Everyone, young and old are hanging on for dear life

teeny tiny  baby hangs on for dear life

You have heard the expression hanging on for dear life haven't you?  Well it takes on a really important meaning when you see it happening because most of the time I realise we are so self absorbed that we don't even notice that so many people are just hanging on right there, hanging on for the dearness of life.  When you spend a bit of time in a hospital, you see all the different players in the hospital drama, there are the nurses and the technicians, the doctors and the patients, the different kinds of doctors and the different kinds of patients.  Some patients are on their way out to have a jolly New Year, some are on their way out but to something not considered quite so jolly.  All of them are hanging on for dear life because life is dear.  If you are moved by this little picture of the teeny tiny baby holding on to its mothers finger, then you know how dear it is.  The baby hangs on to the mother for dear life, the mother holds on to the baby for dear life.  The dearness of life is unmissable in a hospital and you notice the things which make the difference.  You notice how transformative care is when it is beautiful, you notice because that care is total, there is nobody seeking recognition or glory from caring, they are just getting on with it because care is needed.  You notice too when care is not so good, when it is withheld because a carer is preoccupied with their own stuff.  You notice everything because you are so grateful for the care being given and you notice how bravely people are coping with the difficulties coming their way and you know why it is.  It is because they are hanging on for the dearness of life.