The past couple of days of class have not been exactly lighthearted. Yesterday we covered loss and grief, and today we had an advance care planning seminar. For me, one of the most effective exercises we've done this week was one that gave us a small taste of what it is like to lose a lot in a very short time. There's a natural human tendency to make sense of the loss, to give it some meaning. But, in the end, most loss is senseless, I think. There are however ways of dealing with loss that fit it into the larger context of our lives.
Ritual, in particular provides a way for us to structure our grief and the ambiguity that surrounds any loss. Ritual also provides ways to think about the unthinkable and connect it to the narrative of a life. As ministers, we are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to help make these connections in a way that very few people or institutions can do.
Today's Advance Care Planning session gave us some skills to practice in getting people to think about, and plan for, their deaths. Such planning, while stressful, can be a real gift to individuals and their families when it comes time for some difficult end-of-life decisions. The palliative care physicians who led the class today were very impressive in their candor and in their remarkable dedication to providing care for terminal patients and their families. There are so many people in the world who do such good, hard work, and it is a real privilege to get to know some of them.
