Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2026 Blog #40
November 9, 2026
Last year, I spent more time than I wish to remember on the seventh floor of Hackensack Medical Center. It certainly wasn’t by choice, but it was of necessity. I had twelve hospitalizations last year. Ten of those were on the seventh floor, the urology wing. Last week I visited a patient on that very same floor. The patient that I was visiting had a room that was only three rooms from my last room on this unit. While visiting, I walked a rather long way from the parking lot to the room. I heard that it was a long distance, but I never knew how long. As a patient, I was wheeled to the rooms on a gurney and rode out in a wheelchair upon being discharged. This day, however, I was walking and I realized how far my visitors were walking to see me. I now appreciate those visits even more.
It felt strange to be walking down the hallway where I had gone walking under the care of the nursing staff who would not allow me to walk without an escort. As my health had improved, I did a great many laps in those hallways. It felt strange to be walking there in real clothes rather than a hospital gown. Frankly, it was a joy to walk there while dressed in my business wear. This was my first time walking there in real clothes.
The room of the patient that I was visiting was only three doors down from the room where I was during my last hospitalization. I had a strange feeling walking by my old room and seeing an empty bed where I once slept. I was grateful that I no longer occupied it but wondered how many people had slept in that bed since I had left.
The walk and the visit seemed like a miraculous blessing to me. What were the odds that I would be doing a visit on the same floor where I had been a patient? It was as if God had brought me here, not just for the patient, but also to give me closure to eliminate the thoughts of my illness and to celebrate the health that God and the medical staff had granted me. In visiting this patient in this place, the door to the past had been closed and the door to the future was now wide open. I’ve been transformed from the patient to one of the healers. That is a good feeling.
Throughout my ministerial life, I have always made hospital visitation a priority. As a patient, I have known how important visits are. I’ve done many visits, and for a season, I was the patient being visited. It is good now to be the visitor, not the visited, once again.
I was in a dark valley last year, but God walked with me. As I walked down the hall to visit my parishioner, I could not help but think of Psalm 23, written by King David.
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
God was indeed with me when I was a patient on this floor and now, I am delighted that God is sending me back to this floor to be with others in need. I am ready and able and honored that God has sent me to do this work.
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