I have a favorite piece I like to reflect on. It is not scriptural, but I do believe it speaks to a call of God on my life. When I read this first in my early 30’s, I was a new Hospice social worker, and this came from Companioning the Bereaved: A Soulful Guide for Caregivers. I used this piece to lead our grief support group, and I felt my own heart and attitudes change as I meditated on the meaning of each phrase. I have learned this piece is about so much more than grief. This piece is about how we live to honor one another.
I wonder what resonates in your heart as you read it through? I wonder where you can feel the body memory of someone companioning you? I wonder if you can name the spaces you have companioned someone else? I hope that this piece brings you hope. Hope for the ways you long to be with others and hope for the ways you invite others to be with you!
Companioning is…
not about focusing on the intellect,
but about honoring the spirit
~~~~
not about expertise,
but about curiosity
~~~~
not about teaching others,
but about learning from others
~~~~
not about leading,
but about walking alongside
~~~~
not about frantic movement forward,
but about being still
~~~~
not about filling every painful moment with words,
but about discovering the gift of sacred silence
~~~~
not about analyzing with the head,
but about listening with the heart
~~~~
not about directing the struggles of others,
but about bearing witness to those struggles
~~~~
not about taking away pain,
but about being present to another person’s pain
~~~~
not about imposing order and logic,
but about respecting disorder and confusion
~~~~
not about thinking you are responsible for finding the way out,
but about going to the wilderness of the soul with another human being.
