Thank you, Mr. Hammer
I first met Mr. Hammer in the Spring of 2022. In all honesty, I did not want to meet him and now I wish I’d met him sooner. I was afraid. He was highly recommended by a military psychologist friend. Over the first few weeks, I told him to fix my panic attacks, black depressions, trauma, complicated grief and isolation! He looked at me and smiled and didn’t say too much. He always knew when not to say anything; a skilled therapist. He knew we were on a long journey, I wanted a short trip. He was patient and kind and sometimes annoyingly to the point because he seemed to understand. He magically took us from my few comments to the heart of the matter. He gave me language for things I was not able to talk about. He was steady, reliable, supportive, constant, curious and, as I began to be able to handle it, mischievous – those eyes!
I remember one session when he was in pain, maybe from an insect bite, and sat with his leg raised to ease the discomfort and reduce the swelling. I wondered why he met with me that day? Why didn’t he stay home? I’m sure there are all sorts of psychological reasons, but to me it meant he cared. He loved his work. He wanted to offer hope. He was committed and modeled how to keep going, and thriving, week by week by week.
Thank you, Mr. Hammer. On behalf of the many, many people whose lives you have touched, who you have worked with to discover a better way forward, thank you. And to his family, my heart goes out to you, it breaks for you. No-one wants to lose a husband, father, granddad, friend and fellow journeyer. No-one. No-one wants to take that journey. May you find strength in wonderful memories, touchpoints of joy, and eventually look toward a different future from what you were expecting. Love to you all.