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Life happens, and death happens… It’s what we do with the in-between that counts.
When I was a little girl, I heard a motorcycle crash outside our house, and I ran outside to see what happened. A young man was lying on...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Apr 26, 20233 min read
1,483 views
2 comments


Conversations with Grievers
Almost every single day I speak with someone who is either preparing to say goodbye, has just said goodbye, or is doing their best to...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Mar 29, 20232 min read
1,705 views
7 comments


Identity Theft
When someone you love dies, your life changes in a million different ways. Everything you planned to do won’t happen, and the you that...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Mar 18, 20232 min read
1,280 views
0 comments


The "This is Me" List
When I am at the bedside of someone who is nearing the end of their life, I find myself very drawn to knowing their story. I want to know...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Mar 18, 20234 min read
924 views
2 comments


You can't fix my grief
You can’t fix my grief You can’t make it go away I understand you want to But for now, it is here to stay I appreciate your...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Mar 13, 20231 min read
2,845 views
0 comments


Like a Butterfly
When that last breath is taken the air in the room leaves for just a moment leaving those in its presence holding their breath it is at...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Mar 8, 20231 min read
2,586 views
1 comment


I see life
As each day comes to an end, I ask myself three things: What did I do well? What can I do differently? What did I learn? I do this...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Mar 3, 20232 min read
491 views
1 comment


The Grief Tribe
"Gabby, why do people stop checking in, after someone dies?" I have been asked this many times and I always try to find the right answer,...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Mar 1, 20233 min read
477 views
5 comments


The relevance of time
When you are younger you have no idea Of the relevance of time What it means, or how much you have Wishing desperately that you could...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Feb 25, 20231 min read
687 views
0 comments


We treat our animals more humanely than our humans.
My dog Tucker was a long-haired dachshund who although a bit rough around the edges, and sometimes a biter, was my best buddy. As many...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Feb 21, 20233 min read
1,902 views
9 comments


They walk alongside me ...
I have witnessed so many last breaths that I cannot count them any more… and I have hugged twice as many as they started their grief...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Feb 19, 20232 min read
1,551 views
4 comments


At the end of each day
I have witnessed over a thousand last breaths. I have prepared twice that many people to say goodbye to someone they love. Does this have...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Feb 1, 20232 min read
1,410 views
0 comments


What I have learned from providing end-of-life care...
I went to nursing school in my late forties specifically to become a hospice nurse. I was caring for a friend of mine who was dying and...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Jan 28, 20238 min read
4,039 views
5 comments


I am not dead yet!
I visited a patient once who had just become bedridden and had started sleeping in a hospital bed, which was in the living room. She was...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Jan 21, 20232 min read
1,865 views
0 comments


Holding back the tears
There are moments when I can cry out loud But most of the time I keep it in It’s easier this way, at least for me But tears have a way of...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Jan 16, 20231 min read
1,007 views
0 comments


How many visitors should be in the room of someone who is dying?
I received a really good question: "Do hospice facilities you work with limit the number of visitors to a room? Just wondering. I didn’t...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Jan 8, 20233 min read
1,214 views
1 comment


All the memories we made together
I had a moment today Or should I say… another When I realized you were not here And you will be gone forever I never thought there would...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Jan 6, 20231 min read
3,444 views
2 comments


If I could hug your heart.
If I could hug your heart I’ll tell you what I’d do I would squeeze it just enough To take the pain from you I’d put it in a jar And...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Dec 24, 20221 min read
1,605 views
0 comments


The last thing she said to me was, "thank you."
A few weeks ago, a woman reached out to me from South Africa, asking if I could be her end-of-life doula. We spoke over ZOOM about thirty...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Dec 19, 20223 min read
477 views
2 comments


What did I do well, what could I have done differently, and what did I learn?
When I walked into his room, I knew this was going to be the day that he would let go. I took his hand, like I had every day for the past...
Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Dec 11, 20223 min read
754 views
2 comments

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