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A story celebrating the life of Dr. Herb Atkinson written by his son Danny.

Herb Atkinson taught us that to love is to serve. Our father learned this powerful lesson while working at Cook County hospital as a young medical student. There Dad met Chaplain Lily, a passionate, caring man who ministered to patients in an unusual way. Chaplain Lily always walked around with a New Testament in one pocket and a toenail clipper in the other. He offered to wash patients’ feet and clip toenails as he made rounds; he figured taking care of their feet was a practical way he could help folks feel better. Touched by this example, Dad started to carry clippers and do the same. Throughout all his many years of practice in Africa and also in the States, Dad kept washing feet and clipping toenails, and he kept it up even after his retirement from medicine.

Not long ago we learned this story about Dad. One of Dad’s former patients, a homebound paraplegic, wept and wept when he heard of Dad’s illness. It turns out that for the last 25 years, Dad had gone to this man’s house every few weeks to care for his feet and to share a chat and a cup of coffee. They became good friends. As Dad’s condition worsened and he became homebound himself, one of his most pressing concerns was how to continue his friend’s care. Dad was so thrilled the day he learned that a dear couple in their church had volunteered to continue this special ministry. And so the story of love continues….

The Spirit of God empowers us to transform ourselves and our world through the miracle of love....We are called by God to love one another. Continue to love and serve however God asks. That is the best way to honor both our fathers who are in heaven.