Ripples

Today i received a call from a former colleague ..... we had lost touch ...... he had been ill, i had left messages of concern, he had not had the health or time in his struggle to call me back ......i sent him prayers and Reiki energy from afar, and today recovered and returned to full work he called to talk ......and shared that in his darkest hours he had read some of the hospice stories on my Blog ..... and it had been helpful to him ......

Today i gave a teaching rounds for young physicians on Hospice, their attention and interest was moving .....and one young docs told me privately that they had read my Blog and that it is moving them toward a career in Palliative care.

And today a Reiki teacher who hadn't heard from me in awhile and who had not seen me post a new Blog for awhile decided to call just to see if i was OK .....

Yesterday someone called  - i had cared for a relative of theirs - and they just needed to talk ..... it is something we do in  Hospice...... we are available to talk about things ...... bereavement is a part of the Journey, a Hospice workers job doesn't end with transition.

This afternoon i talked with one of my hospice nurses, she had been up all night, she didn't feel 100 percent herself, but a patient she had been working with transitioned this afternoon and she felt the need to be with this patient and this family, no matter how tired she was.......

The stories i am seeing every day are so inspiring, home health aids,  nurses, social workers, volunteers, chaplains, music therapists, doctors .....going into patient's homes and working with families ...... keeping focus that people who cannot be cured are still alive and still important, still worth our time and caring ......it sometimes simply brings me to a place of awe seeing the commitment and hard work of team mates around me ........

I received an email last month asking how i would respond to someone who had been told, "Reiki shouldn't be used in Hospice" ("why not?" we used it all the time") ....... whether it is Traditional or unTraditional Chaplaincy, Music therapy, Reiki ...... finding methods that bring us to a place of calm help us share that calm with our patients...... fear and loneliness add to pain and suffering, and calm and connection bring light to the time people have .......it is a gift that helps the Journey.

Sharing stories is a good thing ...... because stories of courage and caring send ripples that help others in their Journey...... It reminds us that what we do is worth doing ......

To my co workers thank you for the inspiration you provide every day, to my patients thank you for being my teachers in your courage, to those of you who share stories of caring thank you........and perhaps ripples will continue to spread.