Friday, August 29, 2008

Visit to an Amazing Hospital in Stockton, CA

This past week I was invited to attend a kick-off for a "No One Dies Alone" Hospice Volunteer Program at the Community Hospice in Modesto, CA. It was a beautiful event and I was honored to be a part of it. It reminded me of how volunteers are the true heart of hospice. They are such dedicated and loving, spiritually motivated souls who do this work. It is always inspiring to be among them -- and all hospice workers, for that matter.

On my way home to Seattle, I also had the honor to speak informally with a group involved with palliative care at the St. Joseph's Medical Center in Stockton, CA. I was greatly impressed by this group, especially because of how they seem to be promoting the body-mind-spirit connection, not only among their cancer patients, but also among their entire staff at the hospital.

I heard that very recently, during the course of a day, they had 155 staff members receive hands-on Reiki treatments from practitioners who made themselves available to them. Hospital staff being cared for in this way is something I'd not heard of before. This is truly a sign of our times! We are not only learning about, but also practicing new ways to care for the caregiver in ways that help us connect the body, mind, and spirit. This is most encouraging and enlightening to me. Is there anything like this going on in your corner of the world? If so, I'd love to hear about it.

By the way, if you'd like to know more about Reiki, a form of "laying on of hands" healing using light and energy that originated in Japan, you can go to pp. 206 - 207 in my book, THE LAST ADVENTURE OF LIFE (2nd ed.). Or, you could visit this website for more information.

Deep Blessings of Hope and Healing, Dancing Heart~~~

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