Go to the Desert
May 29, 2015
Laudato Si: Blessed Are You!
June 12, 2015
By Sister Pam Nosbusch, OSF
As a healthcare Chaplain I am used to being on the caregiving side of a patient’s chart. Being on the other side of the chart, whether as the patient or the family member of a patient, it is not always easy for those us in a healthcare. I quip that the worst patients are doctors. Nurses are next with chaplains coming in a very close third!
It’s also not easy being the family member of a patient and being on the other side of the chart. During my Mom’s illness and as she was dying, it was a challenge being the daughter and not the Hospice Chaplain. It was a challenge letting the hospital Chaplain minister to us and a challenge to be the recipient of the compassionate care of the hospital staff.
I have been reminded by several people that I give care to others and now it’s time to let others care for me. During my Mom’s illness and now since she has died, I have been the recipient of the care of my family, my Sisters in Community, friends and co-workers. The care and love I have experienced is comforting. Yes, this love is always there and when Sister Death made her appearance the love and care became very evident.
The other side of the chart can be an uncomfortable place to be for those of us in healthcare. Being on the other side of the chart can be a place of learning, yet another lesson about love and care for each other. Isn’t this one of the messages of the Gospels… to love and care for each other as we experience our own time on the other side of the chart?
Sister Pam Nosbusch
Hospice Chaplain
Sister Pam is native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. She is a Chaplain with Gentiva Hospice in Nashville, Tennessee and is a Board Certified Chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Previous ministries include Theater Arts and Music Education and Pastoral Associate in Catholic parishes.
