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Anybody See My Shoes? Poetic Reflections From A Chaplain

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Dorothy Shelly is a board certified chaplain ministering to mostly elderly residents of Phoebe Homes in Eastern Pennsylvania. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, she is also an accomplished poet.

In this book she reflects upon her experiences in ministry with the well, the sick, the demented, and the dying. The title piece is the result of a morning prayer service in which she is about to give the benediction when suddenly one person in the congregation says aloud, "Anybody see my shoes?" At that moment Chaplain Shelly realizes the blessing and dismissal have been given...by someone who has uttered words which call to mind Moses at the Burning Bush or even the Risen Christ in a borrowed tomb or an angel saying, "Fear not!" Repeatedly the author and the reader are called 'back to ourselves' by words and events which remind us who we are, where we are and the focus of our lives.

Reverend Shelly's poems gives a voice to those of our elderly whom few of us hear any more or think that the elderly and those with dementia can still contribute to society. To read this little book will enrich your life and make you realize we can still learn about God's Love from those that Jesus says in the book of Matthew are among "...the least of these..."
An adult daughter who is caring for her mother with Alzheimer's disease said Shelly's book was so moving that she could only read one poem at a time. A wise person once said, "A society is judged by how it cares for those who can no longer care for themselves." Those individuals featured in this book are not "throw-away" people. They are our fathers, mothers, grandparents, friends and loved ones who can still continue to teach us much about compassion and caring...if we would only slow down to take some time out of our busy lives to sit awhile and listen to what they have to say.