Letters to Hospice

Music therapists across the globe are celebrating World Music Therapy Week to advocate for the benefits of music therapy to improve lives all over the world. While music may sound different from land to land, music has similarities in how we express our humanity.

Did you know most countries use music in play, to accompany work, tell stories of our ancestry or culture, support spiritual identities, celebrate, sooth babies, learn information (such as the alphabet song), support times of mourning, or for simple enjoyment? Music is an accessible companion that expresses who we are and validates our emotions. While music is in one sense is a universal language; it is in another sense deeply personal and effects each individual in a unique way.

We’ve all heard the seasonal adage that “April showers bring May flowers.” Not only does the rain create an environment which enables spring flowers to bloom, but it also offers us a poignant reminder of the importance of self-compassion. If ever there were a time to be kind and compassionate with ourselves, it would be when we are grieving – and yet, we are often our own worst critics, telling ourselves stories about how we “should” grieve. We can be impatient with ourselves, believing that grief is taking “too long” or that we are grieving “incorrectly.” It can be hard to show up for ourselves with patience and a sense of self-compassion.

In 1997, just three years after Angela Hospice’s Livonia Care Center opened its doors, Jim Jeziorowski met someone there who would change his life forever.

Having completed his internship as a hospice social worker, Jim was considering returning to the field. Georgine “Genie” Favazza was exploring the idea of volunteering as a clown to bring cheer to hospice patients. As it turned out, Genie decided not to volunteer, and Jim went on to work with troubled youth instead of hospice patients. But their meeting at Angela Hospice was fateful one – or maybe rather a faithful one.