A big thank you to The Samaritan Center for Grief Support staff and volunteers who provide compassion and presence as they outreach to, and support, the bereaved of those we have served on our hospice program and those grieving in our community.
Grief is a painful companionGrief is a painful companion that recognizes love and loss. With the overlay of COVID-19, grief seems to permeate so many aspects of life and magnifies the pain of losses. We have all been upended with changes to our traditions and rituals that allow us to honor life and death in very personal ways, that allow us to connect and grieve as a community. The amazing village of Center staff and volunteers have risen to new heights of dedication and service, adapting bereavement services for social distancing and for our remote working environment. They compassionately listen to the stories of our bereaved and work with spiritual support counselors to connect the bereaved to traditions and rituals that bring healing, and give them safe spaces to find connection in a time of deep disconnection.
Our Center team works tirelessly and has explored new and creative ways to provide 1:1 counseling and support groups by telephone and virtual platforms. The thousands of cards, letters, and phone calls that the Center team sends and makes seems to mean even more today.
It is with deep gratitude that we recognize the skill, dedication, and giving of self that the Center team demonstrates each day. From the supervisor to administrative assistants, to counselors, social workers and volunteers, the team is mighty and each role significant.
Thank you to each of them! With each key stroke, stuffed letter, phone call, and session, they put love into our world.