This post was written by Dan Bellinger, lead chaplain, Chaplaincy, Parkview Health.
One longtime Parkview Chaplaincy leader is known for saying, "If you stand long enough in the Emergency Department lobby of a hospital, the whole world will pass in front of you." Healthcare organizations are involved in so many different parts of people's lives. We're here for the moments of celebration when babies are born, for the moments of grief, as loved ones pass away, and many of the times in between.
Healthcare workers are close to the pulse of the community. We're aware of traumas and tragedies, we're part of the joys, we're embedded in community events and we're part of our region's infrastructure. We feel the grind of winter break and the energetic surge of spring break and summer. When the community is full of anxiety and tension, we see the results in our clinics and trauma bays.
January and February always feel bleak. It's winter without Christmas. It's cold. There isn’t much sunlight. It feels like everybody has the sniffles or whatever lingering GI thing that's going around. We feel it here in the hospital, this time of year is rough. It's easy to feel isolated and sad, like you're all alone. It's easy to feel alone, even when we're surrounded by people who love and care for us.
As a chaplain, I often find myself with people walking through life's hard times. What I have learned is that often, the clearest expression of love is to stand beside someone in their grief, anxiety and stress; words optional. We're human beings with community and togetherness built into the fibers of our beings. In our hard times, we need each other. It doesn’t matter who we are or where we’re from, we all need someone to stand alongside us. We all need someone who is a physical reminder that we're not alone.
Who is someone that you need to remind that they're not alone? Whether it's a phone call or a text or a card or driving over and knocking on their door, who can you stand alongside to remind them that someone is with them?
We can get through these doldrums of the year, together.
May you be a reminder to others that they're not alone.
May you be reminded by others that you're not alone.
