By Jack Cumming

An article on Medium made me cry. It also made me want to celebrate all those who are there for us as our lives draw to a close. The article was written by Carole Olsen and titled “My Sister Has Opted to Go into Hospice.”

Carole explains, “The rehab that she is in says she is not ready for hospice. What qualifies a person for it? Thank heavens she is not in pain. She can’t eat and is not hungry. She doesn’t want a feeding tube to prolong her life. Her only form of nourishment is sipping thickened juices with a spoon.”

There’s anxiety, reality, and caring in that short statement. Logically, we know that the dying person’s choices are sensible. Emotionally, we want her to recover and stay with us forever. Realistically, rehab may not care. Death and dying are too common. “She is not ready for hospice.” We want to shout, “For heaven’s sake, have a heart.”

Reality, though, is not realistic. We’re born, we thrive, we love, we live, and then we fade. Individually, we are small, but together we are more. We are humankind, the resilient spirit that has made this planet our home.

Carole’s sister is not in pain. What a blessing that can be. Anything we can do to relieve human suffering is a worthy cause. Service in senior living, whether as a med minder, caregiver, or mogul, is worthy. You are making a better world.

Carole’s sister’s transition is not what we hope for. My friend, John Uhlig, hoped to make it to 100. And he almost did. He was a pastor, comforting others right up to his final days. As the end drew near, John was in skilled nursing with his son sitting by his side. On the night in which he perished, something awakened the son, and he felt his father’s pulse.

The pulse was there. The son’s hopes rose. Then, slowly, as if the time had come, John’s son felt his pulse slow until it was gone. With that, his father’s spirit passed into the hereafter.

John Donne saw truth and wrote, “And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.”

May your life be filled with love, and may the comfort and joy that you bring to others stay and abide with you in your time of need and transition.