Pella Comfort House remembers loved ones

Dec. 7—PELLA — Families paid tribute to loved ones who have passed away in hospice care Tuesday night at Light up a Life, a candlelight service of remembrance put on by the Comfort House of Pella.

The event was led by Chaplain Michelle De Bruin and Leah Garland, the social worker for hospice who works with many family members and friends of Comfort House patients.

De Bruin read to the crowd from the Gospel of Luke before Garland stood to speak to the gathered family members who have lost loved ones at the Comfort House this year.

"We're all coming here tonight from different places. Some of you have lost a spouse of many years. Some of you have lost children. Many of us have lost parents, siblings, friends," Garland said. "We're all grieving in different ways ... Everyone deals with grief in a different way. For many people, the holidays can be really hard, especially Christmas, the time where families gather together and you have that empty place, that loved one that should still be here with us."

De Bruin and Garland honored hospice patients the Comfort House has served in the past year by reading the names of people who have passed away in their care from Nov. 1, 2021 to Oct. 31, 2022. Families were invited to light their candles as their loved one's name was read.

The reading was followed by the singing of the carol "Silent Night." At the end of the memorial, the Comfort House's outdoor Christmas tree was lit.

"My prayer is that you will let the twinkle of this Christmas light of the tree become a spark of hope in you," Garland said.

Families received a Christmas ornament with their loved one's name on it from the Comfort House at the close of the service.

Channing Rucks can be reached at crucks@oskyherald.com.