Holiday Blue Christmas Tree
Honoring Those Who Grieve
What is to honor… about grief?
Megan Devine in her book on grief gives a good answer:
“Grief is part of Love. Love for life, love for self, love for others.
What you are living, painful as it is; is Love.
And love is really hard. Excruciating at times”.
To face the pain and emptiness grief takes courage.
When we do we are giving the gift of Love.
Such courage and such love, deserves to be honored.
So as we light this tree we honor those of us who grieve
...affirming that love will never die.
We are also here to remember those who have died.
There is a quotable quote by Mary Ann Evans:
“Our dead are never really dead to us, until we have forgotten them.”
So maybe we should think of our Blue Christmas Tree not just as a tree to remember those who have died, but as a Tree of Life, keeping those we care for alive in our hearts and in our memories. As we turn on the lights of this holiday tree we are keeping the light and life of those we love shining. So let's take a few moments now in silence to remember those we love and to honor the pain and emptiness we feel as the price of love we willingly give.
These Words of Comfort were shared by Bruce Knofel at the lighting of our Holiday Blue Christmas Tree.
Bruce is a member of our (Seward Area Hospice) Board of Directors. Like many of us (if not all of us) he is on his own journey with grief. On July 26th, 2009 he and his wife, Ann, were on their way home to Seward from Anchorage finishing up a 10 day vacation on Kodiak Island. Two miles south of Girdwood they were hit head-on by a truck driven by a person who was drunk. Ann was killed in the collision. Bruce shares that it may sound like a long time ago but for those of us who have had someone close to us die we never really “get over” our grief. Instead we learn to live with it. We move forward with our grief. In time we choose life but we have to discover the “new normal” that define our changed lives.
Our Holiday Blue Christmas Tree is outside Zudy’s at 501 Railway Ave.
Free Remembrance Ornaments are available at Urbach’s, Zudy’s and Rez Art Coffee House to hang on the tree.
A special thank you to Dan Walker and Tom Gillespie for not only putting up our tree, but trudging through the wilderness to hand pick and cut down this beautiful, symbolic tree for our community to share in.
You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life.
We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully,
but to also live until you die.
Dame Cicely Saunders
What is Hospice?
Hospice provides compassionate care for people who are nearing the end of life. Hospice supports the client and the family with the emotional, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of dying. This approach enhances quality of life and makes the most of a client's remaining time in whatever place they call home. Seward Area Hospice is a licensed volunteer hospice meeting the non-medical needs of clients and their families with trained staff and volunteers.
Seward Area Hospice
Providing compassionate end of life care to enable comfort, dignity and choice for the individual and the family.
Our Vision
Community members receive the support and compassion they need while facing the end of life, coping with serious illness, or experiencing the loss of a loved one.
Our Mission
To provide compassionate end of life care to enable comfort, dignity, and choice for the individual and the family.
Our Services
How we can help
What We Offer
We are here to listen to you and support you. Our services include home based care, bereavement support and access to helpful information.
Make a Referral
If you or someone you know would benefit from hospice services, please fill out a referral form and we will be in touch.
Resources
We offer education, events and a lending library to increase awareness and understanding of hospice in our community
Contact Us
Office Hours
10am - 2pm Tuesday - Friday
Phone
907 - 224 - 3051
Address
907 3rd Avenue, PO Box 1331, Seward AK 99664