Dying father videotapes dance with daughter for her future wedding

25-year-old Rachel Wolf is losing her father to pancreatic cancer. But, she found a way to make sure that he will dance with her on her future wedding day -- she donned a wedding dress and her dad put on a tux and filmed a special dance together. Click here to read the Huffington Post article about it and view the Today show report below.

NPR: Years later, "Aaron's Last Wish" to leave a $500 tip lives on

NPR reports, "Sunday brings a sad memory for the family of Aaron Collins. It marks one year since the 30-year-old Kentucky man died.

But the heart warming story of 'Aaron's last wish' continues.

As we wrote last July, the family discovered after Aaron's death that his will asked them to 'leave an awesome tip (and I don't mean 25%. I mean $500 on a f***ing pizza) for a waiter or waitress.'"  Read the full report on the NPR website.

NDTV: South Africa prays for Nelson Mandela's recovery

NDTV reports, "Haunted by death during his long anti-apartheid struggle, Nelson Mandela looked toward his own "eternal sleep" as a man who fulfilled his duty to his people.

He was willing to die for democracy, the young black activist said during the 1963-64 trial that would send him to prison for 27 years.

'It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die,' he told judges of the white-minority apartheid regime.

Nearly 50 years later the 94-year-old is critically ill, fighting a stubborn pulmonary infection."  Click on this link to read more....

National Hospice Foundation: We Honor Veterans

“America’s Veterans have done everything asked of them in their mission to serve our country and we believe it is never too late to give them a hero’s welcome home. Now it is time that we step up, acquire the necessary skills and fulfill our mission to serve these men and women with the dignity they deserve.” J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO.

NPR: Death Cafes breathe life into conversations about dying

"We live knowing that everything dies. Like the sun, it's a fact of life. And like the sun, we tend not to look right at it. Unless you've experienced a recent death, it's probably not something you discuss. But a new movement is trying to change that, with a serving of tea and cake." Listen to the full story on NPR by clicking here.

Mike Robbins shares what he learned from his mother's death

Mike Robbins, author of the books Focus on the Good Stuff and Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken, has written a beautiful piece on Huffington Post about what he learned from his mother's death. Here's an excerpt:

"I'm deeply engaged in my grief process right now -- doing my best to stay present in the midst of the intense and contradictory thoughts and feelings I've been experiencing. While I've been feeling sadness and pain, I also feel a lot of love and appreciation - both for my mother's life and all she taught me, and for the experience of being with her through her death.

Death teaches us so much about life and about ourselves, even though it can be very difficult to comprehend and experience -- especially when the person dying is someone very close to us. As a culture we don't really talk about it, deal with it, or face it in an authentic way. It often seems too scary, mysterious, personal, loaded, heavy, emotional, tragic, andmore.

What if we embraced death -- our own and that of those around us -- in a real, vulnerable and genuine way? What if we lived life more aware of the fact that everyone around us, including ourselves, has a limited amount of time here on earth?

Embracing death consciously alters our experience of ourselves, others and life in a fundamental and transformational way. It allows us to remember what truly matters and to put things in a healthy and empowering perspective. Doing this is much better for us than spending and wasting our time worrying, complaining, and surviving the circumstances, situations, and dramas of our lives, isn't it?"

Click here to read the whole post.

"After Life" on NPR's Radio Lab

In episode 2 of season 6, NPR's Radio Lab explores questions about the after life:

"What happens at the moment when we slip from life...to the other side? Is it a moment? If it is, when exactly does it happen? And what happens afterward? It's a show of questions that don't have easy answers. So, in a slight departure from our regular format, we bring you eleven meditations on how, when, and even if we die." Click here to listen to the story.