December 7, 2005

Love Light honors lives lost

Annual ceremony remembers lives touched by Munson Hospice and Palliative Care

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       Melding music, dance, prayer and personal testimony, the Love Light Tree Ceremony provided a healing space for people who have lost a loved one in the past year.
      Held Sunday afternoon at the First Congregational Church in Traverse City, the tenth annual event drew more than 125 people who have been touched by hospice in some way. Some had lost a family member to cancer or other illness and were buoyed by hospice volunteers who shared tears and hugs in the days, weeks or months before the death.
      "Hospice was there day and night, they were a phone call away," said Jim Pavelka of Traverse City.
      The retired Traverse City Area Public Schools superintendent shared with attendees the grief and faith, struggles and triumphs he and his wife, Susan, shared during her multi-year battle with cancer. The family was helped by staff and volunteers with Munson Hospice and Palliative Care before she died in 2002 at age 52. Pavelka said hospice provided the support he, his two daughters and in-laws needed to survive the final months of his wife's life.
      "I've learned to thank God for all the people who help us live and to thank God for all the people who help us die, for all of the people at hospice," added Pavelka, whose talk was titled, 'Touched by Hospice.' "I'm not sure I could have made it without their help."
      Other attendees at the Love Light Tree ceremony work or volunteer with hospice. These caring professionals or trained volunteers help guide individuals and families into the unknown and find moments of laughter, completion and hope.
      Barbara Goodearl has been volunteering with Munson Hospice and Palliative Care for two years; she worked with a program downstate for five years before that. Goodearl is a level 3 volunteer who provides total patient care at both the Hospice House and in patient's homes.
      Attending the Love Light Tree ceremony with her husband, Dan, also a hospice volunteer, she tries to come every year in honor of the patients and families whose lives she has touched.
      "This is just another time to see the families, give them a hug and see how they are doing," said Goodearl. "It's wonderful to see the families again because you've worked with them for months."
      "It's another form of closure and it's just so special, touches your heart," she added.
      Throughout December and January, three Love Light trees will be lit on the lawn in front of Munson Medical Center. In addition, a tree in the lobby of Munson's Community Health Center will also include a memory book with the names of loved ones.
      Jane Leidich, a nurse at Munson Medical Center, began the Love Light Tree tradition ten years ago as a way to honor her mother, who in 1995 died of cancer. The concept flourished as a way to provide an annual remembrance for loved ones lost during the year.
      The tenth annual Love Light Tree ceremony began with five volunteer musicians from Heart to Harp who played before the service began, serenading and soothing attendees as they found their seats. After an invocation by Rev. Gary Hogue, five dancers from the Dance Center Youth Ensemble presented a lyrical dance in honor of Katherine Heintz, who died in August of leukemia. At the end of the program, Soprano Barbara Hoig sang 'My Shepherd,' accompanied by Nancy Stagnitta on flute and Diantha Lundin on piano.
      The core of the event was the reading of hundreds of names by four people involved in hospice, including the admissions nurse, medical director and director. These names included people who have died in the past year as well as families who been served by hospice. After each name was read, a volunteer solemnly tolled a hand bell.
      Goodearl, the fourth name reader, noted that it is sometimes difficult to read the name of someone she has grown close to while volunteering. But in memory of the individual and to honor their family, she forges on without noticeable hesitation.
      "You really get close to the families, that's the most wonderful part," she said.