Jacqueline Pruitt
Clinical Chaplain & Spiritual Care Counselor
This season invites us to pause, to reflect with gratitude on where we’ve been, what we’ve carried, and how far we’ve come. It is a time that reminds us that every season has meaning, every moment has purpose, and every act of care matters. During celebration, remembrance, and quiet reflection, we are reminded that the work of compassion continues to shape lives, both the lives we touch and our own.
This season reminds us that care does not end when the shift is over or the door closes behind us. The compassion we extend to patients and families, often in their most tender and vulnerable moments, comes from a deep well within us. It is the same care that sustains us, restores us, and carries us when the weight of what we do feels heavy.
For many of us, the care we give is shaped by sacrifice. Some have navigated health challenges of their own. Some continue to grieve the loss of loved ones they have buried and still carry in their hearts. Yet, it is often through these very experiences that resilience is formed, stamina is strengthened, and compassion is deepened. What we have endured has not diminished our calling, it has refined it, giving us the capacity to serve with greater empathy, patience, and understanding.
Each day, we show up with presence, patience, and dignity. We listen. We comfort. We walk alongside others through moments that matter. And while much of that care is given outwardly, this season invites us to remember that care is also meant to return inward, to our own hearts, our own homes, and the people we love.
There is a quiet assurance that the love we pour out is never wasted. The compassion we give is met with renewal. The strength we offer is met with restoration. What we carry for others, the Heavenly Father gently carries for us, redeeming the weight, restoring what feels stretched, and rewarding faithfulness in ways both seen and unseen.
This season also reminds us that joy is not the absence of sorrow, nor is it fleeting happiness. Joy is the steady strength that allows us to look beyond ourselves, to serve with a full heart, and to find meaning even in sacrifice. It is a joy rooted in purpose, a joy that sustains us, comforts us, and enables us to continue caring for others with grace.
As we gather with family and loved ones, may this season bring moments of gratitude, reflection, and rest. May it remind us that this work is more than something we do is something we are called to. And as we continue to trust the process, may we remember that this is not just a job, but a calling, one that reaches beyond our workday, follows us home, and covers our families with the same care, purpose, and enduring joy we extend to others.
As we continue through this season, we may be given strength for each day, clarity for each moment, and grace for one another. May compassion remains at the center of our work and may the care we give be renewed by sustaining our hearts, our homes, and our calling.