Trudy Harris - More glimpses of heaven : inspiring true stories of hope and peace at the end of lifes journey

Books by Trudy Harris

Glimpses of Heaven

MORE
GLIMPSES
of HEAVEN

Inspiring True Stories of Hope and
Peace at the End of Lifes Journey

Trudy Harris, RN

For all those whom God sent to our care. They taught us lifes lessons along the way.

Through Gods grace alone, we prepared one another for the ultimate promise of eternal life by sharing the experience of His presence in our everyday lives.

In loving memory of Robert Gura, Jimmy Gillespie, Marie Pendley, George Fipp, Buddy Neviaser, Maureen Offord, and Father John OHara. Their meaningful and wonderful lives touched ours in very profound ways. We will always miss them.

Conversations...

Look at Me and no one else,

See none but Me, My child.

Compare not yourself to others now,

Consider Me awhile.

Do not be distracted by anyone, anything,

Look past all else to Me.

I will show you all I have

And all I want you to be.

Spend time with Me, My little one,

The rush should stop for now.

Listen to Me softly speak to you,

I will show you how.

So many things get in the way,

Time speeds by, you see.

Soon it will be over for you, My child,

What will be will be.

So much work yet to be done,

I need your hands, your heart.

Listen carefully while I tell you so,

My wisdom and gentleness I impart.

Trudy Harris

Contributors Stories

Bonnie Tingley, RN, Hospice nurse
DorothySarahJimToddMatthewMarshaCathy

Ede Pearson Huston, RN, Hospice nurse
DavidTom

Nancy M. Powers, personal friend
Ed

Annie Rini, ARNP, pediatric nurse
Joni

Cookie Schnier, RN, Hospice nurse
Mr. Winters

Dottie Dorion, RN, BSN, Hospice founder
Lois

Jackie Aquino, RN, Hospice nurse
LukeJessica

Helen K. Basile, RN
Joseph

Bonnie Morris, RN, pediatric Hospice nurse
Donny

Dianne Rigby, RN, BSN, Hospice nurse
James

Nikki Fox-Nash, Hospice volunteer department
Douglas

Lois-Anne Isabelle, RN, Hospice professional education coordinator
Ronald

Gene H. Lewis, RN, Hospice founder
Charlie

Judith Lothman, RN, BSN, Hospice nurse
Sam

Susie Russell, Hospice volunteer program specialist
Levi

Acknowledgments

I gratefully acknowledge my husband, George, who is Gods greatest lifetime gift to me. It is only through his unfailing faithfulness, patience, and love that this book has been written.

To our sons, George and Kenneth, and their families, whose good humor and confidence helped me on a daily basis. Special thanks to sons Jon and Erik, whose computer and word skills and patience enabled me to complete both Glimpses of Heaven and More Glimpses of Heaven. It would not have been possible without them.

In loving memory of my parents, Peggy and John Horan, whose lifetime of faith-filled living laid the foundation for the future of each of their children. A special thanks to my sisters Peggy and Anne. Sharing their most intimate and loving memories made the writing of my sister Maureens story possible.

To Sister Naureen Marie, who, as my earliest guide in the field of compassionate nursing care, taught me to see Christ in every patient I was called to serve. Her constant reminder of Jesus loves you, little one spurred me on through years of living in and out of the nursing profession.

I gratefully acknowledge all those who enthusiastically contributed stories of the dying patients in their care. These dedicated nurses and Hospice workers teach us about Jesuss compassion and love and reflect His presence in our everyday lives. Each one is an outstanding person in their own right, and the profession of nursing is blessed to have them in its midst.

Many people today are open to the discussion of death and dying because of the earliest pioneers in Hospice care and those in small Hospice programs throughout the United States. They took down, in one way or another, the mystery surrounding the most natural phenomenon of life and covered it with the grace and simplicity that God intended. They sought to present the dying patient as a physical, emotional, and spiritual being and helped us understand that addressing the patient as a whole person is vital to a peaceful transition when life is ending. We owe them a debt of gratitude for the goodness, tenacity, and consistency of their message. They changed the way we approach the inevitable, our own dying time and that of our loved ones and friends. They are too numerous to name here, but they know well who they are and can rest in the knowledge that their untiring efforts brought enlightenment and understanding to the process of dying. They showed us the way to peace.

Carol Susan Roth, my agent, worked tirelessly on my behalf and enthusiastically represented me in all the best ways possible, providing encouragement every step of the way. Carol died on February 8 surrounded by her loving family and friends. She told me a few days before she died that she felt destined to represent me with both Glimpses ofHeaven and More Glimpses of Heaven, coming to a new and deeper understanding of God in the process. Carol was a loving and trusted friend, and I will always miss her and be grateful to her.

Introduction

We see and experience God more often than we know. He often hides in plain sight, and we encounter Him many more times a day than we realize, in the people and experiences He puts on our path. When Jesus said, The kingdom of God is at hand, was He asking us to recognize His presence and that of His Father in our everyday living? Do we allow ourselves the silence He calls us to in order to sit still long enough to see and hear Him?

The term kingdom of God has always been one of my favorite biblical phrases. In my mind, it means that wherever and whenever Gods presence is seen, recognized, or experienced by His people, God is there in the midst of them. When we see love in action, compassion in the face of hatred or anger, forgiveness in the face of pain and suffering, we are looking at and experiencing the kingdom of God right where we stand. How wonderful that our Jesus, fully human, fully divine, invites us to participate with Him in the kingdom of God here and now, every day.

I heard a young priests homily recently, during which he asked us where Jesus could be found in our lives. He spoke about recognizing Him in the marketplace, among the people, in the face of the man who stands by the highway every morning begging, and in those we judge to be less than what we think they should be. He encouraged us to look carefully in the Scriptures and see how often Gods reign or kingdom was with the poor, the outcasts, and those who lived on the fringes of society. The priest said that in order to find the Jesus we are looking for and to love and follow Him, we must be looking in all the same places Jesus spent His time. If we do not find Him, we must ask ourselves why. When Jesus died, He left us a very clear blueprint to follow. He told us, in the simplest terms possible, that the greatest among us must serve the least, and that in serving others we would really be serving Him.

My earliest recollections are of my parents doing things for others. My mother bringing into our family the child of her dearest friend, when this friend died very young. My dad carrying a co-worker to the car each morning when he could no longer walk. By example, my parents taught us so well to serve others that, for me, Hospice nursing was simply an extension of the life they had lived. Hospice nursing is the purest kind of nursing you can do, and every day you are reminded that you walk on holy ground in preparing Gods children for heaven. Hospice nursing is very intimately participating in the kingdom of God that Jesus spoke about.