Family members of hospice patients who have passed away and other community members gathered at Baptist Reynolds Hospice House to honor their loved ones during the Baptist Hospice Summer Memorial and butterfly release on Thursday, June 12.
Baptist Reynolds Hospice House and Baptist Trinity Home Care and Hospice hosted the memorial, which included prayers, a harpist, sharing of loved ones’ names, a reading and butterfly release, followed by fellowship and snacks. This year marked the second time butterflies were released at the annual event.
“Butterflies traditionally represent transformation and new life, so it is a powerful symbol for those who are grieving,” said Tiffany McClung, bereavement coordinator with Baptist Reynolds Hospice House. “A caterpillar goes into ‘the tomb,’ then is ‘resurrected’ as a transformed creature. Our loved ones are not gone, just transformed.”
This free event was open to anyone in the community who wanted to remember a loved one. Baptist sent invitations to the families of nearly 1,000 patients who had passed away in the prior six months, including those at Baptist Reynolds Hospice House, inpatient hospice wings at Baptist Memorial hospitals in the Memphis metro area and Baptist Trinity Home Care and Hospice.
“The summer memorial is meaningful not only for families, but for staff as well. Many nurses and certified nursing assistants attend and reconnect with families,” said McClung. “They also are grieving these losses as they have bonded with patients during a sacred time of life.”
