Monday, September 7, 2009

Middle

September 7, 2009
Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of Joses saw where the body was laid. Mark 15:47

I realized today about a simple mind game that I have been playing. I think it's working for me, too. I recently heard a buddhist hospice chaplain recommend that caregivers "find a place of rest in the middle of things" and I took it to heart. I'm learning that when I have an emotional exchange with a patient or family, it's perfectly okay to walk out of the room and lean against the wall - for a pause.

So what if the nurses are watching me. On the ICU floors, they probably are not watching me at all - they have enough to do. It's the gigantic cubicle-set of stations in major care of the emergency room where the unit secretary is usually panning the rooms for who needs something. She's usually busy talking with the several other nurses and in her expertise at multi-tasking can see that I'm pausing. (I think it unnerves her.)

For me, today's text is about finding a place of rest in the middle of things, like the two Mary's. They saw, it says. They witnessed. They paused.

How are you 'seeing' today?

2 comments:

  1. love the idea of "rest in the middle". I'm practicing it right now in the middle of Steve's scary movie! Keep reminding all of us.

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  2. Lewis and I ate lunch and dinner on the screen porch today. No newspaper nor mail was to be seen. An arm's length away a butterfly bush with clusters of tiny yellow flowers was visited by butterflies and bumblebees. I enjoyed both meals more than usual.

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