The Luckiest

This song by Ben Folds, "The Luckiest", says as much as any I can think of about gratitude for this life and the people who make it worth living.

Is there an ethical limit to prolonging life?

In this brief video, Dr. Ira Byock addresses the question, "Is there an ethical limit to prolonging life?"

Letting go

This tender song was posted on You Tube where the caption reads, "Mary Kate Bristow, sings the original song "Letting Go." Many people have been touched by the words of this song, written by Robert Dunn and Mary Kate Bristow. This video "Letting Go" has been developed by Hospice of Dubuque using photos of the patients and families with whom we have journeyed through the years."

Forgive often

No words

A truly extraordinary video about grief and hope....

Dogs can be amazing therapy

Carpe diem

Gratitude is the secret to a happy life

Silence is okay

Grief and the internet generation

An article on the Internet generation and grief appeared in this morning's New York Times: "The social norms for loss and the Internet are clearly still evolving. But Gen Y-ers and millennials have begun projecting their own sensibilities onto rituals and discussions surrounding death. As befits the first generation of digital natives, they are starting blogs, YouTube series and Instagram feeds about grief, loss and even the macabre, bringing the conversation about bereavement and the deceased into a very public forum, sometimes with jarring results." Read more of the story HERE...

Three dedicated hospice volunteers recognized for their service

Judy Fowler, Ellen Green and Wanda Green were recently honored for their dedicated service by the Hospice Care Foundation of Missoula.

You can read more of their inspiring story HERE.

A hospice love story

This is the moving hospice love story of Harvey Mehlhaff, a retired Baptist minister, and his wife Carole, who have been married for 51 years. The video was produced by Providence Hospice of Seattle, where I was a hospice volunteer.

Living every single moment

The website Spirituality and Practice published a remarkable review of the Robert Redford film All is Lost which it praises for "creating a substantive and gripping work of art that compels us to confront death and our fears of dying alone."

Below is an extended quote from the review:

"The early Christians known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers saw death as a companion who is always with us. They knew that living our life from the point of view of death was not a capitulation to despair but a wonderful way to clear the mind to approach every moment with delight. Here is an excerpt from "Soul Making: The Desert Way of Spirituality" by Alan Jones:

"In the desert tradition, death is a companion, a friend. St. Francis of Assisi called death 'sister.' He was a believer of extraordinary power, at home with the desert way of believing. Death, far from being the terror we encounter at the end of our earthly existence, is the companion and friend who walks with us now. Sister Death is with us always. Her shadow marks and influences every moment.

"To live our life from the point of view of our death is not necessarily a capitulation to despair, to withdrawal, to passivity. Rather, it can become the basis for our being and doing in the world. The more we refuse to look at our own death, the more we repress and deny new possibilities for living. We are all going to die, and our life is a movement to that sure end. Believers find that meditation on this simple fact has a wonderful way of clearing the mind! It enables them to live every single moment with new appreciation and delight. When I say to myself, 'This moment may be my last,' I am able to see the world with new eyes."

To read the full review, click HERE.