Where will you be Christmas eve?

Today "Crumbs of Comfort" salutes Rev. Kevin Massey, vice president of spiritual care at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL. As reported in the Chicago Daily Herald, Massey feels it is "a great privilege" to be in the hospital on Christmas eve, visiting patients. "Loneliness, even when surrounded by many caregivers, can be quite a problem, often accompanied by despair," he says.

Rev. Massey

He feels holiday time, regardless of your religious background, is a sensitive time to be away from loved ones. Some research suggests praying with others and showing compassion and love not only relieves loneliness but also improves physical health.

"Individuals need to be treated as whole people -- meeting their spiritual needs as well as their physical, emotional and social needs," says Massey. "Any health care provider does their best work when approaching people from that human perspective." Massey values the work of "spiritual care teams" made of clergy and lay people willing to meet the spiritual, as well as the physical needs of those hospitalized.

"Everyone has a spiritual perspective," he says. "For some people it is from a certain religion, formal or not. I try to connect with everyone's spiritual perspective. We each have value as a child of God."