Several years ago, I was serving as a hospital chaplain the summer after graduating from seminary when I found myself with a family who was about to unexpectedly say goodbye to a loved one; an older gentleman who had been rushed to the hospital and was in cardiac arrest. When I arrived at the room, they were all standing around the bed, about five of them, each touching his leg or arm and talking to him, hoping he would hear. We said a prayer together, and then we all stood there in silence, the weight of the moment bearing down on us.