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Some reflections on the holidays and hospice care, and a reminder to live our holidays as they may be the last time together, and ‘celebrate the valuable relationships.’
The truth is, this time of year for many families with loved ones receiving hospice care is not sad at all. These kinds of moments may seem sad on the surface, but they are filled with more life than most people will experience in 50 holiday seasons. Am I saying you have to wait till your a hospice patient to truly live life? Of course not. If hospice has taught me anything over the years, it’s that life is to be celebrated as often as possible. We spend much of our lives trudging through the same routines blinded to opportunities to celebrate. The holiday season is supposed to shine bright with celebration but is often the worse offender when it comes to routine.
So this Christmas season celebrate Christmas like a hospice patient. Create new family traditions or put a renewed emphasis on the old ones that are so special. Give the routine things less importance than the things that create lasting memories. Most importantly, celebrate the valuable relationships in your life. Say the things you should’ve said already (the good ones of course), even if it’s not comfortable. Then when the holidays are all over, decide to celebrate life all year long. You won’t regret it.
Learn to celebrate Christmas: Lessons from hospice patients.
Oh Andrew this is so true. This was a great Christmas for us as a family. I don’t know whether I will ever be able to have a Christmas at home again after Vic passes.