I immerse myself in the world of seniors, navigating the intricate tapestry of long-term care and retirement. To truly understand their experiences, one must be present—walking the halls, witnessing lives unfold, and bearing witness to the profound fragility of existence. It’s a truth often overlooked: we learn not only from life’s fleeting moments but also from each other.

Recently, officiating a Celebration of Life for a family grieving the loss of their matriarch was a poignant reminder of love’s enduring presence. Their grief was deep, their need for closure palpable, and their love for her immeasurable. Though she is gone, fragments of her remain, shaping lives forever altered by her absence.

My work as a chaplain is a delicate balance of tenderness and practicality, moving fluidly between crafting services, visiting residents, answering calls, and nurturing community bonds. Life, I’ve learned, is an intricate interplay of simplicity and complexity. Seniors, as they navigate aging, illness, and isolation, seek love and purpose amid the uncertainty.

One of the joys of my role is the freedom to create meaningful projects—like Wings of Calm, featured on my LinkedIn page. This gentle initiative offers seniors moments of serenity amidst the dynamic energy of retirement living. In the rush of constant activity, it’s easy to forget the essential need for quiet spaces—places where one can reflect and reconnect with their innermost self.

Introspection in quietude often arrives unbidden, as it did for one senior who faced the sudden, tragic loss of her son. Moments like these underscore the chaplain’s role—not to answer life’s unanswerable questions, such as “Why did he have to go first?”—but to provide a sanctuary for solace, offering words that console even when they cannot mend the rupture of loss.

There is a quiet preciousness in watching a senior volunteer arrive daily at the chapel—turning on the lights, moving the pages of our devotionals forward. I see her smile and steady gait and wonder, What will it be like when she’s no longer here?

Or the senior who always returns to her favorite, cozy armchair—the one near the window. Enveloped by its gentle embrace, she dozes off, possibly reminiscing about family holidays, loved ones, or anticipating a visit from her “boyfriend”—close in age, somewhere in their eighties. Love, in all its forms, does bloom in retirement. It acts as a balm, softening the edges of inconsistencies, missed appointments, sudden losses, and unintentional system failures.

It’s all in a day’s work.

Luba Rascheff is a part-time chaplain studying psychotherapy who obtained certification from the Transformation Academy as a Spiritual Life Coach. Her signature coaching program is Take it to the Next Level. Discover more here.