One of the privileges of my job is to be at the bedside of those who are on the verge of death. It is not taken for granted by me that a family or individual would let me into that sacred space, that sacred moment.

I am deeply affected by these moments even though I have shared many of them. As I walk away, I spend a while thinking about the individual who is at one of the most challenging moments of their life. I reflect on the pain that their loved ones are enduring. I drift away on thoughts of my own mortality and what that means for how I live.

Many times, when I am at a bedside, close relatives, of those on the verge, apologize to me for “being such a mess” or “falling apart.” I reassure them that there is no set way to react to the death of a beloved but falling apart seems like the least we might do.

May your pain not overwhelm you. May your loved ones continue to surround you. May you see light at the edge of the darkness to give you hope.
 
L’shalom/To Peace
Rabbi Malcolm Cohen