Category Archives: Uncategorized

Ruby is dying in front of me from complications due to advanced dementia. Long alienated from her adult children, Ruby’s final earthly companions are the nursing home and hospice staff members and volunteers who shower her with affection. Still, the … Continue reading →

Sermon preached by David Hottinger Mayflower Congregational Community United Church of Christ Minneapolis, MN, 13 December 2009 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not … Continue reading →

This past Sunday evening, one of my patients ended his own life. A WWII combat vet, a devoted father and grandfather, a gifted craftsman and avid outdoorsman, “Tim” spent his last months struggling under the burden of congestive heart failure. … Continue reading →

“There is nothing so whole as a broken heart,” wrote the Kotzker Rebbe, a great master of Hasidic Judaism. While I love that saying, I also struggle with it. In my own life, I often reacted to the reality or … Continue reading →

“I’ve had a good life,” is her mantra. During my visits with Ellen, a striking 85 year-old woman dying of cancer, she repeats those words throughout the hour. “I am grateful to God and to Jesus for everything that has … Continue reading →

I have been wanting to write for a long time. While I don’t fancy myself a “writer,” many people over the years have encouraged me to take the time to share through the written word some of my ideas, reflections, … Continue reading →