For Molly, volunteering is more than a way to give back. It is a deeply personal way to honor her father, Jerry, and the care her family received during one of the most difficult times in their lives. After experiencing firsthand the compassion and support of Harry Hynes, Molly felt called to volunteer. In this heartfelt reflection, she shares her experience with loss, grief, and finding comfort through giving back.

I started volunteering for Harry Hynes because I felt driven after they were so instrumental in the loss of my Father in March of 2024. We lost my dad March 21, 2024, and he was at the Harry Hynes Hospice Center at Via Christi St. Francis. Everyone from Harry Hynes was so comforting and helped us with things we never thought we would have to deal with. As I type this, I still can’t believe he is gone, and it doesn’t feel like it’s been two years since we lost him. You think you have so much time with your loved ones, and don’t realize how much time you have wasted until they are gone. Naturally, you think back and have regrets about things you have said or not said, and how many times you could have gone to visit but didn’t. How many times I thought, I should take Dad to The Oasis and get his favorite burger for lunch, but something came up and we didn’t go.

Volunteering with Harry Hynes is my way of honoring his life and helps me better deal with  the regret I have now. He was always so proud of all six kids, always bragging to whomever would listen about what we were all doing and our accomplishments. At the end of his life, all six of us were able to say our goodbyes and be with him as he transitioned to be with our Lord. If I have learned one thing through this experience, it’s that grief is a living thing and has no problem waiting for you. You can’t schedule it or push it away, because it will randomly be there waiting for you when you least expect it. I have learned to grieve when I feel it and go through the feelings whether I want to or not, because the heaviness of letting it build up is just too much. My Mom, and all my sisters were there by his side, saying the first decade of the Glorious Mysteries (The Resurrection) of the Rosary, as he took his last breath. I am honored to have been able to be at his side as he left this life, and hope to continue his spirit by giving back to the place that gave us so much comfort and direction at such a dark time in our lives.