Clay County Meadowlark Hospice Tree of Light

Clay County Meadowlark Hospice Tree of Light

 

The Tree of Light ceremony is a treasured event in Meadowlark Hospice history.  This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first Tree of Light ceremony.  Thanksgiving weekend in 1990 was the beginning of this memorial tradition in the Clay Center Courthouse square.   The names of those being honored were read and the lights on the tree were lit for the holiday season.  The ceremony included music and the reading of a litany.  Through the years, the Tree of Light ceremony has changed to better meet the needs of our communities, but the heart of the ceremony remains.

From that one ceremony, the Tree of light has now grown to six ceremonies throughout our service area.  Meadowlark Hospice volunteers have become the coordinators behind each of the ceremonies.  The ceremonies are now traditionally held indoors and include music, litany, and the reading of names of honored individuals.  As the individuals' names are read, a symbolic votive candle is lit.  The ceremony also includes memorial recognition of the Meadowlark Hospice patients that have passed away during the past year.

The tree of light ceremony is a blessed tradition of Meadowlark Hospice.  It is an honor to have families remember their loved one at one of the Tree of Light ceremonies.  Providing hospice care to the communities of North Central Kansas is a privilege.  Our staff are members of all of these communities and are honored to provide end of life care to their friends and neighbors.  We are humbled to see the amount of support the community provides to Meadowlark Hospice.

Gifts to Meadowlark Hospice are made in memory of a hospice patient, someone who has passed away, or in honor of an individual still living.  Meadowlark Hospice continues to use the gifts to help provide care to any person in need of hospice care regardless of their ability to pay and to cover costs not covered by Medicare.  It is a comforting reminder that our loved ones are still remembered and gives families a moment to treasure their memories.

There will be a Tree of Light Remembrance on Thursday November 19th on the Court House Square.  We will be leading the community in singing Christmas Carols.  This will be in remembrance of the 1st Tree of Light Ceremony in 1990.  On Sunday December 6th at 2:00 PM, the 25th Annual Tree of Light Ceremony will be held at the Family Life Center at the United Methodist Church