The Midwife and the Hospice Worker

The burst of colour from the prayer flags contrasted against the natural hues of the mountain scenery. A second look revealed thousands more flags that had faded to white. Deep in the Himalayan mountains, in the remote Kingdom of Bhutan, people had been hiking to Tiger’s Nest monastery for centuries, bringing their dreams, fears and questions with them. On that hike, like so many others, people place coloured flags on the journey with prayers written on them, to be read by the wind and delivered to the spirits. The newer the flags, the brighter the colours. At some point, when the colours are completely gone, the flags disappear, taken down by a passing monk, ripped from the trees by the wind and rain, or falling