Today it houses spirits of a different sort. Those who have departed and yet are still with us were very much a part of the Donor Recognition Ceremony. We could all feel the presence of those who had moved on to the next life, be it the Afterlife or the bringing of continuing life to grateful transplant recipients.

The ceremony captured the powerful ambiguity in the lives of donor families. While the grieving in the room was tangible, especially during the Gift of Life Medal Ceremony and the Video Tribute to Our Loved Ones, when we confronted our losses one individual at a time, equally powerful in the room was what host Francis L. Delmonico, M.D., identified as "a great sense of goodness." We heard transcendent abstract words such as "caring," "hope" and "peace," along with comforting words such as "We are connected by love," and "Life is a journey, a sacred pilgrimage." Yet those 215 names in the program and those faces on the screen each reminded us of lives unfulfilled. Or fulfilled, at best, through others. The appreciation of transplant recipients, expressed here but even more powerfully at the Opening Ceremony through the prolonged ovation of thanks may have helped ease the pain of separation and loss. We could sense the presence of those who had departed.

As the ceremony continued, the mood of reverent silence slowly gave way to a sense of connection. Donor families sitting together would touch one another - an arm thrown around a shoulder, a hand grasping a hand, or a simple leaning together. People began to talk, with conversation further connecting people.

The spirits were doing their work to bless their families, helping them, as the Benediction said, "to work through our many feelings."