Penny Leins (left) and Sharon Whalen (right) kick off another year together at Nanaimo Community Hospice's Celebrate a Life event at Country Club Mall. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

HOLIDAY GRIEF

“Listening is so important, you don’t need words:” long-time Nanaimo hospice volunteers

Dec 7, 2019 | 11:39 PM

NANAIMO — For many the holidays are filled with joy, family and presents. However the Christmas season can also feel empty for those dealing with grief and loss.

Those who’ve lost a loved one can place the name of the person their grieving on a Christmas tree at Country Club Centre , as part of the Nanaimo Community Hospice’s annual Celebrate a Life program. Angel ornaments are also available for a donation to Hospice.

Penny Leins and Sharon Whalen are both long-time volunteers with Hospice and took their traditional spots by manning the first shift, providing an outlet and opportunity to work through the grief of losing a loved one.

“It’s comfort to know that we can help,” Leins said. “The holiday time is very hard for those who are grieving, I get emotional thinking about it myself…it’s a priviledge to help people through their grief.”

Leins has been with Hospice in a variety of roles for 35 years, while Whalen has served for around 20. Both have counseling training and help provide comfort during a difficult time.

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“The key word is listening,” Whalen said. “Listening to people, knowing what to say and if you don’t know what you say you say that you don’t know.”

The process of listening to others work through their grief also helps Leins and Whalen acknowledge their own losses this time of year.

“I’ve lost family and friends through suicide, overdose, cancer, alzheimers,” Leins said. “When people talk about their stories I can relate to them and I know how they’re feeling.”

Celebrate a Life runs through Dec. 18 with a burning ceremony of the cards placed on the tree scheduled for late January.

“It’s a symbolic thing to do but it helps relieve some of the pain and grief they’re going through,” Leins said. “We’ve had a lot of tears and a lot of good stories too. They like to share good memories of their loved ones with us.”

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley