Archive for December 2018
Give the Gift of “I Love You”
This holiday season, I find myself reflecting on the ways we can do end of life better. After a doozy of an autumn that brought mortality to my doorstep, several times, both personally and professionally, I am reminded that even when we know death is imminent, we never have as much time as we think…
Read MoreEnd of Life Doulas Bridge a Gap for the Dying
It might surprise you to hear that a person with life-limiting or terminal illness spends only about 5% of their time with nurses, doctors, specialists, and the full range of hospice services. According to end of life expert Dr. Allan Kellehear, this means that as much as 95% of their time is spent alone, with family…
Read MoreGrief and Gratitude
In this time of Thanksgiving, I’m attempting to answer the question, “Can I be grateful for my grief?” in the wake of my beloved grandma’s recent death. She was more of a mother to me than a grandmother. She was nearly ninety-four and had lived what everyone calls “a good long life”. Yes, that’s true.…
Read MoreReminders of Impermanence
“I’m in an ambulance on my way to the hospital,” my husband told me as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “Wait. You’re what?” was all I could think of to say. It was almost 2:00am as I lay in a single bed in the guest room at my dad’s house in Florida,…
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