Penny Gillett, Social Worker at Capital City Hospice in Columbus, Ohio shares with us her favorite self-care practice: “I take time for a foot soak on Friday evenings. I set up my family room with the lights dim, quiet relaxing music while diffusing a blend of essential oils (different blend every week). I close my…
Carmella M. Dow, MSW, Bereavement Coordinator at Concord Regional VNA in Concord, NH recently sent me a self-care practice that sustains her as a caregiver. She wrote, “I could not do the kind of work that I do without the source of my strength, which is God. I have developed the practice of praying for…
As we near the end of 2017, you may be looking back on it as a year you’d like to erase from your memory! In addition to all the disasters and political upheavals in the U.S. and abroad, your year may have been difficult because of crises closer to home. These crises might include the…
The following Self-Care Tip was submitted by Rachel Nafziger Hartzler, of Goshen, IN. Rachel is a Pastoral Care Volunteer: A favorite practice of mine is sitting in the sun. As often as possible, I schedule into my morning a time to “receive the day” in the sunshine. I sit in silence, receiving energy from the…
“When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable.But to grow up is to accept vulnerability…To be alive is to be vulnerable.” ~Madeleine L’Engle “You are amazing!” and “I could never do what you do!” is the admiring feedback caregivers often receive. Yet, in spite…
“What we resist persists” ~C.G. Jung Intense and conflicting emotions go hand-in-hand with caregiving. But what to do with these feelings? Most importantly, we should notice and accept them without self-criticism. Feelings are what they are; they’re not good or bad, right or wrong. And, when feelings are “owned,” we’re less apt to act on…
“It’s not the load that breaks you down; it’s the way you carry it.” ~Lena Horne A fellow parishioner called recently to ask if I would bring a meal to him and his wife. Knowing his wife was suffering the effects of chemotherapy had prompted me to make offers previously, but he had always declined…
“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for. . .” ~Harper Lee As caregiver to his wife with advanced M.S., my client felt isolated, exhausted, and emotionally drained. Furthermore, the relentless demands of caregiving made it difficult for him to stand back, reflect, and gain perspective on the situation. He…
Rituals keep us from forgetting what must not be forgotten and keep us rooted in a past from which we must not be disconnected. ~Tony Compolo Several weeks ago I took my mom’s cremated remains back to her roots in Southeast Iowa to be buried alongside my dad in Sugar Creek Cemetery. In this small…
“As you engage in the simple acts of care, you may begin to witness signs that the Divine is in your midst.” ~Rev. James E. Miller With a degree of trepidation, I headed out of the hospice office parking lot to visit Joe. His edgy and prickly demeanor on my two previous visits made me…
