Gale's Misfit Hearts

image: Nurse Brian and his patient Vivian select Vivian's heart.

Gale Wilson is a Chaplain with her ministry, Proverbs 3:5-6. She has been giving wooden hearts to hospice patients and their survivors over the past five months. 

When she first saw our wooden hearts on Facebook, she knew she needed to use them for ministry, but the cost was out of her range. Thankfully, she reached out to our customer care team, and Bonnie gave her a discount for a batch of hearts that didn't meet our usual quality standards.

We make our hearts from reclaimed wood, so every day, we make a few that have excessive holes, deep scars, or are just a little too rough around the edges to ship with the rest. We set them aside for moments like this! Gale calls them "misfits," and she loves them because she always saw herself as a misfit too (we can relate!). 

She uses her little hearts to bring comfort to the people she ministers to. Each hospice patient gets a heart, a vial of lavender, hand sanitizer, and a card that says:

These beautiful hearts are individually unique. Taken from pieces of reclaimed wood, they are individually hand-formed. Some are larger than others, some are made of softwood, some are made of hardwood, and some are both. Some have a beautifully painted surface – which covers whatever lies within. None of them are perfect, and none of them are perfectly shaped. Some have obvious flaws. Some or all of them could use some further refinement. All their qualities are characteristic of our own hearts. Wonderful reminders of the work that Christ is doing in our own hearts.

It's a powerful moment when she places the heart into the patient's hand while reciting Proverbs 3:5-6.

Proverbs 3

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

   and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

   and he will make your paths straight.

The heart then becomes a tangible anchor to that message. Something to hold on to and be comforted by God's love during their end-of-life journey.

She also strives to give a heart to every family who experiences a death in the hospital. She does this to offer them something solid to hold on to when they leave their loved ones behind. The hearts are something special to remind them of their love for one another and to remember how much they are loved.

We're so impressed with the size and fullness of Gale's heart! Her desire to reach people with the love, hope, and joy of Christ is inspiring. She has taken these humble little hearts and turned them into meaningful reminders of God's love for the many people she ministers to. And she's meeting them at the time they need it most!

Thank you, Gale, for sharing the love!

image: Gale's misfit hearts with her artwork as a backdrop.
(She gives hearts to her artwork customers too!)

Do You Have a Story to Tell? We're always impressed by our customers' creativity and generosity! Tell us how you're using our products to brighten your day or to share the love with others. We'd love to hear from you and share your story! Share Your Story Here