Midwifery to the Mourning

Touching wet cloth to their mouth 

A refreshing reprieve as their souls cry out,

Thirsting for the Divine

Or maybe their dad, child, or wife.

It all feels the same oftentimes.

Laboring into this final transition

That one cannot prepare enough for.

Reminding these precious people that

Between they and their loved ones lay lines to tether them

Around this plane into whatever one is beyond.

Reveling in humanity and its full glory

As their time begins to shift in ways that

Even clocks cannot comprehend.

Moving alongside them as they traverse the sacred gift

That life has restored and death can transform.

Reminding them that removal from this world

Does not diminish the profound and poetic presence in our lives

But rather labors new pain and grief as a result

Of steadfast love and honor filled memories-

Coating our cheeks in the form of tears.

Laboring our bodies both by

Divinely honoring our birth with breath we first inhale,

Sacredly observing our death and breath we last exhale.

Journeying alongside them as their hands grow cold and their bodies go still,

Proves to be exactly where I am meant to grow in this moment.

Yearning to be like Shiphrah and Puah,

Midwifery to the Mourning serving in holy labor

Contractions moving these spirits,

Removing from earthly bodies into glorious mysteries.

Seeking sacrality through the anticipatory unknowing.

Rev. Ashley Buchanan is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who loves to spend her time outdoors and with her loved ones. Ashley is continuing into hospice chaplaincy and hopes to learn more about grief work as a way to normalize our understanding of grief in our lives. 

Ashley is currently completing a Summer CPE Internship with the St. Thomas Nashville CPE Partnership in Nashville, TN.