July 8 2024

In conjunction with our theme of &ldquo;Tender Moments,&rdquo; last week I wrote about my need to be present for the many tender moments before and after my dad&rsquo;s death on March 12th. Dying, death, and grief can have hard moments and tender ones, and sometimes both at the same time. I think about when multiple relatives and grandchildren came to visit Dad when he was a patient at Hershey Medical Center. Dad asked to spend time with each one individually. Because it was getting increasingly harder for him to speak clearly, I was also present for these visits to help interpret what Dad was saying. Those were very hard and tender moments . Then there was the surge in energy he had when my mom and I were with him a few days before he died. Dad was so appreciative of our time together and we all expressed our love for one another. Again, both hard and tender moments I will never forget. I&rsquo;m so grateful I was able to be present. It takes courage to be present and we&rsquo;ll talk more about that next week.