The way life goes

Birthdays and death days coinciding.

I find it so intriguing how life goes. One day you are born and the next day you die.

As you may or may not know, I work in hospice as a music therapist. I work with families as their loved one is walking through the end of life. I provided musical and verbal support through hard days, and I often bring the most fun with musical instruments, singing, and laughter. I feel like I become part of the family, and when my patient dies, I grieve alongside the family.

This week I had a patient die.

It’s been a couple days, but I’m still feeling the heaviness. It’s hard losing someone you love, even if you’ve only known them for a short while, even if you only knew them in a professional capacity.

And today I called the patient’s daughter to express my condolences. It was a bittersweet conversation of tears, laughter, and sharing the sweetest memories.

In the same day, I called a family to wish someone’s wife a happy birthday.

So life is interesting in this way. We celebrate and grieve all in the same breath. And, I suppose, that is simply life.