Day: December 6, 2021

The beginning point of every chaplain encounter with patients, families and staff is to be a compassionate presence who can keep your head when frequently the people around you cannot. In this way, a chaplain becomes acutely aware that there are times when the reality of the moment can be too much, and a patient or family can be overwhelmed with emotion and the ability to think is unattainable. Emotion can overload the cognitive brain; this can occur in times of crisis such as a new and very difficult diagnosis or the death of a loved one.                 

Think of your retreat as wine tasting.  When you go to taste wine you don’t drink everything, you don’t like everything and you don’t buy everything.  The same can be said for your retreat-you are going to like some of the program and not like some of the program.  And you are going to wonder which parts you should do and which you shouldn’t.  Taste them all, or most of them but don’t “buy” the ones you don’t like.