Lighthouse in the Harbour

09/29/2025

October 9 💞💞 🦋🧚

09/27/2025

Absolutely so true ❤️🫂

09/22/2025

“Don’t take each season
for granted, as if you’ll
always have the next!”

A line that has stayed with me- spoken by a patient facing the end of life.

They weren’t just mourning death.
They were grieving the autumn leaves they won’t see again.
A child’s next birthday.
A favourite holiday that won’t come around one more time.

May we live with more presence.
Notice the small things- not later, but now.
❤️🫂

09/21/2025

To me, one of the greatest honors in life is to be the kind of person others can trust completely, with their feelings, with their love, with their life, and even with their final wishes when they are dying. Trust like that doesn’t happen by chance; it is created through presence, compassion, and a willingness to hold space for another person’s truth without judgment.

When someone feels safe enough to hand you their fears, their hopes, their tenderest moments, and even their last breath, it is a sacred exchange. It reminds us that what truly matters in this life is not how much we achieve or accumulate, but how deeply we show up for one another.

So may we all strive to be that kind of person, the one who listens with their heart, who honors what is entrusted to them, and who carries love with gentleness and integrity. Because in the end, being worthy of someone’s trust is one of the most profound legacies we can leave behind.

xo
Gabby
www.thehospiceheart.net

09/11/2025

“The Sign We Spoke Of”

Before the patient passed away, we shared a quiet moment - just a few family members and myself .
It was one of those conversations you never forget.
Sacred. Soft. Carved into memory.

“When I get to heaven ,” they said ,
“I’ll send you a sign- a bird, maybe a butterfly- so you’ll know I made it.”

A few days after their passing , the bird came, then the butterfly.

Some moments can’t be explained - only felt.
This was one of them.

To anyone who’s ever asked for a sign, or silently hoped for one:
Love finds it way.
Even from heaven .

❤️
Sandra
Photo courtesy of :
Amanda Berthiaume Yunick

09/07/2025

“What Home Means “

As I reflect on the journey that led me to become an end- of- life caregiver , I recognize the quiet, steady influence of those who walked ahead of me- lighting the path , often without even knowing it.

The guidance, inspiration, strength , compassion , and kindness of my colleagues have helped shape me into the caregiver I am today. For that I am forever grateful.

Most of my end- of- life caregiving has been with aging adults- holding space and offering support as they near the end of long, full lives .
But years ago, I had the profound honor of walking alongside a colleague in caring for a beautiful, strong, and kind 17 year- old young man named Finn!

Finn was in his senior year of high school- a football player through and through.
His hospital room said it all:
Posters, jerseys, even the curtains were covered in footballs. It was more than a theme, it was who he was .

But one day, in a quiet moment , he looked up at my colleague and myself simply saying , “I want to go home!”
We gently asked him, “Can you tell us what home feels like?”

He paused, then spoke with clarity that stayed with me :
“It’s when my mom is home cooking , where the games on in the background, where no one whispers when they walk in the room. Where I can just be me!”
And then almost in a whisper , he added :
“It’s a place with no more pain.
No more needles.
No more fear.”

In that moment, we understood-
He wasn’t just talking about a place or map- He was longing for comfort.
For a return to who he was before the illness.
For peace.

And when someone is brave enough to speak from that deeply honest place,- We Honor It.

My colleague responded gently, with the kind of presence that only comes from truly listening . She said:
“That makes perfect sense. You’ve been so strong for so long .
It’s okay to be tired. You don’t have to be brave every single minute.”

As caregivers , we do everything we can to bring “Home “ to them- right where they are.
We remind them:
You are safe.
You are loved.
You are surrounded by people who care for you deeply.

Because sometimes , home isn’t a place ,
It’s a feeling.
And our job is to make sure they feel it- even in their final days.
Our role is not to fix the unfixable .
Our role is to walk beside them - with open hearts, gentle hands, and unwavering presence.
We may not be able to change the outcome, But we can shape the experience- with love, dignity, compassion.
And with the comfort of Home, wherever they are.

This end - of- life work teaches us to Listen.
To sit in the Silence.
To carry their stories- not as our own, but in a way that lets them change us.

Finn died 12 days later with his football in hand, the same worn leather, the same gentle grip, as if he was still waiting for the next pass.
And in that stillness, we understood:
Sometimes love looks like letting go,
And sometimes, it looks like simply being there-
Bearing witness, and being changed .

🏈❤️
Sandra

09/02/2025

❤️❤️ So beautifully explained, Thank you Gabby!

To the person preparing to take their last breath…

I want you to know that you are not invisible here. Even as your body grows tired, even as words come less easily, your presence fills the room. You are still teaching us what love looks like, simply by the way you are allowing us to walk with you through this part of your journey.

You may feel the world rushing around you; medications, check-ins, whispers in the hallway, but I see you. I see the person who has lived, loved, laughed, struggled, and carried stories only you can carry. You are more than what’s happening to your body right now.

As you take these final steps, know this: you are not alone. We are here, holding space for your breath, for your memories, for your dignity. And we will remember, not just that you died, but that you lived.

Death and dying isn’t only about those providing the care, it is and always will be about the person preparing to take their last breath. Until that moment comes, you deserve to be seen, held, and truly acknowledged.

With love,
Gabby

You can find this blog here:
https://www.thehospiceheart.net/post/as-you-prepare-to-take-your-last-breath

08/26/2025

A small child once whispered a wish - that their beloved toy might journey with their grandparent to heaven.

Children don’t always say goodbye with words .
They grieve in gestures, in silence, in the quiet closeness of what they know and love.

As an end of life caregiver , we do not rush those moments .
We wait.
We make space - for stillness, for softness, for sorrow in its truest form.

Because their grief, too, has a voice.
And their love , too, deserves to be heard
❤️
Sandra

08/14/2025

LOVE DOESNT END
AT THE CEMETERY
GATES

In those quiet moments - when the service has ended and we make the slow drive to the cemetery-something shifts.
There’s a stillness. A hush.
The flowers, the people, the weight of it all surrounds us.

It’s often in that silence that the words fall away, and the heart begins to feel what the mind has already understood: this is goodbye
But not to love
The cemetery is and ending yes. We say goodbye to a body, to a prescence. But we do not say goodbye to the bond .
From that point forward love becomes something we carry in a new way. In stories. In memories. In everyday reminders that love never really leaves us.

It doesnt stop at the gates.
It endures.
Beyond the stone . Beyond the silence. Beyond the goodbye.
❤️
Sandra

08/05/2025

TUESDAY THOUGHTS

We celebrate beginnings with fan fare - Weddings, Births, New homes , we plan them down to the finest details.

But death- though it is inevitable, is often left Untouched ,
Unspoken .
As if ignoring it will keep it away.

Yet planning for death isn’t about surrender.
It’s about Love.
About lifting any burdens from those we care about.
Giving clarity where there could be confusion, and peace where there could be pain .

Have You Made Your Last
Wishes Known

And How Well Do You Know Me
❤️

07/29/2025

When given the opportunity to spend time with a patient who is terminally ill, we never rush a conversation. We do this with Honesty, with Love , with Kindness, with Compassion , and with deep Respect.
There are many times that just being present with the patient is more important than the words spoken.
Letting your patient know that you are there for them and together will face things that may come in the next few weeks or months is very important. That the patient knows that we are here to help them live fully and comfortably as possible everyday, all while reminding the patient that they get to decide what’s important to them .
We move together through each step, and that we are able to help them with a graceful goodbye.
Sharing a highlight moment of a beautiful conversation and wise words that were shared by a remarkable patient a few minths ago .
I asked the patient if there was any wisdom that they would like to share or leave for their family members or friends !
Below are a few things shared from the Patient.

a) You only live this life once, do what makes you happy.
b) Stay true to yourself
c) Continue to remain strong in your faith and beliefs
d)Always stay humble and kind
e) Say I Love you, I’m sorry
f) Take the picture and Be in the picture !
In closing of our conversation that particular day , I thanked the patient for their Honesty and Love , in the words of wisdom in which they shared, and that I most definetly will share them . I reminded the patient that their stories won’t disappear , because they will live on in the people they love.
A hug was given and leined into the patient with a small whisper in their ear , may love and light comfort and peace be with you today .
❤️
Sandra
gnts s