The Gift of Presence

Of all the gifts we can offer each other Presence is one of the most valuable

I have the privilege of being present with a variety of people everyday

Those that are patients, families, coworkers, my children, a love or passing strangers

We all move about day after day going from point A to Z in a mental work or chore list, in doing this are we missing out being present with someone?

This morning I sat and was present with a transitioning patient, his family had left and he was alone.

This man was a stranger before I walked into the room and he will never know that being present for him was a beautiful privilege for me.

His shallow breathes came and left as I softly ran the tips of my fingers over his temple whispering hymns as softly as I could muster.

As the time passed he fell into a comfortable state so I gathered my belonging. I whispered goodbye, said thank you for our meeting and told him he will be missed by many.

Walking down the corridor I said hello to those staff members and residents that caught my eye and got on my knees to talk to someone who was sitting and staring at the fish tank in the room.

With a sparkle in her eyes she told me I was beautiful and slowly grabbed my hand. If you have not held the hand of an older person lately I highly recommend it! She was delicate, sweet, thankful and present with me in that moment even though she will not remember it when an hour passes.

remember that your presence is a gift, someone being present with you is their gift to you and it is an inexpensive way to show anyone some humanity.