Today was the first day of CPE. The first surprise of the day came just about an hour and a half into orientation. There was a death. Now, deaths are not uncommon at my CPE site, in fact, they average two per week. The whole group of students responded. This resident didn't have any surviving family, so we did our own commendation. It was hard, but the more I think about it, I'm not sure that I want it to be easy.
The other surprise was a very pleasant one. During our tour of the facility we traveled through the altzheimers unit. As we entered the unit, my supervisor was telling us about how he is always amazed that even though residents in this unit have a tough time remembering many things, spiritual things often remain. We were presented with clear evidence of this just down the hall. In the lounge about a dozen people had gathered around a piano which one of the residents was playing. They were singing old spirituals. Some of the songs I haven't heard since my grandfather died about ten years ago. There was something so amazing about that scene. Breakfast, lunch, and even the names of others in the room were long forgotten, yet those words of worship were still there. We were made to worship God.
I'm sure that this has been just the first of many memorable experiences.
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1 comment:
Just to clarify, CPE stands for what?
The power that God has in our lives is so tremendous, and I think that he shows that to us every day, and in your case, showed you through these residents. You are truly right when you say that we were made to spend our whole lives worshiping God. There is no higher beauty or goal.
Alex
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