As we all continue digging out from under the added trauma that the pandemic brought to our lives, Housecall Providers notes an important milestone. On Thursday, September 15, we held our first yearly memorial service since the beginning of the pandemic. The memorial is a Housecall Providers tradition to honor the families and friends who lost loved ones over the past year, or, in this case, three years.
Because we work so closely with families and caregivers, it is important to us that we create an opportunity to share in the grieving process, to acknowledge the lives that were lost as well as those that were forever changed, to provide a platform to speak the truth of experiences that sharing can transform within each of us.
The memorial event was beautiful and made especially poignant by the stories and feelings shared by attendees and staff. We were reminded that grief isn’t something to fix, that love and compassion are rooted in allowing each of us to process our feelings without judgement, without being ‘fixed’- just to acknowledge them.
We concluded with a ceremony of releasing butterflies, our bereavement coordinator reminding us that, “if there was no change, there would be no butterflies”. To all those who attended, we are honored by your presence, we are strengthened by your gratitude, and we are grateful for the love you have shared with us. When all seems confusion, love abides.
Pictured above left to right: David Tutmark provided beautiful music for the event; Hospice medical director, Dr. Brian Lease shares why he is a hospice physician; Housecall Providers chief medical officer, Dr. Pam Miner releases butterflies; a butterfly shares its beauty with attendees from the center of a floral arrangement.
