opened her eyes and said, “Peace.” It was the last word she spoke.
When I went back a couple of days later to thank the hospice staff, I asked
the social worker how many people have a meaningful conversation where they
come to terms with one another and what they’ve done in their lives. Do they ask
about their lessons learned, resolve some regret, or celebrate their life story?
“Not many,” she told me. “Not many.”
The Rabbi
Not long after Mom died, and purely coincidentally, the Hospice Foundation of
America asked me to host a video for a continuing education course for end-of-
life professionals. I didn’t hesitate. The course involved interviewing clinicians,
hospice workers, physicians, social workers, and spiritual care providers, asking
them about research and best practices. They shared their experiences and their
stories.
While interviewing these experts, I discovered a common theme. These
remarkably caring people, who so clearly see life as a journey and death as an
inevitable destination, were uncommonly good listeners and superb questioners.
They told of conversations, sometimes with difficult patients or fractured
families, that helped people come to terms and grieve, but also to appreciate life
and find a narrative—a legacy. Questions served as part of the therapeutic
toolkit. Asking people about their fears and concerns, about their quality of life
and their accomplishments invited intensely personal and revealing reflection.
One of the most memorable people I met, Rabbi Gary Fink, dealt with the
big what and the why questions every day. As the spiritual care adviser for
hospice in Montgomery County, Maryland, this soft-spoken man with the gray
beard works with people who occupy all parts of the religious spectrum, from
those who find comfort in faith to those who reject religion altogether. Still
others, he told me, create their own spirituality or approach mortality in a
fatalistic way.
Gary Fink never judges. He never rebukes or asks if a patient believes in
God. Instead he asks:
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