tending life
New possibilities…
It’s all about identifying the possibilities inherent in holding both what is actually happening for you moment-to-moment alongside the very real desire to survive it for as long as possible. We can do this together.
Read MoreIn Search of Equilibrium
What happens to our relationship with normal when we search for equilibrium instead?
Read MoreI’m here…
Please note that while I have begun charging for services again, I do so with an enhanced focus on accessibility. More than ever, I am aware of how essential it is that everyone who wants to work with me to co-create their final years and months and days, has the ability to do so. If you haven’t reached out because of ability to pay, I am certain we can work something out that nourishes us both.
Read MoreThe Weight of Knowing
My grandma came home today. One year, three months, and six days after I sat by her side as she took her last breath, she arrived at my door by courier, packaged in a shoe-sized box neatly and respectfully wrapped in brown kraft-paper. Four hundred sixty-three days since she died under a full moon early…
Read MoreThe Gift of Gratitude
“Wonderful work, dear lady!” the email from a past client’s family read. “Words cannot describe how grateful we are for the support you have given our family. Never doubt the importance of what you do. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” ***** In my files at home, I keep a folder called “READ THIS”, that I fill…
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,…
Read MoreThe Playfulness of the Unknown
As originally published for The Convenings on 7/23/18 The other night, while enjoying dinner with my dad and bonus mom on the deck sweetly nestled in the treetops of the woods behind our house, we chatted about our dogs and the grief of outliving them when our love together runs so deep. As the stories…
Read MorePracticing for Death
It’s been 10 days since I arrived in Germany to companion my friend as she receives treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Originally, we were to fly her home to Florida this Sunday — three days from now. As it is, the doctor requested that she stay for another round of hyperthermia and chemo before she…
Read MoreCreative Engagement
I am departing today for Germany, taking my heart across the ocean in service of a dear friend receiving treatment for metastatic breast cancer. As I sit at the airport on this overcast morning looking out on the tarmac, at people coming and going, I’m feeling a strange combination of excitement and sobriety for the…
Read MoreSaying Yes
Twenty-two years ago when we met in Shiatsu school, Laura and I became fast friends. Not only did we share a love of bodywork, soul work, and a heart-centered writing practice, we both believed in the body’s natural ability to heal when supported by positive thoughts, positive energy, and a nurturing environment. It didn’t matter that…
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