Courageous Service of Healing

While December 25 is the annual grand celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, this year, I also offer tribute to Clara Barton, who was born 200 years ago today, on December 25, 1821, in Oxford, MA.

It seems fitting that she was born on December 25, and would one day be known as the "Angel of the Battlefield", while courageously treating the wounded on battlefields of the Sectional War of the 1860s.

One story I heard said that she was determined to provide care on the battlefields, and went to speak with a Union general.  He declined her request, as the prevailing mindset of that time was that women had no place on the battlefields.  But she was determined, and so made her case again, and she eventually got permission.

And her resolve to care for those in need certainly didn't end with the conclusion of the war.  On an overseas trip, she learned about the work of the Red Cross, and advocated to bring it to the United States.

Ms. Barton is a person of great noble character because she was aware of the needs around her, and took action to meet them in courageous service, even in spite of limitations.  She embodies the spirit of the words in President Lincoln's 2nd inaugural address: "...with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

We have plenty of reason to be grateful to those who follow in the footsteps of Ms. Barton, especially those who work in hospitals and the medical field, along with first responders, in this pandemic, and long before it.

So as we celebrate the birth of the One Who brought full healing to the world, let us also give thanks for those who devoted their life's work to do their part to bring a healing touch to our world.  

Happy Birthday Clara Barton!  Thank you for your work.

The above photos are from a brief visit I made back in early March 2021 to Clara Barton's home at Clara Barton National Historic Site in Glen Echo, MD, just outside Washington, D.C.