Today being Thursday, Bella and I made our usual trip to the Hospice. I have said so many times how impressed I am with the total dedication of all the staff, Doctors, Nurses, Therapists, Assistants and cleaners. They all go out of their way to treat their clients with respect, and do all they can to make the client’s life more comfortable.
And each Thursday I am joined in lunch duty by a retired bank manager. He is one of those cheery little men who always has joke, pun or a story to share. He has apparently been volunteering at the Hospice since his retirement some 15 years ago. He not only does lunch duty on Thursday but serves on a couple of the committees as the volunteers’ representative.
Today was a Thursday much like any other. Unfortunately there had been a death this morning so the atmosphere was rather subdued. But none of the other clients would have been aware of the death. This part of the operation is handled so well – dignified and respectful in all aspects.
Once again I was approached by a couple of visitors who commented on the great service being offered. Of course, I thought they meant the staff and quickly agreed that we were so lucky to have the free services of the hospice and that the staff was fantastic. They surprised me by saying that it was not the staff but the volunteers they were commenting on. Isn’t it nice when you do something with no expectation of any reward and then receive compliments.
As you know, I always say that I get more out of the 2 hours I spend at the hospice each week than they get from me. However, it is nice to be appreciated.
There were few clients today and so the lunch service took little over an hour and we were out of there earlier than usual. So Miss Bella and I went for a walk before meeting my daughter for coffee.
Oh I really do like Thursday.
I choose how I will spend the rest of my life 