Inspiration

Cold Hands….Warm Hearts

Jean Owens

11th Hour Hospice Volunteer

When I volunteered to be in the 11th hour program at Hospice, I was both delighted and apprehensive. I didn’t know if I could do anything to be of help to people on their final path. Little did I know that I would be the one
on the receiving end.

I was asked to relieve a caregiver a couple of hours each morning and a couple of hours each evening. I was asked to sit with a lady who had lost her sight and was very afraid to be alone. Each time that I was with her and held her hands, they would be ice cold. Her room always had the lights on with music playing or the television would be on.

This particular morning, nothing was on. The room was bathed in a soft light and there was a peaceful stillness. As I took hold of her hands, I experienced a coldness that I had never felt before. At first, I was very frightened. But as I sat with her and held her, I realized that I was being given a gift. Death is part of the life process and I let it come into me. As I

accepted this, I could feel her releasing the fear of dying. I held her hands for about two hours until her hands were finally warm. She told me that she was no longer afraid.

When this brave lady left this human world, she did so in her own time frame, with her caregiver in her room and she was unafraid.

I had spent approximately 30 hours with this wonderful lady. We had very little conversation, but I felt a profound love that will always be with me.

I give thanks to Hospice and the 11th hour program for the gift that I received and hopefully can give back