While our name might reflect conclusion or resolution, 2019 was a mix of that and lots of bright beginnings for the End in Mind Project.
2019 marked the launch of End in Mind as a 501c3, not-for-profit organization with a spiffy new logo and moniker PLUS both are trademarked! We can thank our former executive director, Linda Singh for sparking those changes.
While Linda is no longer with us and our fantastic program manager, Jamie Bachaus got a great new job with our friends at Allina, there are new faces you’ll see in 2020 working to help individuals fearlessly live life through an end-of-life perspective. As folks in the business world would say “we’re poised for growth!” 
2019 saw me, Cathy Wurzer, taking the End in Mind message to diverse audiences, from the global Manova conference in Minneapolis to a Red Wing, Minnesota church that used End in Mind’s work for a Sunday sermon to a lot of other places in between. 
I’m especially proud of the launch of our new podcast “Living With…the End in Mind” which profiles courageous people living with life limiting disease or living into their impending death. It’s powerful and the podcast is getting good reviews and reaction.
Our refreshed website ((www.endinmindproject.org)) looks beautiful and while it is tough to find the time to blog, I’ve had some help this year from some excellent writers.
I’m fond of end-of-the-year lists so here are the top posts of 2019.
I adore End in Mind board member and end of life doula, Christy Moe-Marek and apparently so do you, given the reaction to almost everything she writes. This was an EiM Fan Favorite in 2019. Christy writes beautifully about the importance of a gratitude practice and why gratitude is a building block to living a meaningful life.
This one got you talking and not everyone agreed with my assessment of whether and how to show up for someone who is dying. I learned a lot from you about not being judgmental when it comes to someone’s inability to visit a dying person.
This one surprised me by the number of clicks and comments. It was the first time I really wrote about why I’m doing this work and why I think examining your death can change your life. It was also the first time we actively asked for donations from individuals to further our work. (Always a humbling and exciting experience and yes…you responded generously!)
This was one of the most shared blogs of 2019 by Father Timothy Backous of St. John’s University and Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota. Father Timothy writes of visiting a dying man who asks the priest to help him understand his life in the context of his dying. It’s a must read.
I saved the best for last. This actually was THE most shared and talked about post of the year! (See, I hoped you had read all the way through to this point!) Christy Moe-Marek again and this time she writes about the timeless power of music, especially at the end of life, and she compiled an End in Mind Deathbed Playlist that can be enjoyed at ANY time! 
2019 was quite a year for End in Mind Project! Thank you for your support and interest, your willingness to stretch outside of your comfort zone, your courage to expand your perspectives and open your heart to new ways of thinking about living and dying.
I’m excited to see what 2020 brings!
Cheers!!
