Touching Lives in Eldercare and Hospice

The last visitor to my feeder is surely well on his way along his epic journey to South America where he will spend the coming months. I am fascinated by hummingbirds—those fairy-like creatures of the bird world. When “hummers” are in my garden, my heart is joyfully uplifted and if I take time to notice, there is a stirring of awareness deep in my soul.

Have you ever watched a hummingbird? How he darts playfully about forwards and backwards and his wings seem to be but a flutter in flight. He hovers above the flower as he literally drinks of the nectar of life. At that moment, he is stillness in motion.
Perhaps the greatest gift we offer those we touch is stillness in motion. Even in the midst of chaos, we provide a place for our clients to hover for a few minutes, pausing to drink of life’s sweetness before moving along their own personal journeys. It is in this stillness where we discover our own healing presence. What this messenger, the hummingbird, has taught me is that only in stillness do we see the perfect reflection of our innate healing presence. In stillness, we can be healed and be a healing presence to others.

This blog is about serving individuals who we consider to be in “special populations”: our elders, those who are seriously ill, and the dying person. The foundation of our service is healing presence, which is why I chose to begin our conversation here with this topic. Providing massage for this special population is a unique form of practice. My hope is that this blog become a place for sharing about our experiences, relevant information, and practical tidbits. Mostly I hope it builds community.

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