The reception line winds down the hall

Heading up the stairs on my last day at Wind Crest I wondered who might show up,for my goodbye reception. I was startled by the long line of patients as well as staff,drinking punch, eating cookies , awaiting my arrival. Someone handed me a box of tissues and a glass of water. Two hours later, having hugged, kissed and shaken hundreds of hands , I kept hearing the words: thanks for caring and I will miss you. Widows stopped by tho thank me for visiting dying husbands on their last days, cancer survivors thanked me for sticking with them through ups and downs, some were appreciative of having someone they could talk to and trust. Others recalled the decline and deaths of loved ones whose minds had been ravaged by dementing illnesses. Some remembered the middle of the night calls for advice and comfort. I thanked them for teaching me about aging with grace, perseverance in the face of great adversity, beating the odds, faith, and acceptance of end of life milestones but other options are exhausted. After 5 years, thousands of patient visits, and untold number of nights on call, I turned in my badge and keys, and headed home.