Swedish Death Cleaning

Swedish Death Cleaning, or döstädning, is a thoughtful way to prepare for the inevitable: death. It’s about simplifying your life and easing the burden on those who will have to manage your belongings when you’re no longer around. While the term might sound a bit morbid, it’s really an invitation to take control of your possessions before it’s too late. The…

End of Life Planning

The start of a new year is an ideal time to set the intention to organize your end-of-life plans. Preparing now can save your loved ones time, money, heartache, and disagreements later, and is kind to those you leave behind. Broadly, there are two areas requiring attention: your health care and body, and your earthly possessions and responsibilities. Two timelines…

Wind Phones

In 2010, Sasaki Itaru of Japan, grieving the loss of his cousin to cancer, discovered something beautiful: a poem his cousin had written, titled The Phone of the Wind. The poem spoke of a mysterious phone, one that had no line, no connection—only the wind, which carried thoughts and feelings directly to the heart. “Whisper to the wind,” the poem…

Seven Year Summer by Anna Byrne

While in her early thirties, Anna Byrne was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. Over the next seven years, she endured four relapses, two stem cell transplants, and spent over 2,000 hours in Canadian hospitals. In 2014, she was given two years to live. Despite the odds, Anna left treatment cancer-free. She became a hospice volunteer and…

Death Cafe

At a Death Cafe, people—often strangers—gather to enjoy cake, sip tea, and engage in conversations about a topic that many find difficult to discuss: death. This unique setting provides a welcoming atmosphere where participants can share their thoughts, fears, and experiences related to mortality, all while indulging in comforting refreshments. The mission of a Death Cafe is: “to increase awareness…

Reasons to Remember Death

Following is the script from a School of Life YouTube video titled Reasons to Remember Death. The School of Life is a global organization helping people to lead more fulfilled lives through useful resources and tools. The fast-paced video is directed to those of us who are not actively dying.      This is about death, our death, and how useful it…

Grief and Loss

The five stages of grief were first identified by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in 1969 as Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. Grief isn’t a linear process. It isn’t as if we experience stage one, followed by stage two, etc. When we’re struck by grief, we’re all over the map, consumed by one major feeling and cycling through different aspects, moment by…