When I first became a Chaplain, my first job was as a Hospice Chaplain. I absolutely loved it. I loved being with people when it really mattered, hearing their stories of what they had learned throughout their lives, how they had ridden in horse drawn carriages and watched technology change from phones tethered to walls to our cell phones we have now. I watched as people who were the loves of each other’s lives said goodbye in the sweetest of ways, knowing that love never dies.

Life changed for me and I found myself traveling across the country, working as an Associate Pastor of a church in Indiana and then back to the wonderful world of Chaplaincy at a community based hospital for 16 years. I loved it there. And yet, in my heart, I always wanted another opportunity to get back to Hospice. So when the position came open for a Chaplain in the Lexington office at BCN, I knew I couldn’t pass it up.

Bluegrass Care Navigators has been a place where I can celebrate the relationships people have with those they love. I have watched hands holding hands, hearts engaging hearts, smiles and tears somehow melding into one another through the beauty and bittersweetness that only life can offer. For in my role as a Chaplain, I have the amazing opportunity, every single day, to talk to people about what is most important to them, to find out what makes them laugh…what makes them cry…what they hope for in their last days on earth…and sometimes, I have the honor of being next to them or holding their hand when they transition and their families begin a new and different relationship with them…without their physical presence. People often say, ‘I couldn’t do your job…’ And I simply reply, I am honored and humbled to be able to walk with you. BCN allows me the space to delve deep with people into their pain, into their joys and into their world…and recognizes the importance of blending mind, body and spirit into a beautiful mosaic of love.