An antique telephone inside a retro-style phone booth nestled in the gardens of a local hospice is providing a symbolic way for people to connect with loved ones who have died. The Mariposa House Hospice (MHH) in Severn has installed a new feature called a wind phone. The wooden enclosure holds an old-fashioned telephone meant to represent the connection between those who have passed and those who are still here. Visitors are invited to use the phone and speak to loved ones who have passed on. The wind phone was made possible in part by a community member named Randie Hanlan, whose mother received end-of-life care at the hospice. “When my mom, Sharon, was at Mariposa House Hospice, the care and dignity she received — and the comfort extended to our family — was something I knew I’d never forget,” said Hanlan during the ceremony. “After she passed, I felt a deep pull to give something tangible back to MHH, something that could offer that same sense of peace and comfort to other families walking this path.” The phone booth holds a powerful story. Hanlan found the phone booth through an online marketplace. When she went to pick it up, she discovered the owner also had a loved one who had passed away at MHH. “Grief doesn’t end when a loved one passes; it evolves, and people need physical, safe spaces where they can express those lingering emotions without judgment,” said Aundrea Larocque, Supportive Care Social Worker at MHH. “Having a wind phone here in our gardens provides an incredibly therapeutic, symbolic outlet. It allows visitors to step out of the busyness of the world, pick up the receiver, and say the things they need to say, knowing their words are carried on the wind in a place surrounded by peace.” Wind phones were first created in Japan in 2010 when a disconnected phone booth became a place of comfort for people following the 2011 tsunami.
