My tree of hope

By Sr. Mary Gauthier
May/June 2013

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“I am with you on the journey, always with you.” With the words of this song in my heart I was carried to my new mission with the Scarboro lay missioners in Guyana. Little did I know how those words would care and comfort me in my time of need.

In the yard of St. Paul’s Seminary where I was living in Guyana stood a big old tree. Each morning as I prayed I would look at the tree and ask myself, “Why am I attracted to this tree?” It seemed to be dead with many gray branches reaching to the sky. Then one day I saw something different. I had been looking but not seeing the mystery unfolding before me.

Yes, the tree was speaking to me. The branches at the top that seemed dead were of different lengths and sizes, and they spoke to me of the limbs of many older people who are still able to sway gracefully in the breeze. I also noticed new shoots of green branches sprouting from the same roots. There was new life. The tree was calling me to watch it, observe it, and cherish the new life.

So also in our communities, even in the midst of aging, frailty, and physical decline there are green branches in each of us. As I looked out my window each day I felt new life growing in me. And just as the roots of the old tree were deep and able to provide the nourishment the tree needed, so too is the spirit of us older folks nourished by our faith.

Now I am back in Canada recovering from an accident. I was side-swiped by a truck and suffered a comminuted fracture of my right elbow and a hairline hemi pelvis fracture. During the month I spent in bed in St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Georgetown, Guyana, I heard daily in my heart, “I am with you on the journey, always with you.” And so, despite the frustration and anger, my resilience stayed with me. Now I can walk slowly and though I still cannot straighten my arm, hopefully in time I will regain full use of it—especially since I am right-handed. The memory of those green branches still gives me hope.

I received loving care from all at St. Joseph’s Mercy Hospital, from the CEO, Helen Browman, to the cleaning staff. My surgeon, Dr. Gisel Del Toro Placido, was extra cautious because of my age and was reluctant to let me walk or travel. Despite this good care I felt the need to return to Canada since I didn’t have health insurance in Guyana.

I am most grateful for the love and support of Kate O’Donnell, the Scarboro lay missioner who visited me daily and filled my every need. I welcomed visits from the Mercy Sisters and the Guyanese folks who encouraged me in my recovery. My own OLM community phoned me with kind wishes and worked hard to get me moved to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Joan Missiaen, OLM, came down to accompany me back to Canada, and with the help of Scarboro lay missioners, Miriam Wheeler and Bev Trach, packed up my things. Bev has continued to pick up the pieces.

As we left the hospital and began the long journey, I knew and believed that God is and always will be with us.

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