A new year is a great time to set an intention to “get your ducks in a row”. Being prepared makes a huge difference; be kind to those you leave behind. The effort you put in now can save others incalculable time, money, heartache, and disagreements later. In broad strokes, there are two categories that need your attention – your…
The holiday season can feel like a punishment when you’re grieving. Forced festivity seems like it was created just to make the knots in your stomach even tighter. Seeing other people throwing parties and decorating trees and wearing ugly sweaters on purpose might make you want to crawl under your bed…and stay there until January 2. So how can you muster…
The book with this title by Megan Devine is about meeting grief and loss in a culture that doesn’t understand. She writes: Most of what passes for grief support these days is less than useful. Because we don’t talk about loss, most people—and many professionals—think of grief and loss as aberrations, detours from a normal, happy life. We believe that…
We gathered in the Pioneer Room of the Manson’s Hall. Margaret chaired. At this meeting Kathleen Monahan, Coordinator of the Nav-CARE program recently launched by Quadra Circle, joined us on the screen. The Nav-CARE program will extend to Cortes Island in 2024, continuing the Compassionate Community Project launched this summer and currently being coordinated by Carina. Kathleen will tell us…
Written by Dr. Sarah Kerr, PhD, The Centre for Sacred Deathcare https://sacreddeathcare.com/ When someone dies, the first thing to do is nothing. Don’t run out and call the nurse. Don’t pick up the phone. Take a deep breath and be present to the magnitude of the moment. There’s a grace to being at the bedside of someone you love as…
Upon death, life insurance provides a lump-sum payment, known as a death benefit, to the named beneficiary(s). Term life insurance generally covers a specific period of time, such as 10 or 20 years, while Permanent insurance, such as whole and universal life, provides lifetime coverage. It is generally not advisable to name your estate as the beneficiary of a life…
14 people came in person, 3 using Zoom. Fawn chaired the meeting. After our time of sharing, Noba gave a presentation on her experience helping a dear friend in Victoria through the process of getting her house in order, and preparing for MAiD. It was a touching presentation. Noba’s involvement demonstrates the profound healing an end-of-life doula may be privileged…
For as long as humans have been recording their history, death anxiety has been a pervasive theme. From Gilgamesh’s 4000-year-old laments over his own mortality, to recent attempts to preserve one’s body using cryogenics (an effort not dissimilar in its goal to the ancient Egyptian practice of mummification), our species has grappled with our own impermanence in myriad ways. Themes…
“The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and to be stretched large by them. How much sorrow can I hold? That’s how much gratitude I can give. If I carry only grief, I’ll bend toward cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude, I’ll become saccharine and won’t develop…
27 people came in person, 2 using Zoom. Fawn chaired the meeting. Darshan Stevens gave a presentation, with support and comments from family members Alex, Forest, and Emily. Darshan shared an aspect of her experience leading up to the death of both her mother Jen, and her step-father-in-law Doug. With slides and gorgeous photos, she took us on the roller-coaster…