![]() by Special Guest: Melody Chattel Within a 12-day period, I had the privilege of sitting next to two women as they took their last breaths. The two women were mother and daughter. Together they represented two of the most important women in my life, my own 72-year-old mother, Irma Jeanne Chatelle, and her mother, my 95-year-old grandmother, Faye Farley. My mother’s death was expected. She
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![]() by Special Guest: Vincent Dodd The funeral was in the hill country, west of Austin Texas, on a very bright and hot Thursday afternoon. She had lived a long and loving life with many children and grandchildren and was devoted to various charities. She outlived a husband about which the kids still love to share of his goodness. She had fought the battle with cancer that ended with an acceptance of defeat—in time to prevent a prolonged and unnecessary period of pain and suffering. The family had also been accepting, at least outwardly, which had ![]() by Special Guest: Worth Kilcrease The following is an excerpt of a letter Edgar Allen Poe wrote on January 4, 1948 after his wife died: “You say—‘Can you hint to me what was the terrible evil’ which caused the irregularities so profoundly lamented?” Yes; I can do more than hint. This ‘evil’ was the greatest which can befall a man. Six years ago, a wife, whom I loved as no man ever loved before, ruptured a blood-vessel in singing. Her life was despaired of. I took leave of her forever & underwent all the agonies of her death. She recovered partially and I again hoped. At the end of a year ![]() by Special Guest: Jim Comer When we are parenting our parents, it is only natural to dip into the past. The old days are familiar territory and we feel safe there–as long as we are careful which memories to unwrap. While the past may be comforting, don’t neglect the possibilities of the present. History isn’t something that happens to someone else. Everyone has stories worth telling and memories that should be shared. ![]() by Special Guest: Jeanne K. Jeanne is a woman I have known for years. There is a quiet kindness that emanates from her;, side by side a fire that fuels her fiddle or cello or whatever she puts her hands on. She has brought me to tears with her music and has made me want to dance. She told me about her experience with her mom’s death some time ago but until I learned about home funerals, I didn’t really understand the depth of it. I asked her if she would share her story. Enjoy. ![]() by Special Guest: Nancy Manahan, PhD “Nancy, I love the Mary Oliver poem that you sent me last week. ‘In Blackwater Woods’ is so beautiful, and so true. Would you read it at my Life Celebration?” We were sitting on the sofa in my brother and his wife’s living room in mid-June. Diane Manahan, my beloved sister-in-law had her legs stretched across my lap. I was scratching her thighs and shins as we talked. ![]() by Special Guest: Kristi Curry If someone asked you if you have your affairs in order, what would you say? Do you sit back and relax in your favorite chair knowing that you have met with your attorney and your instructions are clearly mapped out, signed and notarized. Take notice, you may not be as prepared as you think. Many people think that they have done all they can with their legal documents in place. What they don’t realize is that the administration of an estate can be extremely taxing on their executor and/or families if details have not been documented or communicated. Lives today are complex and working through the details of settling an estate can be ![]() In January 2008, I interviewed Khris Ford, Licensed Professional Counselor and founder of My Healing Place in Austin, Texas. She is an adjunct instructor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work, where she teaches graduate level courses in grief and loss counseling. She is also a bereaved parent, and it is her personal experience of transformative grief following the death of her son, Stephen, in 1989 that fuels her passion for work in the field of grief, loss, and trauma. Khris, what got you into the work you are doing? I think what got me into the work, really, is a lifetime of life losses. I lost siblings as a child, my father abandoned us and I grew up curious about the fact that I saw some people ![]() by Special Guest: Donna Belk As a hospice volunteer I am blessed to be included at the end of people’s lives. My daughters and friends sometimes ask me how I can do it …. thinking that it is icky or heart-wrenching. But to me I am the one receiving the benefit … not necessarily the person! As a volunteer I get to see many approaches to the end of life. The process of dying has a “life” of its own. No one is going to fail, and we really can’t do it ![]() by Special Guest: Dr. Mara Karpel, PhD Dear Dr. Karpel: My children accuse me of being negative and pessimistic. They say I always “see the glass as half empty.” I’m 67 and I feel that I’m realistic. I have several chronic illnesses and have had a hard life. What is there to be positive about? I’m writing to you at the insistence of my daughter, who wants me to ask if there’s any truth to the idea that my negativity may be the cause of some of the |
AuthorIn fall 2014, I moved some old blog posts here that I had written years ago from 2007 to 2010. Hope they are helpful. Archives
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