During this National Volunteer Week, I'd like to thank the volunteer chaplains who share the weekly ministry at Columbia Lutheran Home. Deacon Earl Grout can be found visiting residents at Columbia every Friday, as he has been doing for years. Earl brings a keen listening ear and offers wonderful prayers and rituals in the

"Armloads of blessings." Don't you love that phrase? The words are from Psalm 126, and they provide an apt description of the abundance at Columbia Lutheran Home. Here are 10 things I've noticed since my arrival as chaplain for which I give thanks.   Friendships among residents - They spring up and brighten lives.

During November, as we celebrate many holidays, we also commemorate National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. Most of us are familiar with the term "hospice." The movement began in the 1200's in Europe, when caregivers recognized the needs of the dying. Today's hospice movement centers around this mission statement: "At the center of hospice and