Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area

05/30/2026

One hour left! Come listen to fiddle music while you shop and support your local volunteer hospice!

05/28/2026

Come see us Friday and Saturday for our annual plant sale to support Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area's programming! We will have seedlings, perennials, and trees for you to fill your garden and yard with, all while supporting a great cause in your community!

05/26/2026

Not everyone is able to be at the bedside when someone they love is dying.

Sometimes distance, illness, lockdowns, timing, family dynamics, or the wishes of the person who is dying make it impossible. And for those left behind, that absence can carry a very heavy kind of guilt.

I have sat beside many people in their final days and moments, and one thing I believe deeply is this:

They do not take with them only who was in the room at the last breath.

They take with them who loved them.
Who showed up in the ways they could.
Who called.
Who wrote.
Who prayed.
Who worried.
Who cared from across the miles.
Who loved them long before the bedside became part of the story.

I have also seen people wait until the room is quiet to take their last breath. Sometimes a loved one steps out for just a moment, and that is when death comes. I do not believe that is abandonment. I believe that sometimes, it is permission, privacy, a final letting go without being watched by the people they love most. Most people do not want that to be the last thing you see. 

And sometimes, the person dying does not want anyone there. That can leave deep hurt behind, but even then, their choice does not erase the love that existed.

If you were not there, I hope you can be gentle with yourself.

Your absence from the room does not mean you were absent from their life.

They did not leave carrying only the memory of who was beside the bed. I believe they carried the love, the history, the laughter, the forgiveness, the conversations, the care, and all the ways you belonged to one another.

And maybe this is also our reminder to say the things now.

Not because we will always get the perfect goodbye, but because love should not have to wait for the bedside.

xo
Gabby
www.thehospiceheart.net

05/22/2026

A reminder for any of my fellow grievers out there -- you are allowed to hold two feelings at once.

05/21/2026

05/20/2026

Have you ever thought about exploring writing and journaling as a way to navigate your grief? Join us for a Writing through Grief workshop on Monday, June 22 at 6 pm. Free to attend, but registration is required. More info below!

05/14/2026

We are so grateful for all the incredible support of our spring appeal. Thank you to everyone who has already made a donation! If you have not yet made a gift but would like to, you can donate online or by texting HVWA to 44-321. Your support makes our hospice volunteer and grief support programs possible.💜

March, 2026This month marks 46 years since Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area first opened its doors. For nearly half a century, we have walked alongside members of...