Anybody who has experienced loss, especially family loss, may find their loss triggered over the holidays, by good memories and not so good, and experience sadness, regret, and even depression. Anybody working with the dying carries a certain amount of grief because of the work you do. So holidays can be a double emotional whammy.Continue reading “Holiday Grief”
Author Archives: Mona
The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry When despair for the world grows in meand I wake in the night at the least soundin fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,I go and lie down where the wood drakerests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.I come into the peace ofContinue reading “The Peace of Wild Things”
Profound words on a tough subject. It’s worth a read.
Wisdom from a death doula. Expected Death ~ When someone dies, the first thing to do is nothing. Don’t run out and call the nurse. Don’t pick up the phone. Take a deep breath and be present to the magnitude of the moment. There’s a grace to being at the bedside of someone you loveContinue reading “Profound words on a tough subject. It’s worth a read.”
Covid Care Burnout?
Barbara Karnes writes booklets for Healthcare Workers, Hospices, and Deathcare workers. I have used many of her resources on death and dying as a chaplain. If the following quote resonates with you, then check out the full article on healthcare worker burnout and maybe look into her booklets as well. Dear Barbara, I work asContinue reading “Covid Care Burnout?”
Music as Spirituality
Music has always been a major spiritual resource for me. I learned piano, I taught myself guitar, I sang with my sister at family gatherings, and once with my aunt in a pub in Ireland, and I have always been in a choir, that is until covid. I loved all the different kinds of music,Continue reading “Music as Spirituality”
Thought for the Day-Religion vs. Spirituality
“Religion is for people who are scared of hell; Spirituality is for people who have been there.” As a hospital worker in 2021 you have seen hell. You may have felt you were living in it some days. But you have survived. This may not be the time to question God or your religious affiliationContinue reading “Thought for the Day-Religion vs. Spirituality”
Buddhist Wisdom from a Catholic Priest
Fr. Richard Rohr reflects on a Buddhist teaching – being present to the present. “The presence of God is infinite, everywhere, always, and forever. You cannot not be in the presence of God. There’s no other place to be. The only change is always on our side—God is present, but we’re not present to Presence.Continue reading “Buddhist Wisdom from a Catholic Priest”
Something Silly for Saturday
Wisdom
“Don’t worry about achieving. Don’t worry about perfection. Just be there each moment as best you can.” Pema Chodron Pema Chodron is an ex-Catholic, Buddhist nun, writer, teacher, mother and grandmother.
Monday message
…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, withContinue reading “Monday message”
Care for Healthcare Workers 