Love in a Whisper
It’s common when we’re with someone who is dying to feel the need to, or desire to, ‘do’ something – something to help.
While there’s really very little that actually needs to be done; it’s especially important for children to have an ‘action’ to put their distressed hearts into.
A seasoned caregiver, and new volunteer friend of mine, Kathy Best, recently shared how she once used a quite simple action to comfort a friend who lay close to death. (It seems this sweet little story might be one you could share with the children you’ve been thinking of as you’ve searched this site.)
It was back in the day when rhyming and rapping were in. Kathy and her grandson enjoyed putting funny little verses together all summer long . . . and Kathy enjoyed sharing them with her friend. That was back earlier in her friend’s dying, back when she was able to talk and visit.
This day, however, this last day of her friend’s earthly life, Kathy sat quietly. That is until a thought just popped into her head from nowhere! She ‘went with it’ and was instantly glad she did.
“ . . . I pulled in tight, got down real close to her ear, hugged her around the shoulders, and whispered – I’m putting a prayer . . . in your hair . . . and I’m leaving it there.”
Perfect!
The response she received from her friend, although not verbal, assured Kathy that she’d heard and understood; and in her heart, Kathy knew she’d been comforted by it. They both had.
