It is not uncommon for hospice patients to come to the end of their lives and claim to have visitors who have passed years earlier. For example, a patient may engage in a conversation with a sibling that can’t be seen and that we know has been deceased for several years. Sometimes patients point out their visitors to others and … Continue reading →
I recently watched a documentary that followed a grief counselor as he gave advice and counsel to people and families facing death. I found it very thought provoking because his basic philosophy was that people shouldn’t fear death but instead should see it merely as a part of life. The setting for this documentary and the location of the grief … Continue reading →
How should we count down our days when we have been given a bad prognosis? If the physician tells you that there isn’t anything that can be done to bring a cure and you’ve been given days or months to live, how should you respond? How should we wait while waiting to die? With the initial news of no cure … Continue reading →
Few of us have actually set out to live our lives as pirates, obsessively searching for rum and treasure while giving no regard for contributing to society or being a morally centered citizen. Some have and they have prisons to call their home. Most of us have set out to do something positive with our lives, like build a family … Continue reading →
There are three things that I hear as a chaplain from people who are counting down the days of their lives. I’ve heard these things as both a hospital chaplain and as a hospice chaplain. These patients have the same common denominator and that is that they are dying and they know it. Here are the three things that I … Continue reading →
I recently watched a documentary that followed a grief counselor as he gave advice and counsel to people and families facing death. I found it very thought provoking because his basic philosophy was that people shouldn’t fear death but instead should see it merely as a part of life. The setting for this documentary and local of the grief counselor … Continue reading →
Most of us have heard it said, “When it’s your turn to go, it’s your turn to go” or “When your number comes up, there’s nothing you can do about it” or “We all have an appointed time to go.” I think there is a lot of truth to these statements because I’ve seen otherwise perfectly healthy people not respond … Continue reading →
I watched an elderly gentleman struggling with saying goodbye to his older dying sister. It was obvious that he felt awkward and was grappling with what to say. He stammered, “You look good today” then he blurted out “My, are we having good weather” and then finally said “Oh, you have a lot of visitors” before he turned away from … Continue reading →
It is a very emotionally difficult position to be in when a physician asks the family if they want them to do all they can to keep your loved one alive or if you want them to pass away naturally. That conversation, if unprepared for, is very hard to navigate because no one wants to feel like they are choosing … Continue reading →
There are signs of dying when a loved-one is struggling with a terminal disease or for whatever reason is at the end of their life. People don’t die in real life as they do in the movies. Hollywood often portrays death as a split second closing of the eyes while the person is speaking in mid-sentence. Dying isn’t so clean … Continue reading →
One of the saddest things for me to witness is a person who is nearing the end of their days without any spiritual strength to draw from. It’s something I’ve seen many times in my pastoral and hospital chaplaincy ministry. An individual is facing death but having no spiritual strength in them their emotional stress is compounded with spiritual distress. … Continue reading →