At the end of the day........K.G.

Working every day with patients who are dying and their families has taught me many things. This spring I had the honor of working with a family who was preparing for the death of their patriarch. He was and will be remembered as an incredibly loving husband, father and grandfather. His grandson was what I like to call an 'old soul'. He was 16 at the time and had such incredible insight; much more than he should have had at such a young age. He shared with me this message from his grandfather:

At the end of the day

if you have

a laugh

a cry

and a hug

its been a pretty damn good day

This is one of my therapeutic drawings;

my patient took this up at the suggestion of his daughter.

There is always room in life, even at the end, to try something new

It is a very simple philosophy and it is a very thought provoking one at the same time. Sometimes it is not the grand days; the days you feel you have done your part to save yourself or humankind. Sometimes it is the day you are grateful for a laugh, cry, and a hug. Enjoy those days because they truly are a 'pretty damn good day'.

Thank you young man for inspiring me and others, your grandfather was blessed to have you to carry on his message of hope and love.

In peace

k