by Gail Schilling
Gail is away from St. Paul's for a bit, and has generously agreed to share some of her adventures with us here on our blog.
Let God use you without consulting you – Mother Teresa
When I planned my winter escape to Florida, I planned to
volunteer at the nearby Bok Tower Gardens, offer musical or educational talent
to the Episcopal church and, yes, work in plenty of pool time. I did not
anticipate praying over or singing to a dying woman.
My sister-in-law, Dana, you see, works as a guardian for
folks near the end of life who cannot make decisions. Nor do these folks have
any friends or family to do it for them. Deaths, estrangements, and mental
illness leave them bereft of caregivers who traditionally handle medical,
legal, and financial issues. Dear Dana
goes one step further – she prays with her clients. Truly, she’s a guardian of
souls. So when she asked me to accompany
her to see “Sharon” (not her real name),
I said, “Of course.”
We were on our way to the hospital to be present when
Sharon, 85 and diagnosed with schizophrenia, would be extubated after being on life support for 3 weeks. Dana
wanted me with her; this was her first extubation. As we approached the frail woman in bed, she could
not speak, yet she responded to Dana’s voice and touch by opening her staring
eyes. We took turns praying: Sharon,
you are not alone. You need not be afraid. I quietly sang “In Paradisum”…may the angels lead you into Paradise… We simply stayed with her as she became very,
very calm and closed her eyes. Dana said
she had never before seen her eyes water. Perhaps that was a tear?
Soon, the team from respiratory services administered
morphine and removed the breathing tube compassionately and efficiently while
Dana held Sharon’s hand; I sat out of the way and prayed. Interestingly, no one
questioned my presence. Nor did I.
After the team left and the transition to hospice care
completed, Dana and I offered more prayers, then said goodbye. The hospice folks would keep vigil with
Sharon now. On the drive home, Dana
thanked me for being with her.
“It was a privilege.”
God sure hadn’t consulted me, but I was right where I
belonged. ###
(Note - in seeking out a photo image to use with this blog post, I searched for "a peaceful end" and found this - it seemed to fit...S.Nyhan)
Thanks so much to Gail, for posting this. Perhaps prayer is a two way connection - Gail could be there to help Sharon be closer to God, but perhaps Sharon in her last moments was doing the same for Gail!
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