Who is sitting at the table? A pause for those who brought us here.

We have made it through January and are well into 2026. Dying comes, no matter the day or time of the year – a fresh year now. There is time to pause and hold a small moment, to remember all the people we cared for through a palliative journey over the last year. How many loved ones sat at their family Christmas table, and are not there today?

Post festive season delights, Barbara, with a full heart from old family stories and love, and the singular joy of lots of small children overcooked on excitement and sugar, received a message with a picture of a VW Beetle adorned in 480 Christmas lights. The car belonged to one of those no longer at the table. Their family climbed into the car and drove around the town where their person had lived. They are beginning a long and arduous journey of grieving someone. A journey with no destination. The beauty of the human condition is how our small hearts can hold joy and despair, love and sadness, delight and loss, all at the same time. Your heart can be broken, and you can drive a bug around town with 480 flashing lights and feel it all. And somehow keep driving, and keep breathing.

Take a moment. Stop. Maybe light a candle.

As we step into 2026 in earnest, we think about what drove us here – the important work of palliative care. This year, From the Minds of Barbara and Craig Geoff has already seen big changes. We welcome our first intake into our mentorship programme. Barbara is well on track to enter her PhD studies, and Craig Geoff is tying a bow on clinical palliative care to make space for more academic work. Look out – we are about to publish the second edition of our handbook concerning virtual palliative care. Yes. The ignition is well on. We are looking forward to sharing this work with you. Watch out for a new space we have called Friends of Minds of BCG. In this separate page, we will share work from our wonderful colleagues.

This is our way of adorning a VW Beetle with lights.

– Barbara and Craig Geoff