On Being a Companion

Companioning is about honouring the spirit;
It is not about focusing on the intellect.

Companioning is about curiosity;
It is not about expertise.

Companioning is about learning from others;
It is not about teaching them.

Companioning is about walking alongside;
It is not about leading or being led.

Companioning is about being still;
It is not about frantic movement forward.

Companioning is about discovering the gifts of sacred silence;
It is not about filling every painful moment with talk.

Companioning is about listening with the heart;
It is not about analysing with the head.

Companioning is about bearing witness to the struggles of others;
It is not about judging or directing those struggles.

Companioning is about being present to another person’s pain;
It is not about imposing order and logic.

Companioning is about going to the wilderness of the soul with another human being;
It is not about thinking you are responsible for finding the way out.

Courtesy of the Centre of Loss and Life Transition