Happier Endings: A Meditation on Life and Death

Erica Brown, author of the new book Happier Endings: A Meditation on Life and Death, answers 5 Questions for USA Today.

NPR: Protecting your digital afterlife

This NPR story begins: "Chances are good that you have hundreds, maybe thousands of e-mails stored on remote servers or in your computer. You might have a Facebook page, or a Tumblr or Twitter account. And you might have countless photos in a Flickr album. All that information amounts to a digital profile of sorts, which raises an interesting question: What happens to that online material when we die?" Intrigued? Listen to the full story. 

NPR: From grief comes a mission to make estate planning less daunting

An NPR feature on widow Chanel Reynolds begins: "Estate planning may seem like a pain, but imagine the mess you leave to those managing your affairs if you don't draw up a will or get life insurance.

'It takes really just a few hours now, rather than a pile of hours and thousands of dollars to do it later when you really need it done,' says Chanel Reynolds, who created a website geared to help people get their affairs in order." Click here to listen and read more...

What Are Death Cafes?

"In the United States, Death Cafes have spread quickly. The first one met last summer in a Panera Bread outside Columbus, Ohio, where guests were served tombstone-shaped cookies. Since then, more than 100 meetings have been held in cities and towns across the country, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Los Angeles and Seattle." What are Death Cafes? Learn more about this new trend on the cover of today's New York Times.

By the way, Toronto's first Death Cafe got a write-up, too.

How to write a eulogy...for yourself

Laurel Lewis is a registered nurse who specializes in end-of-life care. She believes that "contemplating one's own death is a spiritual practice. It can certainly be the focal point of any meditation or journal writing. A Buddhist would say that we should examine it with every breath. That may be much for the beginner. How about we start with twice a day, upon waking and just prior to falling asleep." Read more of this interview with Laurel Lewis here.

You can watch a video of Laurel leading a group through a eulogy exercise below:

Emergency room doctor talks about dying in the 21st century

When Someone Dies: The Practical Guide to the Logistics of Death

On Wisconsin Public Radio's Joy Cardin Show, Scott Smith talked about his book, When Someone Dies: The Practical Guide to the Logistics of Death. From the show's blurb: "All of us will die, but few of us will take the opportunity to prepare for the onslaught of arrangements and special considerations that need to be made when a loved one passes away. This hour, Joy Cardin's guest shares his practical guide for the logistics of death."  You can find the audio for the show in Joy Cardin's archives -- look for 3/27/13 8:00 AM "When Someone Dies".

For a quick and excellent overview of this subject, check the Consumer Reports article "What To Do When a Loved One Dies".