August 27
Scripture: 2 Cor 1:3
Source author: Brenda J. Young
August 27
End-of-Life Love All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. —2 Corinthians 1:3
He was only twenty years old and his heart was breaking. He had just admitted his grandmother to the hospice inpatient unit where I worked. Her death was imminent when she arrived. He was her only family. His dad had left him with her years earlier and had never returned. She had been his whole life. And he had been hers. When she got sick, he took a leave of absence from work to stay home and take care of her. His girlfriend was helping him and supporting him as much as she knew how. He was frightened. He had never seen anyone die and he didn’t know what to expect. But putting his own pain and fear aside, his first loving words to me were, “I don’t want her to hurt or be afraid.” That was my goal too, and within an hour we had her peaceful. Then I turned my attention to him. He needed a shoulder to cry on and mine was available.
To say “I care” or “I love you” to someone means nothing unless you can feel that person’s pain too. — Brenda J. Young —