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variations between all of us and scientists attempt to The invocation for the ceremony then was given by
learn and discover how to provide improved Reverend Wes Sedlacek, Samaritan Lebanon Community
treatments and cures. If you went from state to state Hospital chaplain.
in this country, you would not find a better guardian
looking after your loved one then Steve Carmichael. “In my work as a hospital chaplain, I am surprised how
We are all fortunate. often I get asked about what is going to happen after we
die. I’m honored that the people who ask this of me think
3. The final major ingredient is people such as clinical that I know the answer, but the truth is I don’t. None of
and science faculty, and students who can facilitate us really knows for sure. Of course, there are different
the transfer of information your loved one has faith traditions that shape what we hope, pray or trust
provided in order to add to our growing bank of will happen. There are those who believe something
knowledge. Your loved one provided humanism and occurs once our bodies die, and there are those who
was the first patient for our students, which is critical believe nothing happens after we die. Whichever the case,
for future physicians and scientists to properly it comes down to belief. None of us may actually know,
improve health care to all. so we rely on what we believe.
“Gratitude may be the most complex of the virtues. It is “At a gathering like this, when we remember those who
difficult to provide a definition which would do it justice, have preceded us in death, we each bring our beliefs. And
but many agree it is an emotion of the heart accompanied while I may not be able to answer what exactly we
with good will. Believe me when I speak on behalf of all experience once our bodies die, I can share something that
of us here, we are grateful to your loved ones. is a fact. Upon death, our bodies may be gone, but our
memory, our spirit, lives on with those we leave behind.
“Lastly, I want to put what I have said in another format
to offer another wat to appreciate the brevity and impact “We, the living, carry the spirits of the dead with us. When
your loved one is having on individuals and communities. we have memories or we share stories with one another,
the spirits of those we love remain alive. We may try to live
“From a group of 150 students, if 90% of them go into
out values that have been instilled in us, or we may pass
clinical practice and work for 30 years (many will work
along those things we ourselves have been taught. In each
more). If we include vacations and all weekends off
case, those people who are no longer physically present are
(which would never occur), that works out to be 260 days
in some way spiritually present. This is a fact, no matter
per year. This means each class spends just over one
what we believe happens after we die.
million days in practice. If each one was to see one new
patient per day as an average (some specialties would see “So tonight, we come together to remember these people
less and Emergency medicine would see far more) that who have died and have generously donated their bodies
works out to be just over a million individuals. to this school. The reason we’re all here is because they’ve
touched our lives in some way, whether it was as a friend
“In other words, the gracious and selfless act or gift
and family member, or as a teacher – as a first patient.
provided by your loved one essentially impacts the health
care of over a million patients in the future. Thank you “For this next bit of time that we share, these generous
for allowing me to be part of this ceremonial tribute to peoples’ spirits will burn with aliveness. They will again be
you and your love one.” with us now, just as they always will be. For this reason,
I’d like to read something that I’ve read at a number of
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