On the second Thursday of every month, CHCC’s chaplain walks to the front of the chapel at Christian Health Care Center in Lynden.
They turn to the 30-or-so people in the audience and pick up a newspaper. With a clear, calm voice, they begin to read obituaries.
There are a few tears of sadness among the visitors, but mostly there are smiles. There are hugs, fond remembrances, kind words and warm embraces. At Christian Health Care Center, these monthly gatherings are times of joy; they are opportunities to honor the lives of those who’ve passed on in the past month at the long-term care center.
Each memorial services means so much. From the opening music, to the reading of the obituaries, to the time when family and friends can share their memories, to sharing a message of hope, to the fellowship time over coffee and cookies at the end. Each memorial service is designed to be special, warm and personal.
The people gathered here — residents, staff members, family and others — come to mourn, sure, but also to celebrate. After obituaries are read, there is plenty time for them to share their own thoughts.
Don Kok, a member of the CHCC board of trustees, says that time often goes something like this: After hearing kind words from the obituary, staff, friends and family are quick to chime in with their own, saying things like “That’s exactly what I saw! She was so kind and generous,” or “Yes, that is so true! What a great guy he was.”
Kok says he particularly enjoyed the warm atmosphere at a recent service he attended.
“People loved to comment, and it was really sweet,” he says. “It became quite personal, and that was neat to see.”
That’s just how CHCC wants the memorial services to go.
The purpose is for everyone to celebrate the life of and to reminisce about each resident who passed the month before, and for everyone to be uplifted eternal hope.
From the singing of familiar hymns to the message of hope to the warm thoughts and funny stories, the skilled nursing facility’s memorial services all come together in a way that means a lot to those who live and work at CHCC, Kok says.
“The services are well-done, and the chaplain does a nice job,” he says. “Residents are remembered in a reverent, dignified and personal manner. It is a very respectful, very dignified service, where those who have called CHCC home, no matter for how long, are truly honored.”