the retirement community.

Those I come in contact with at my ripe old age tell me they do it because they feel it is their calling. God has given them a gift and they must use it.

Joe Pinner and I had lunch the other day and our waitress, a Carolina student, shared her desire for a career in medical research.

A vision in one so young is admirable.

ILLNESS AND DEATH have their own fascination for most of us. I had always wondered about what hospice workers do, how they do it, how they feel about it, if it makes them sad or happy that they are able to comfort another human being going through the last days of their lives.

When Father Mark Smith invited me to go with him on a hospice call, of course my answer was yes. It was my opportunity to see what a real hospice worker does, how he goes about it and feels about it.

We drove to the home of an elderly lady in West Columbia where a trio of her grown daughters were caring for her. Her children, all grown, took turns with Mom so they did not have to miss days of work.

FATHER MARK introduced me and we sat down at her bedside while he talked with her and each of her daughters about all that had occurred since his last visit.

He was genuinely interested in their stories, some humorous, some sad.

Father Mark is an exceptional man.

Before we left, we stood around her bed and held hands. I was standing near the head of the aging woman’s bed and held one of her hands. It was soft and cool.

Father Mark prayed and a tough old newspaper editor who had seen some of the worst of life got a little teary-eyed.

These brave women were staring death in the face without cringing. Their attitude seemed graceful and heroic to me.

Their mother took comfort in her belief that she would soon be free from pain and in a far better place than this.

I DON’T RECALL Mark’s exact words but the gist of what he said was that all of us will one day face not only death but the promise of salvation and a better after life.

I thought of all the mistakes I’ve made, the poor decisions, the things I’ve done that I now regret and wonder where I’ll be going when that fateful day arrives.

I take comfort in my belief that we have a forgiving God who realizes his gift of free will to us is often abused.

In a selfish way I envied this elderly woman’s faith. She knew where she was going.

I also admired her for the strength of her belief in a merciful God and a life hereafter.

When I wrote about this earlier, a female editor friend read it and cried.

I truly hope when your fateful day comes, you will share the confidence and faith of this elderly believer.

Please write if you have a comment or story from your own life to share to Jerry-Bellune@yahoo.com

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