Post 12

            Have you had the experience of being with a dying person? Corey and Corey ask this question on page 343. I took a moment to reflect on this question. Afterwards, I walked over to my book case.

            For a month after my junior year of college, I went to Calcutta, India. I volunteered to go to Calcutta to serve the poorest of the poor with Mother Teresa’s group (Sisters of Charity). Prior to this experience, I have never left the country, and I basically stayed in PA. To say the least, Calcutta was an eye opening experience.

            I walked over to my book case to grab the journal I wrote and reflected in each day that I was in Calcutta, India. I have not looked in this journal ever since I wrote in it some 6 years ago. I wanted to read over my thoughts on May 22, 2007. On this day, I had the experience of being with a dying person.

            While I was in Calcutta, India I primarily served at Daya Dan. This was a home for abandoned and handicapped children. The Sisters of Charity would rescue these children and house them in Daya Dan. I spent 6 hours a day with these children and other volunteers. I would bathe, cloth, feed, and play with them. However, on May 22^nd, I was granted an opportunity to volunteer at Kalighat (Home for the Dying). This was a home that Mother Teresa established for adults who were severely ill and living on the streets of Calcutta. As you can tell from the name, this home would be the place of their death.

            After reading over my journal entry for this day, I vividly remembered this experience. I spent most of my day with a man who was struggling to breathe. I never got the man’s name, and we never shared a word with one another. I simply sat beside him, stroked his head, and held his hand. I still see this man’s beaten face, gray straggling hair, and hear his heavy breath. While sitting beside him, I felt peace. You would figure that I would feel awkward, scared, nervous, or something! But, I felt peace. I silently prayed for him, asking God to share my peace with him. This man was dying, and I knew he was. As his breathing tapered, I alerted an experienced volunteer. The volunteer sat with me as the man slowly died. When his breathing came to a halt, I seemed to snap back to reality. I began to feel anxious as opposed to tranquil. This shift in my emotions led to tears of sadness.

            Looking back on it now, it still gives me a feeling that I can’t quite describe. I did not know this man, I did not say a word to him, but he gave me this experience of death. Kalighat was a place for people to die with dignity, and that is exactly what he did. I hope to die with dignity and peace. I hope to die knowing that I have lived a happy and loving life.

Corey, G. & Corey, M. S. (2010). Your Body and Wellness. In Brooks/Cole (9^th edition), I Never Knew I Had a Choice (106-131). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.