Today is Good Friday and Easter weekend is upon us. Last night I attended the Maundy Thursday service at my church and I have to say that while I've celebrated Easter my whole life, this concept of Maundy Thursday was a bit of a mystery to me. First of all, what in the world does "Maundy" mean and what in the world does it have to do with Easter? And you're probably wondering, what does it have to do with hospice? Well, if you'll give me a few moments of your time, I'll share what I learned and how it seemed to tie in perfectly with the mission of hospice.
Thanks to Pastor Steve, I now know that "Maundy" is actually short for a Latin word - mandatum - meaning mandate, or command. It refers to the mandate that Jesus gave his disciples as they shared their last meal together, "This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way that I have loved you." (John 15:12) When their time together was limited, and He had only a few moments to share His final message, He spoke of love - not only love, but the same kind of love that He showed and lived. Some of you may not be aware that right before this "maundy" moment, Jesus went around the room and demonstrated love in action by performing the most basic and humble of tasks, washing the feet of His friends. This spoke to me because for me to touch someone's feet, I have to REALLY love them!
So, how does this relate to hospice and the mission that the "Hunt for Hospice" is supporting? Well, one of the most basic ways we receive and show love starts at birth, right? From the time we are born, we want to be held. I guess it's in our DNA as people that holding = love because studies have shown that if we aren't held, it greatly impairs our emotional and even physical development. I know when my daughter Cassidy was a toddler she would lift up her arms and say, "Hold you, Mama. Hold you." How I loved those times! It makes me think of a song I sung as a little girl, “He's Got The Whole World In His Hands". It's comforting to be held and feel like someone has "got you", so to speak, especially when things are tough. And that's exactly what hospice does.
There's no doubt about it. The end of life is one of the toughest times we can experience, whether the life of a loved one, or even our own. When patients reach a point in their battle with an illness where they decide, "I want to focus on living life as best I can with those I love, for whatever time I can," hospice comes in and says to everyone involved, "We've got you." Hospice helps to lovingly “hold up” the patient and family with pretty much every aspect of life- physical, emotional, and spiritual. We do the medical things like helping manage pain and keeping the patient comfortable, of course, but we also do basic things like helping with personal care and even helping out around the house! We "hold" the patient and family by helping with all the overwhelming details and "what happens next" questions and offer spiritual and emotional support for everyone involved, even long after the patient has passed.
What the Compassionate Care Hospice Foundation (the charity beneficiaries of "Hunt for Hospice") does that is so special and beyond what a hospice company can do is to ease the financial strain that this type of illness so often brings. CCHF has story after story of lives that have been touched and changed. I encourage you to read some of my past posts that talk more about it or to check out www.CompassionateCareHospiceFoundation.com .
But the only way they can help these families in this way, is with the help of donations and fundraisers like "Hunt for Hospice". They aren't bringing in money any other way. As you share the Easter weekend with your family, please take some time to reflect upon the ways hospice and specifically CCHF shows love and care to those who really need it and consider donating and/or coming out next weekend to "Hunt for Hospice".
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