Visiting the person and referencing the genuine good he contributed while alive. All the people he helped. People need meaning to their existence. I try to be around people I wish to be like and who have qualities I admire. Find a way to convey that and you will have provided some sincere meaning to your relationship with him, his time here.
Ok, he showed up unexpectedly after grand rounds Thursday to speak with the residents and give an update. There were several emotional greetings from our senior surgical residents as I choked down the huge lump in my throat. Afterward I told him I was having some photos framed to give him. He immediately reached for me to hug. Judging from his looks he is suffering greatly and I can’t get these photos done quickly enough. I’m still struggling over how to say something meaningful but gain strength in the hope that my photos of him w/ his two sons in the OR speak a thousand words in more way than one. I'm deturmined I will leave nothing left unsaid.
You said it half of it right there. Say the rest by getting the photos to him. Stat. But don't make it look like you were or are in a hurry.
You'll have to mine this TED Talk and weed out the mysticism, but it may prove helpful [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8U8Pkod2n4]Rethinking the Bucket List: Kathleen Taylor at TEDx TampaBay (The Future of Stories) - YouTube[/ame]