"You have heard me say to you, 'I am going away....
'If you loved Me, you would rejoice because
I said, 'I am going to the Father" (John 14:28)
Why are Nurses Concerned with Bereavement?
Nurses are among one of the very few professionals who remain at the bedside while a person is dying.
It is really one of the major points that separate nurses from other health professionals. Nurses have the education, compassion and desire to provide for dying individuals and their families.
When a dying individual has no family or when no family is available the nurse provides essentially all of the comfort measures that are needed. When the family is present the nurse is educating and guiding the family on what to do for their loved one, how to express inner feelings, and what to expect as death approaches.
Nurses are privileged to attend dying individuals and their families. On many occasions that means bearing witness to poignant and exquisitely personal behaviors and interactions. Nurses require fortitude and stamina not only to support the patient and family during this time, but also to establish trusting relationships and maintain silence during confidential matters.
DOLPHIN DELIVERIES
Dolphins have long been a symbol of nursing. Dolphins are mammals and just like all mammals they must breathe air to survive. That means that they must go to the surface of the water periodically to get air before they dive again. When a baby dolphin is born it is unable to swim and cannot reach the surface. The infant dolphin begins to struggle and thrash about as it sinks and starts to drown. Instinctively the mother dolphin and any other dolphin in the vicinity races to the little dolphin and pushes it up to the surface. They continue helping and raising the newborn to the surface until it is able to swim on its own.
There are many accounts of sailors falling overboard through the years, especially when the whaling ships were plentiful. Often these sailors would tell stories of swimming until they were exhausted at which time they began to sink and to drown. Their bodies would begin to trash and convulse as the brain became starved for oxygen. The men would recall that suddenly they were pushed to the surface repeatedly by dolphins which allowed them to breathe until the ship returned to pull the men back on board. You see drowning man makes the same type of movements in the water as a baby dolphin when it is struggling to survive in its first moments of life. The dolphins instinctively rush to the sailor’s aid only realizing that someone is in danger and in need of help. Dolphins have long been a symbol of nursing.
The Gate Called Beautiful has initiated a project called The Dolphin Deliveries. The project is intended to provide rapid and compassionate support to members of the congregation who have experienced the loss of an immediate family member of the home. It is often during the early moments following a death that people can become disoriented or unsure of what to do; in a manner you might say that they begin to sink. This project proposes to send a parish nurse with supplies to the home as soon as practically possible. The supplies include mostly nonperishable items, paper goods, coffee and similar items that might not be on hand when large numbers of family and friends are expected to drop by. But more than supplies, this project returns a sense of normalcy to the home. It provides another person who may be able to give direction, answer questions or just to hold onto. In a sense it provides an opportunity for someone in need to catch their breath while someone else is holding them up. The dolphin delivers.
THE ROSE OF DEBORAH
The Gate Called Beautiful has created a community outreach project known as the Rose of Deborah. The project recognizes the special contributions that a nurse makes during a lifetime of service. When a nurse from the local community passes away the Parish Nurse Ministry will supply a single white rose and a written tribute and expression of gratitude which honors the nurse for service to others. The tribute is as follows:
The Parish Nurse Ministry of Family Faith Center extends our Sincere Sympathy to your Family concerning your loss. At this same time we would also like to acknowledge the contribution that your loved one has made to the community and nursing profession during a lifetime of placing the needs of others first. There is certainly no doubt that many lives were touched and possibly extended by this nurse through a commitment to health and healing provided to those who were unable to care for themselves. The Bible provides us with a brief look at how a nurse can impact a family and community in a profound nature. Deborah was Rebekah’s nurse and the bible tells us that upon her death she was buried beneath Allon-bachuth," otherwise known as the Oak of Sorrow (Genesis 35:8). We understand that this is indeed a time of sorrow, but we also celebrate the life and sacrifice of this nurse and the difference it made in the lives of others. Thank you.
If you are aware of the passing of a nurse within the local community please notify a member of the Gate Called Beautiful.
"Through Love Serve One Another" Galatians 5:13
