Angels in the ER

Dawn Marasco
Jul 16
3 min read

Recently, I was at the ER with my son because he was having severe abdominal pain. We sat in the busy waiting room for hours. But in the middle of the waiting, I became in awe of the people around us.

The ER is usually not where people want to be, and yet, I saw some of the most beautiful acts of kindness.

There was an older woman in a wheelchair whose arm was scarred from a past burn. Her feet were dangling and her toes were touching the cold ER floor. That’s when I witnessed a beautiful act of kindness from another patient, who walked over and asked, “Are your feet cold? Can I put these on you?”

She held up a fluffy pair of cozy socks and said, “I’m always prepared. The ER is always cold.” Then she brought over a warm blanket and wrapped it around the woman’s shoulders.

That moment moved me so deeply. I told the kind woman, “Ma’am, that was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen.”

And she replied, “Oh, no—I take care of the elderly, and as much pain as I’m in right now, it was more painful for me to watch her sitting there with no socks on.”

It was such a simple gesture, but it was profoundly loving and profoundly Jesus.

It reminded me of how often God works through ordinary people - doing ordinary things with extraordinary compassion.

Then I overheard an exchange from an older woman in a wheelchair who was having her own health challenges. It was obvious she was concerned about her son who was brought in by ambulance. Yet she was connecting with others in the waiting room.

Her words were filled with love, compassion, and empathy.

I was immediately drawn to her. We exchanged empathetic smiles. When I noticed she was cold, I brought her a warm blanket from the receptionist. She told me she was a retired nurse, and she was also a devoted believer in the Lord Jesus. And right there in the ER we joined our faith and together prayed for our sons, for those in the waiting room, and I was blessed to pray for her.

It was beautiful.

I wanted to share this with you as a reminder:

God is in the mundane.

He’s in the painful places.

He’s in the places we don’t want to be. He’s there, moving through people all around us if we slow down enough to see.

There is so much kindness in the world. We hear negativity in the news, but God’s people are amazing.

His love shines through, even in dark places.

I want to encourage you to go shine your light and the love of Jesus wherever you are.

Let your kindness speak.

Sometimes it’s as simple as a gentle response, a kind word, a little encouragement, or a prayer.

Those small moments matter more than we realize.

People notice.

People are listening.

And sometimes, when we’re the ones in a difficult place, those acts of kindness are exactly what we need to see.

Always remember when you love others, it is seen. When you are kind, it is seen. And even if no one else notices, your Heavenly Father sees it, and He rewards you.