enough in my skills as a web content manager to work on the new AWCH website . It is a job that is enjoyable but can be challenging and frustrating . I learn so many new things every darn day ; it is fun to find the challenge and solve it on my own .
Why do I volunteer ? The words satisfaction and rewarding are standard answers , and I suppose they do describe the feeling I have when I do something for others . Happiness , fulfillment , gratification , pride , contentment , and achievement , though , do a better job of getting to the root of the motivation .
Next Sewing Bee Open House Tuesday , January 10
Join us any time between 15:00- 22:00 to help assemble pillows and bottle bags that will be donated for use by breast cancer patients . We will meet at my home in Bönningstedt . For more details and to RSVP , email heartpillows @ awchamburg . org
Oldies but Goodies
I volunteer . I am aware that I lead a very charmed life , and I feel the need to give back . I was always active in my children ’ s school years , being a PTA mother and selling snacks at the breaks . I am a partner in the From the Heart group sewing for breast cancer patients . Amongst other volunteer work .
I think the most unusual volunteer work I do is visiting dying people . I am a Sterbebegleiter : a terminal care volunteer . In Germany , it is mandatory to do a year-long course for this type of volunteering . When did I start doing this ? Gosh , I can ´ t remember , over six years ago . What does it actually entail ? I spend time with my oldies , as I call them . The usual reaction I get if I tell people is shock . Why would I voluntarily visit dying people ? I do it because I can . I think I have a gift for it .
I care about the people I visit , but I don ´ t have an emotional history with them . I just know them as old and sick . If a patient tells me they want to die , I can accept that and not judge them . Their family members , of course , react differently to such statements . When I visit someone , I sometimes listen to music from the ‘ 40s , ‘ 50s , or classical with them , or I just talk to them . I ask them about their lives and families . I usually hear the same stories repeatedly , which I don ´ t mind because a lot of the people don ´ t have teeth or they speak unclearly so it takes a few tellings to piece the story together .
I also pray for them . My belief in God is a very good support for me during my visits and otherwise . I offer the patients prayer ; I pray out loud and they listen . I have never had anyone say no , even those who claim not to believe in God . I pray that they experience God ´ s love and that he calms their fears . Dying can also be scary for many . My oldies say the prayers are a comfort emotionally . Physically speaking , hospices and senior residences offer palliative care , welldosed pain relief . I don ´ t want my oldies to suffer . I often liaise between the patient and the nurses about ailments or needs . My advantage is that I have no expectations . I don ´ t want them to get dressed , wash , or drink something . I don ´ t have an agenda . I am just there to listen , show them love , care , and hold their hand . It is that simple .
– Susan Stanley-Witt