“A piece the way home”

Mark Hudson

Bereavement Coordinator

Regency Hospice – Aiken, SC

A childhood friend of the deceased spoke at a recent funeral and while describing a simpler time, she used an expression that touched my heart.  She told about playing in the home of her friend when the mother said, “Walk her a piece the way home.”  It was customary in the rural south to escort your guest part of the way as they walked home.  Children who didn’t want the day to end often walked back and forth along the path as they walked each other “a piece the way home” time and time again.

“A piece the way home” stuck in my head as a new way to think about Hospice.  Death is often viewed as a journey to an eternal home.  Family caregivers and Hospice workers walk with the terminal patient as far as possible to provide comfort, companionship, and knowledge of the path.  As we go “a piece the way home” the expression takes on new meaning as the patient and family knows “peace” on the way home.