One-Time Shot

I'm learning in my hospital internship that our first encounter with a patient could be our last encounter with them because they may be discharged that same afternoon or even die unexpectedly a few days later.

We're also learning how to listen to people and to hone in key words and from those few words go deeper and straight into usually dark and difficult times in their lives. One example could be when we encounter the adult child of a patient who is in a coma and the child mentions their parent was a good person but occasionally got violent with others including themselves. We have to, in that moment decide if we're going to pursue those memories of possibly violent abuse of that child or let it go. I'm realizing that it's hard for me to do that. How can I, a stranger, ask about such a difficult thing in their lives? We're learning that our culture just doesn't want to go to those places but for us chaplains, it's our job to go to those places with people and try to help them find healing. Or else, that moment is gone and our ways instantly part. It sounds like a heavy burden, and it is, but my supervisor said that in that one moment we can hold that broken person for a moment of comfort, healing and maybe even redemption. I'm needing to learn new words to go these hard places in peoples' lives.

This past week, I learned one of the first patients I visited at the hospital died. The news was a complete shock because the death was unexpected. She had her illnesses but I don't believe anyone thought she'd die. It's a mystery why such things happen. It just baffles me.