A Special Adventure

I had a special adventure today. It's difficult to describe in words, but I'll try.

During the dinner hours this evening, RuthiE Nielen and I escaped the INAFA conference to go spend some time at the hospice unit at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto CA. This week was the first time that I have had the opportunity to met RuthiE in person, but we've been connected in spirit for many years now. That connection comes through the hospice unit at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto. When I learned that RuthiE would be attending this years INAFA conference, I told her that we should sneak out and go visit the hospice unit at the VA. For those of you who don't know RuthiE, she is a hospice nurse in Tucson, where she lives. For those of you who do know RuthiE, she is a very spiritual being and commited to her work, both as a nurse and as a musician playing the flute for her patients.
RuthiE came into my life several years ago when she contacted me to see if I wanted to play flute for one of her patients and a fellow INAFA member, who was moving the hospice unit at the VA in Palo Alto. I accepted her invitation and thus my introduction to playing flute for hospice care was initiated.

During my time at the VA, I developed a great relationship with the chaplan, Penny. And I wanted to make sure that Penny and RuthiE had the opportunity to met. That happened today. The rest of our adventure at the VA was very touching, and again I've realized that RuthiE is an angel who once again has put me on the path to caring for folks nearing their transition.

I would only encourage any of you who have the opportunity to follow this path. It takes courage, strength and caring - something that I think we all can benefit from learning more about in ourselves. I learn something new about myself everytime I give a little of myself in this capacity.

Today, in the first hour of the INAFA convention, Dr Michael DiMaria said that when working with the flute in a healing capacity, you have to be "in the present"... I am thankful that I was able to exchange a day of my life "living in the present" today.