Nightingale Notes

My work of heart, part memoir, part lived/worked palliative care nursing experience, part reflection has made its way into print! This book is a gentle harvest of the joys and sorrows woven into the journey through beloved lifetimes. Written for those who care for the very sick, my hope is that it can help shed light on the path through the shadows of serious illness and end of life. These pages reflect the sacred honor of companioning many brave beautiful humans as the arc of a life slips beyond the horizon.

A Nightingale’s Song is dedicated to those heroes, small and tall, who teach us that no matter how short or long, every lifetime is precious and perfect. Each tender soul for whom I have been privileged to care has been a deep wellspring of strength and inspiration for me. I share their hero stories in my narrative, spaces to pause and reflect, rest stops in the journey. I carry their stories with me to re-read when I need a reminder to cherish the moments of grace that have touched my work, my life.

“We can do hard things.” -Glennon Doyle

This book is also a tribute to the caregivers who answer the call to serve as a last responder. While first responders race in to save lives, last responders stand steadfast at bedsides to gentle life’s end. Both step in where others fear to tread. Last responders are brave and kind, soft and strong, through sickness and health, love and loss.

My book charts a path through serious illness for the caregiver, from diagnosis, through difficult decision making, to the edges of a lifetime. It provides anticipatory guidance to help manage symptoms, create sacred spaces, and recognize the last work of the body as the heartbeat weakens, the breath becomes less effective, and the mind less responsive. In this liminal space between the beats and breaths and thoughts, we are powerful witness to the threshold between the the known and the Unknown.

“Love is the threshold where the Divine and human presence ebb and flow.” -John O’ Donohue

And, when the caregiving journey is done, A Nightingale’s Song explores grief and mourning, providing resources to begin to find the way through loss, another wilderness to travel. In my practice, I have found hope and compassion to be the fulcrum that moves us forward on the path to healing. When we work to heal ourselves, we help heal those around us, and perhaps collectively, we help heal the world.

As givers of care, wipers of tears, bringers of light, we have walked the path through sunshine and shade. We have shown up as our best selves in a world that demands much. This is the grit of living, the grace of loving. I see you. Sending love and care to light your way!