Elliot Kukla
Unconditional Gifts
When I train Jewish hospice volunteers, I ask them to reflect on a moment when they were in need and someone was present for them. I don’t specify anything else about the interaction, yet volunteers always recall something similar. One man shared his story of a bicycle accident, and of the stranger who sat silently with him on the curb until the ambulance came. A woman spoke of her grandmother knitting in the corner of the hospital’s delivery room throughout her three-day-long labor. When I ask for their reflections, nobody tells stories about getting advice (no matter how helpful), or about someone taking heroic, life-saving actions (no matter how important). Rather, the stories are mostly about silent companionship.
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Chronic Illness: Separate — Not Equal
In the fall of 2013, I got sick. Like most people who fall ill, I assumed I would get better. Weeks, then months, then years passed. And though there were plenty of ups and downs, I did not recover.
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