"Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose; there are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from."
— Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Pamela H. MacPherson is a passionate advocate for quality care at the end of life. She has served for more than three decades in varied roles including that of a volunteer and a hospice team member. Being present for the dying is where she has found the deepest meaning in her life.
This salutary and enlightening collection of poems flows from MacPherson's sacred moments of sitting vigil. In "Soul Gifts," she states the benefits of this spiritual practice which range from the gift of time, of silence, the practice of presence, gentle touch, and giving "dignity, respect and compassion" to each dying person.
Taking in what shows up in a vigil takes patience and discernment. MacPherson salutes hands with their imprints of greeting, takes cues about a person from objects in the room, acknowledges the problems that come with shallow sleep, takes in stride the human withering in the dying process, expresses gratitude for drugs, and appreciates the work of breathing as the last task of living.
Vigil: The Poetry of Presence by Pamela Heinrich MacPherson is a compassionate and illuminating paperback on the rewards of this wonderful spiritual practice.
