Thoughts from the Nursing Home

Photo by Gert Stockmans

There is light in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

All roads have the same end. We know this. And we live most of our days avoiding the knowledge, distracted by life’s pleasures and demands. We work and play and pray and love and struggle, and in the end there is death. For all of us.

And for some it is close. Even tangible.

I started working at a nursing home last week. The experience has changed and humbled me. For all the connotations of despair and decay the term “nursing home” evokes (in many cases rightfully), the facility I work at is nice. Most of the residents I meet are in good spirits, despite everything. There’s sunlight and mountain views. It is clean. The army of young CNA’s are friendly and professional. My colleagues care with depth and sincerity. They skillfully navigate a constant barrage of shifting demands in a heavily regulated industry, all while directly interfacing with grieving families.

It’s no utopia, of course. Nearly everyone in the f…