By Joel Carmer, Chaplain at Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care

Reflections of a hospice chaplain:

Winning the fight of being dormant

Today, I am void of the volume of peace that I would like to have. I know many of us have experienced losses and various sorts of emotional, relational, spiritual, physical and other hurdles. These may rob us of peace and connectedness.

As hospice workers, we shoulder the burdens of others on a daily basis, while often we ourselves are broken. We gift others with kindness, compassion, and generosity of spirit. In contrast, we often don’t feel like we can offer that same gift to ourselves.

Today, I encourage us all to honor our struggles, weaknesses  and burdens. I encourage us all to embrace our gifts and talents. Accordingly, let us “walk in the moccasins of another” and embrace the journey toward wholeness.

We are so fortunate to work in an environment where we can view life through the lens of our patients, families and loved ones as to what is important, and what can be left behind.

As we observe from nature, the emergence of new life from a long winter is winning the fight of being dormant.

Let us find new life in ourselves and each other as we live each day, a gift indeed.

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