The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it. Psalm 68:11 KJV
In March of 2020, the doors not only to a majority of businesses were closed, but the access we had to those in long term care was almost entirely cut off. For those of us involved in nursing home ministry this was a challenge such as we had never faced. I was not allowed to bring flowers for Mother’s Day and instead we paraded by with our cars while they sat on the porch and waved. I am not sure how long the rest of the nation went on with this, but here in Florida the complete lock down lasted 14-15 months, dependent on the facility. But as someone once said, when God’s closes a door, He opens a window, and the window for us was called, Sunshine Newsletter. With the help of Rob Keller, a graphic artist friend from the men’s group at our church and Pastor Janice Burnett, a nursing home chaplain from Western New York State, we began to publish a weekly devotional. Though we have gone through a few tweaks and improvements over the 3 1/2 years of publication, our newsletter remains a simple, two-sided single page handout. We do this to minimize our printing expenses as well as to leave with the residents something they will actually read and pass on to others. This week as I was getting the final draft ready to send on to Rob, for formatting and artwork, I stopped to think that with God’s help we are now sending out issue number 175! I am so grateful for those many people who have volunteered to write, suggested inspiring quotes. sent in photographs and done the setup and artwork. It is an amazing blessing each week as I hand out copies of Sunshine to see the smiles on the faces of our residents. If you would like to write for Sunshine or receive our free publication, let me know at Revpete51@gmail.com. It would be to send it to you, and we encourage you to share it with others. Have a blessed week everybody!