Part of the experience of illness is often a sudden flood of people lining up to say, “How can I help?” These words imply a promise – a promise to provide support, to be there when things really start to suck, to know what we need before we know we need it.
The Passover Haggadah declares, “Blessed is Hashem who kept God’s promise.” Unfortunately, human beings don’t always keep promises.
What promises have people made to you, and kept, during your illness? What did that mean to you? What promises were made, then broken or forgotten?
What promises have you made as a healer or caregiver to someone who was ill? How well did you do at keeping them?
For more on promises and their limits, check out Chapter 15 of From Illness to Exodus, available here (use code CONF40 at checkout), or from that online retailer named after a very large river…. but support my awesome publisher if you can. For a taste of more of what’s in the book, check out my recorded talk from the Healthcare and Religion Lecture Series, sponsored by Pitt’s Center for Bioethics and Health Law. And keep an eye out for my interview with Bradley Block, MD, on his podcast, “The Physician’s Guide to Doctoring.”
Healers Who Listen would love to listen to what you have to say, too.