Words of Encouragement
Wise King Solomon said "where there is life, there is hope." In my initial visits with patients, I often ask, "what are you looking forward to?" I get some wonderful responses. Some hospice patients earnestly say, "I hope I get better." Sometimes I hear about milestones the patient hopes to witness – a wedding, a birth, an anniversary. I occasionally hear "I hope I can get out fishing one more time." I've also heard, "I want a happy death," "I want to see Momma again," "I want to ride the painted pony in the sky!"
Hope animates us, it energizes us. Hope is a magnificent tool humans use to span the distance between the mundane and the momentous. Hope is a rope out of a bottomless pit. Hope is a time machine that brings the life's rewards within reach.
I have to tell you, I'm fatigued with dreary TV ads right now. Charmin is promising just to make more toilet paper. Burger King ad execs came up with the brilliant line, "We know you're not thinking of us right now, but we're thinking of you." Carvana flatly says, "If you have to buy a car right now, we'll bring it to you." It seems every advertiser wants to assure me that they join me in my global pandemic misery. There are precious few messages of hope!
Let's be our own message of hope. What are you looking forward to? Yeah, it's always darkest before the dawn, but then dang it, the dawn comes!!! What will your dawn look like? For me, the minute the restaurant and travel ban is lifted, I'm driving three hours out to The Barn Cafe in Burrton, Kansas for the state's best chicken fried steak. I'm gonna shoot 4th of July fireworks with my family. This Fall, I'm going to pick apples and bake pies. Maybe I'll go to a bluegrass festival, too.
Where there is life, there is hope. Take a look out past the dark to the coming dawn and tell me what you're looking forward to. I'll compile and share a list. Let's all join together in looking forward.
By the way, did you ever notice, you can't spell Hospice without H-O-P-E.
Clark Smith
Chaplain
Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care
