My favorite patient died yesterday- I had last seen him on Saturday and he was status quo- not great but basically the same he had been for months.  He told me his wife Madelyn was waiting for him.  She had been my patient too. She passed last June after many moons on hospice.  I knew I would take care of John when he was ready, and finally this past fall he was.  He lived on gummy bears and Pepsi for months.  He pretended to be a cranky guy to hide the pain he felt.  He died of a broken heart, broken heart syndrome is real, I have witnessed it more than once.  The good news is though we are Eternal Beings and although we may not be in the physical world together, we are always together in the world of Spirit. 

Now that John passed all of us left behind grieve- we will miss him, but in my heart of hearts I know he had an incredible reunion with his beloved and they are now in the Gardens she prepared for him.  She was a master gardener and although her earthly works have become weed ridden, I know in the land of Spirit she has grown Gardens far more beautiful and stunning than anything she accomplished here.

John was my last patient I will case manage, I am still working in hospice but not taking the responsibility of case managing, after 17 years of this work my heart has called out for a rest, and so I step away from this position.  I held fast for John, as did his care givers, Cookie and Nancy – he was well cared for and deeply loved, and I know he knew it.  He affectionately called me “Chicago” for our mutual love of the 70’s band…. Stories I never told him now he knows…. now he is free and easy. 

Bless you both, you have marked my heart for life.