Jumping in with words (or tissues) is a way to make me feel better. It’s tending to my own emotions. Platitudes and explanations might get rid of my bad feelings, but they do not attend to the sick person’s feelings.

…people who are dying actually continue to have capacity for the full spectrum of human emotion. Sadness, fear, worry sure. But also joy, pride, love!

When we stay in the moment, it says, “Nothing is more important than staying with you in this difficult time.” It says, “You have the right to cry, and it won’t scare me away. I can see your pain, and I can’t fix it, but I won’t run away.”